Working with hand tools can greatly affect user’s
exposure to Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTD). In a certain plant, tweezers are
the principle tool being used. This study examined the effects that working
with different types of tweezers and different sets of instructions had on
speed and comfort. Straight-bodied tweezers, the standard used in the plant,
were examined along side with bent-bodied tweezers in the performance of two
types of operations. The participants were divided into three groups, one
simply given the tweezers and asked to perform the tasks. The second, given
instruction on how to hold the tweezers and the third was given both
instruction and an ergonomic explanation.
It was found that the straight and bent tweezers each
best suited a different type of operation in both ergonomic and productive aspects.
The importance of receiving instructions on how to use the tools has been shown
since the group that did not receive instructions achieved poorer performance.
The results stress the need to adapt the right tool to the right task along
with proper instructions on how to use the tool. Such implementation could
achieve both less exposure to CTD and better performance, which are essential
in high precision jobs.
