Protecting Upper Extremities in Aircraft Maintenance
The Problem
Dozens of employees working at an aircraft maintenance facility cleaned airplane fuselage, using a powered buffing tool. This activity occurred across dozens of aircraft surfaces, requiring employees to assume awkward and often physically demanding arm and shoulder postures. Several of these individuals developed upper extremity injuries each year.
Action Taken
Our ergonomists at SRI-Ergonomics identified which cleaning tasks imposed the highest amounts of muscle loading on employees, using our portable electromyographic (EMG) equipment and other ergonomics assessment 
Based on this effort, our ergonomists worked with company health & safety personnel to test and measure several possible ergonomics-related improvements. Those job changes found to be most feasible and cost-effective were then implemented.
Impact
Just one year after these ergonomics improvements were implemented, shoulder injuries at this facility fell by more than 40%.
