Occupational safety offers yet another benefit of food and beverage factory automation, writes Universal Robots’ Shermine Gotfredsen.
Manual handling in the food and beverage packaging industry is a common cause of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), resulting in a significant number of compensation claims and leading to financial and productivity loss.
According to a 2016 research report from the Institute of Safety, Compensation and Recovery, MSDs accounted for 59.5 per cent of the $61.8 billion that work-related injuries cost the Australian economy in 2012-2013.
Moreover, the average cost per workplace incident is $4,350 which, for a small to medium business can result in significant financial damage.
Body stressing, manual handling and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the most common work related conditions and cause for workers compensation claims in Australia.
Many claims are due to muscular stress created by common packaging tasks such as lifting, carrying or putting down crates, boxes and other containers.
Work-related injuries are a continuing issue in large part because performing physical activities or operating machinery in a predictable environment still represent one-third of the workers’ overall time in the manufacturing industry.
Meanwhile data from consulting firm, McKinsey indicates that 59 percent of the tasks people perform in the sector could be automated.
As a consequence, food and beverage manufacturers and packaging suppliers are looking at exploring automation as a way to increase employee safety and reduce workplace related injuries.
