Tama was 22. He was a big, strong man, which came in handy
when moving stacks of crates as a packer/stacker.
One shift, he was carrying three crates of bread to the delivery van when he tripped over a crate which was on the floor. He fell forward and his knee slammed into the concrete floor. There was an immediate sharp pain and he cried out. Pita, his supervisor, quickly came to his aid and rang an ambulance. He also notified their workers compensation insurer.
Tama was taken to hospital where an x-ray showed he had fractured his knee bone. Luckily it wasn't a bad break. Ice was applied, his knee strapped and he was sent home. He was told he had to totally rest his knee for 3 days and should not go back to work for a week. He was to return for a check up at that time. The doctor also referred him to a physiotherapist.
After a week, Tama's knee was still stiff and sore and he found it difficult to walk. The doctor said he could return to work, but he must not stand for long periods of time or walk too far and should work reduced hours. Tama didn't see how he could do that. He was always standing, walking and lifting in his job. But he agreed to try.
When Tama arrived for work, Pita sat down with him to discuss what they could do. They agreed that packing could not be done while sitting. Unsure what to do, they rang their insurer to ask for advice. After consulting the industry job dictionary, the insurer suggested Tama could make up cake boxes and pack cakes into them. Tama was also able to stand occasionally, so some of his normal packing could be done as long as it wasn't for long periods of time.
Pita thought about this. What Tama really needed was a bench that could be easily moved from sitting to standing height. But the benches were all fixed at standing height. And there certainly wasn't room for an extra table. Pita asked Tama to research adjustable height benches and sit-stand chairs. After all, the workers were all different heights anyway. He also asked him to review his investigation of the accident, and suggest any changes to make the bakery safer.
Tama looked around the work environment. The main problem was space, or a lack of it! He had tripped because crates were stacked in aisles. And it was only luck that no one had suffered a back strain from lifting heavy crates from the floor. He found some tables which could be adjusted to sitting or standing height by a simple electric mechanism. He also found a company that made trolleys with a hydraulic system that automatically lowered when something was placed on them and raised when it was taken off – you could stack crates onto the trolley and always be working at a safe height.
Pita agreed that these were a good idea but he was concerned at the expense. He convinced the owner to purchase one of each to try. Tama also suggested, if they decided to refit the bakery, they should consider having more benches able to be accessed from all sides to decrease over-reaching. Pita also purchased sit-stand chair on glides for Tama to use. Together, they also determined special ‘transit routes' where crates were not allowed to be stacked and developed a safe work procedure which specified the maximum number of crates which could be lifted by one person. They also tried a ‘buddy' system, where one person packed and another stacked in areas of high traffic and small space.
Tama's table, as it became known, was a huge success. Tama managed to work throughout his recovery, with assistance from his mates to move the stacked crates. The owner was so impressed, he got a designer to do a plan for a new interior, using adjustable tables and trolleys, and making sure there was adequate storage space and safe access routes. It's going to take him a while, but eventually he plans to have the safest bakery in the state.
