About six years ago, five dedicated We Energies linemen took the lead in selecting and placing battery-powered hand tools on every line crew. These linemen reluctantly assembled a team of line mechanics, engineers, in-house safety consultants, supervisors and occupational health nurses that worked with researchers from Marquette University in an Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) ergonomics study of line mechanics. The linemen never expected these laboratory and field studies to go anywhere. Their fellow line workers call them the “Ergo-Nerds.” The team, with rock-solid support from Vice President Charley Cole, worked with numerous vendors to develop and trial prototype tools. (See “Linemen Tackle Tool Troubles,” Transmission & Distribution World, June 2003.)

Then We Energies (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.) shared the business case for major capitalized tool and materials purchases in the August 2003 issue of T&D World. The article, “We Energies Reduced Repetitive Motion Injuries,” outlined the results of the extensive scientific studies and injury/illness reviews to the distribution operations safety committee. The data were so compelling that We Energies committed nearly US$1 million in capitalized funds to purchase battery-operated tools for each overhead line crew. Now the utility has before-and-after data on injury reductions as a result of using battery-operated hand tools (see table).

Injury-Reduction Results Following Implementation of Battery-Operated Hand Tools

	Before	After	% Change	$ Change
First-aid reports	12	27	+125%
OSHA recordables	5	0	-100%
Lost workdays	111 days	0	-100%	-$44,400
Restricted-duty days	110 days	0	-100%	-$22,000
Workers' compensation	$73,950	$0	-100%	-$73,950
PPD	336 days	0	-100%	-$134,400
Totals	557 days	0		$274,750
Minus tool costs				-$110,000
			Net benefit	$164,750

Granted, it is only one year's data, and it will take several years to make truly predictive evaluations. The biggest benefits will be for new apprentices who have not built up years of cumulative exposure to high musculoskeletal forces. However, the results are still startling.

The table compares the prior year with the year subsequent to the implementation of battery-operated tools for all overhead line crews (2002 vs. 2003). The injuries and costs are solely for upper-extremity injuries associated with the crimping and cutting tasks.

We Energies found that:

• First-aid reports more than doubled. In other words, the worker population was not discouraged from reporting injuries. In fact, they reported earlier and more often. This is at the stage where work practice changes and medical treatment are most beneficial.

• There were no OSHA-recordable injuries — not including lost workday, restricted-duty or permanent partial-disability cases — in the following year.

• There were no lost workday cases.

• There were no restricted- duty cases.

• Workers' compensation payouts for injuries associated with these tasks were eliminated.

• There were no new permanent partial-disability cases in the following year.

The cost-benefit analysis shows that after paying off the capitalized annual costs of the new battery-operated tools — $110,000 — there was a net cost savings of $164,750. Because the tools are being capitalized over an eight-year period, the net savings in that time year could be projected to be $438,000 for a single intervention.

It is important to note that the actual savings may be more or less in that time frame. However, the results are dramatic, though preliminary, and should increase with time. This is one of the great benefits of ergonomics changes: They improve productivity, contribute to CAIDI and reduce injuries while savings continue and even increase.

Patricia Seeley, president of Ergonomics Solutions LLC, an ergonomics consulting firm specializing in customized ergonomics consulting and training services, is the former principal consultant for ergonomics at We Energies. As the corporate ergonomist, she worked with all business units to develop and support an ongoing ergonomics process for all workers. She is a certified professional ergonomist and holds masters' degrees in both industrial engineering and education. ergo@wi.rr.com

Working in Landscaped Areas

Plywood is typically used to cover the ground so trucks can drive over landscaped areas. Using plywood becomes expensive because the wood gets broken up after a few uses. Plywood also lacks handles for gripping. Plywood sheets exceed the NIOSH lifting equation limits for safe individual lifting. Also, mud can be hard to remove from the wood surface.

The We Energies “Ergo-Nerds” — Fred Wenzel, Tim Allen, Bob Koenecke, Dave Paro and Steve Rueter — recommend using lawn mats, which pay for themselves in about a month and can last for years. They are available from numerous manufacturers and come in plastic, composite or fiberglass materials. Check out how much they weigh in comparison to plywood, how readily mud can be removed, and how easily they can be gripped. Some We Energies crews crafted a simple rack, which can be lifted off the truck and placed where needed, to save time and effort. Good lawn mats can be handled by one person and reduce the risk for lower-back injuries.