Assemblers in many different industries depend on all sorts of pneumatic, DC electric and battery powered tools for a wide variety of fastening applications. Unfortunately, the devices are also the source of countless ergonomic headaches for manufacturing engineers.

Workplace ergonomics is getting a lot of attention nationwide in response to a sharp increase in incidents of repetitive strain injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. For the affected employee, such injuries often mean repeated surgery, intractable pain and the inability to work. For the employer, ultimately, they mean higher costs.

Not all ergonomic risk factors are job-related. Some are known as personal risk factors. These include age, gender, tobacco use, medication and previous injuries.

ANN ARBOR, MI—Humantech Inc. will present a free, live webinar July 17 at 2 p.m. Eastern. This 60-minute webinar will cover how to perform a detailed ergonomic assessment.