Herbert Parkinson, a British textile manufacturer, has received an award for promoting healthy well-being in workers. Workers typically stand or sit in a position that disturbs their body posture and could lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs include injuries and conditions that can affect the back, joints, and limbs. The parts of the body most likely to be affected are the lower back, shoulders, forearms, wrists and hands, and the neck, hips, legs, knees, ankles, and feet.
The Risk Reduction Through Design Award 2020/21, sponsored by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF), recognizes design innovation to reduce the risk of MSDs. Herbert Parkinson, the John Lewis Textiles Factory, has bagged the Risk Reduction Through Design Award to recognize their work.
The company worked with designer David Atherton to develop a 3D printed handheld tool, which can be used to insert many curtain hooks into curtain headers. Workers in the packaging and inspection team had previously been inserting up to 200 metal pin hooks into curtain headers by hand every day. However, the new ergonomically designed tool enables workers to slide the hooks easier, preventing pain in their fingers and hands.
Ali Wellens, Head of HSE’s Health and Work Branch and chair of this year’s judging panel, said, “The Risk Reduction Through Design Award is intended to highlight the important contribution that design changes can make in reducing risks of musculoskeletal disorders. We want to congratulate Herbert Parkinson for their efforts to reduce the risks of MSDs in the workplace and improve the lives of their employees. We also want to encourage other businesses, large and small, to consider how they could make design changes to eliminate or reduce the risks of MSDs in their workplaces.”
