Research Paper on:
Cosmetic Industry Ergonomics and Safety

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
cosmetic industry to consider changes that will protect workers from potentially dangerous chemicals and machines. Just as important is that steps should be taken to endorse and integrate ergonomic improvements  in factories to prevent worker injuries from poorly designed manufacturing equipment, plants and furniture. In the United States, for example,  the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has prepared new ergonomic standards that are forcing employers to modify tools and machinery (Fefer, 1994), meaning that companies are attempting to review  their manufacturing processes to comply with the OSHA standards. There is no doubt, however, that retrofitting an already existing production line has its problems (Chambers and Grossmith, 2001). Changing a  conveyer belt to better fit the employee population could lead to changes in work station and other processing equipment, which can be costly (Chambers and Grossmith, 2001). One way to  resolve this (as well as to resolve the issues of space allocation, process flow and incorrect equipment design) is to design it right the first time, i.e., before a production  line is developed (Chambers and Grossmith, 2001). This involves having the ergonomist in from the very first, when the plan is first outlined (Chambers and Grossmith, 2001).  This is also true in the area of equipment design - for the most part, equipment is designed more for the benefit of a company,  to increase production, rather than consideration of the human element (Chambers and Grossmith, 2001). Product design can, however, be ergonomically designed as well from the beginning (Chambers and Grossmith, 2001).  An ergonomics training module can be shown to product design engineers to let them know particular human stressors inherent in certain types of equipment - including those that require repetitive