The storage and handling of parts and products is an essential part of all production processes. Done efficiently, it ensures that work flows smoothly and helps to avoid many delays and bottlenecks. However, storage and handling by themselves are not a source of additional value or profit. During these operations, goods do not acquire any new qualities. Just the opposite happens: materials are damaged or deteriorate, capital costs must be paid and accidents
occur. For the entrepreneur, improved materials storage and handling means recovery of misused space, less production time spent searching for tools and materials, lower capital costs due to less work-in-progress, simplified inventory control, fewer unnecessary operations and a better overall factory appearance.
Most work is carried out at work-stations where workers perform the same tasks hundred of times per day. The benefits from small improvements are thus multiplied many times. Awkward work postures and movements mean lower productivity and quality as well as greater fatigue. Simple improvements such as jigs, fixtures, stable work-surfaces or placing tools and materials within easy
reach can have large payoffs.
While no one wants accidents to happen, machine safety is often ignored because it is seen as costly or inefficient. This applies to workers as well as managers. However, by using techniques such as modern feeding and ejection devices, it is often possible to increase productivity while at the same time eliminating the hazards. Where guards must be used, they need not be costly and above
all they need not reduce productivity.
Hazardous substances of one form or another can be found in almost all small and medium-sized enterprises. Exposure to many chemical substances causes fatigue, headache, dizziness and irritation of eyes and air passageways, resulting in a reduction of productivity and quality and increased absenteeism and turnover of staff. High levels of dust, oil, paints and other sprays, etc., interfere with efficient operations, require extra inspection and cleaning
and may spoil materials or final products. Through simple and inexpensive means, it is possible to control most of these problems.
Better lighting and related visual improvements very often increase productivity and reduce difficulties and strain for workers. This is especially important for rapid or detailed work or for quality products. Better lighting does not need to mean higher cost. Use of daylight and regular cleaning and maintenance can improve lighting while reducing electricity bill.
Welfare facilities are an essential part of any enterprise. During each working day, workers need to drink water or some other beverage, eat meals and snacks, wash their hands, visit a lavatory, and rest and recover from fatigue. Welfare facilities are not something extra, nor a luxury to be attended to when all other conditions are satisfied and productivity is high. Good welfare facilities are essential to higher productivity. They improve the workers' health, morale, motivation, job satisfaction and attendance.
Most small enterprises are located in buildings which were not carefully designed for their current use. In addition, new equipment is often placed wherever there is the most space which gradually results in a haphazard layout. Much can be done, even with older buildings, to improve ceilings, walls and floors. The impact of simple measures on ventilation, heat and pollution
can be dramatic.
Improvements in the way production is organized and scheduled can have a very large impact on both productivity and motivation. Modern work organization techniques such as recombining tasks, setting up buffer stocks, introducing multi-skilling,
developing group work-stations and using product-based organization have numerous advantages. These include smoother and more efficient work flow, higher product quality, greater flexibility, reduced down-time of expensive machines and reduced need for supervision. Their introduction makes the smaller enterprise more likely to survive and grow.
The different types of waste generated in various production processess pollute not only the workplace but the environment in general. The harmful effects of waste to the enterprise can extend to nearby areas and to possibly even more. They mix with the environment through different ways, as air contaminants or pollutants from production--related source or as foreign materials in water streams or drainage systems. Practical and effective upstream initiatives on good waste management would include conservation and waste reduction methods, recycling efforts and use of environment-friendly materials. The strategy can be reinforced by enterprise and community-based environmental awareness promotion.
For more information on WISE, please contact Labor Standards Research Division, Bureau of Working Conditions,
3/F Department of Labor and Employment Building, Muralla Street, Intramuros, Manila.
Tel: +63.2.527.3473
or +63.2.527.5808 and Fax: +63.2.527.3478.
For further information, please contact the South-East Asia and the Pacific Multidisciplinary Advisory Team (SEAPAT) at
Tel: + 63.2.815.2354 or + 63.2.819.3614 and Fax: + 63.2.812.6143
E-mail:
seapat@ilo.org
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Created by SF. Approved by WRB. Last updated on 31 August 1999.