An Analysis of the Impact of Lean and Safety

Abstract

Organizations are using lean to improve productivity. However, misapplication of lean techniques may lead to safety issues, health problems, and accidents. The money companies spend on compensation claims is fundamentally a waste - companies should augment their lean initiatives with a concern for safety and health. The purpose of this research is to investigate whether companies are integrating workers' safety and health with lean. A survey was conducted and results showed areas for improvement particularly the need to crosstrain safety and lean, considering ergonomics in work cell design, and an increased awareness of the impact on workers when processes are changed.

Meeting Name

IIE Annual Conference and Expo 2010 (2010: Jun. 5-9, Cancun, Mexico)

Department(s)

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering

Second Department

Psychological Science

Keywords and Phrases

Ergonomics; Industry, Lean; Lean techniques; Process Improvement; Safety and healths; Safety hazards; Safety issues; Safety management; Work cell, Occupational risks

International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

978-1632663054

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2010 Institue of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

09 Jun 2010

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