Method and apparatus for manufacturing or producing a product in accordance with an ergonomic safety evaluation

Abstract

An integrated safety-evaluation with labor-time-standard system is provided that includes a work-task manager, integrated module and ergonomic safety evaluator. The work-task manager may be configured to receive a work instruction and determine work elements applicable to the work instruction, with the work elements may have respective associated elemental unit times, elemental risk ratings and frequency values. The integrated module may be configured to receive the elemental unit times, elemental risk ratings and frequency values for the work elements, and calculate a labor time standard and ergonomic safety rating therefrom. And the ergonomic safety evaluator may be configured to receive the labor time standard and ergonomic safety rating and perform an ergonomic safety evaluation therefrom. In this regard, the ergonomic safety evaluator may be configured to perform the ergonomic safety evaluation to determine whether to release or reject the work instruction.

That which is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for causing manufacture or production a product in accordance with an engineering design from which a work plan is generated, the apparatus configured to communicate via a network and comprising a processor, a user interface and a memory storing executable instructions that in response to execution by the processor cause the apparatus to at least:
 receive a plurality of work plans for the manufacture or production the product, each of which includes a plurality of work instructions; and for each work instruction,   determine work elements applicable to the work instruction relating to the manufacture or production the product, the work elements having respective associated numeric values including elemental unit times, elemental risk ratings and frequency values, each elemental risk rating of a work element representing a potential for ergonomic injury to an average worker of a standard normal population of workers when performing one repetition of the work element at a pace indicated by an elemental unit time of the work element;   calculate a labor time standard from the elemental unit times and frequency values for each of a plurality of work elements i=1, 2, . . . n by calculating, for each work element, an elemental time standard for a respective work element i as a product of the elemental unit time EUT(i) and the frequency value FV for the respective work element as follows ETS(i)=EUT(i)×FV, and then calculating the labor time standard LTS_std by summing the elemental time standards ETS(i) for each of the plurality of work elements;   calculate an ergonomic safety rating from the elemental time standards and elemental risk ratings by multiplying, for each work element, the elemental risk rating for a respective ergonomic category and the elemental time standard for a respective work element to define a product and then summing the product for each of the plurality of work elements to determine the ergonomic safety rating, the ergonomic safety rating being a numeric value representing the potential for ergonomic injury to the average worker when performing the work instruction relating to the manufacture or production the product;   perform an ergonomic safety evaluation of the work instruction from the labor time standard and ergonomic safety rating, the ergonomic safety evaluation being performed to determine whether to release or reject the work instruction relating to the manufacture or production the product; and   cause requirements of the engineering design to be at least partially built, created or completed in accordance with the work instruction in an instance in which the work instruction is released.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the labor time standard comprises a standardized labor time standard, and wherein the apparatus being caused to calculate the labor time standard includes being caused to:
 calculate a localized labor time standard from the standardized labor time standard, and from one or more local workforce factors,   wherein the apparatus being caused to perform the ergonomic safety evaluation from the labor time standard includes being caused to perform the ergonomic safety evaluation from the localized labor time standard.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more local workforce factors include a personal, fatigue and delay factor that is a numeric value applicable to the local workforce when performing activities required to complete tasks involved in the work instruction, and
 wherein the apparatus being caused to calculate the localized labor time standard includes being caused to adjust the standardized labor time standard according to the personal, fatigue and delay factor.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus being caused to perform the ergonomic safety evaluation includes being caused to compare the ergonomic safety rating to a maximum threshold allowance that is a numeric value representing a level of risk acceptable to allow release of the work instruction, the maximum threshold allowance being a function of the labor time standard. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein the maximum threshold allowance is further a function of a risk capacity factor that is a numeric value indicating an ability for an average worker of a local workforce to tolerate ergonomic risk or stress in comparison to an average worker of a global workforce population. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein each elemental unit time of a work element represents a duration to perform one repetition of the work element, and each frequency value of a work element represents a number of times the work element is performed or accomplished in completion of the work instruction. 
     
     
         7 . A method for manufacturing or producing a product in accordance with an engineering design from which a work plan is generated, the method performed by an apparatus configured to communicate via a network and comprising a processor, a user interface and a memory storing executable instructions that in response to execution by the processor cause the apparatus to at least perform the method comprising:
 receiving a plurality of work plans for the manufacture or production the product, each of which includes a plurality of work instructions; and for each work instruction,   determining work elements applicable to the work instruction relating to the manufacture or production the product, the work elements having respective associated elemental unit times, elemental risk ratings and frequency values, each elemental risk rating of a work element representing a potential for ergonomic injury to an average worker of a standard normal population of workers when performing one repetition of the work element at a pace indicated by an elemental unit time of the work element;   calculating a labor time standard from the elemental unit times and frequency values for each of a plurality of work elements i=1, 2, . . . n by calculating, for each work element, an elemental time standard for a respective work element i as a product of the elemental unit time EUT(i) and the frequency value FV for the respective work element as follows ETS(i)=EUT(i)×FV, and then calculating the labor time standard LTS_std by summing the elemental time standards ETS(i) for each of the plurality of work elements;   calculating an ergonomic safety rating from the elemental time standards and elemental risk ratings by multiplying, for each work element, the elemental risk rating for a respective ergonomic category and the elemental time standard for a respective work element to define a product and then summing the product for each of the plurality of work elements to determine the ergonomic safety rating, the ergonomic safety rating being a numeric value representing the potential for ergonomic injury to the average worker when performing the work instruction relating to the manufacture or production the product;   performing an ergonomic safety evaluation of the work instruction from the labor time standard and ergonomic safety rating, the ergonomic safety evaluation being performed to determine whether to release or reject the work instruction relating to the manufacture or production the product; and   at least partially building, creating or completing requirements of the engineering design in accordance with the work instruction in an instance in which the work instruction is released.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the labor time standard comprises a standardized labor time standard, and wherein calculating the labor time standard includes:
 calculating a localized labor time standard from the standardized labor time standard, and from one or more local workforce factors,   wherein performing the ergonomic safety evaluation includes performing the ergonomic safety evaluation from the localized labor time standard.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the one or more local workforce factors include a personal, fatigue and delay factor that is a numeric value applicable to the local workforce when performing activities required to complete tasks involved in the work instruction, and
 wherein calculating the localized labor time standard includes adjusting the standardized labor time standard according to the personal, fatigue and delay factor.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein performing the ergonomic safety evaluation includes comparing the ergonomic safety rating to a maximum threshold allowance that is a numeric value representing a level of risk acceptable to allow release of the work instruction, the maximum threshold allowance being a function of the labor time standard. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the maximum threshold allowance is further a function of a risk capacity factor that is a numeric value indicating an ability for an average worker of a local workforce to tolerate ergonomic risk or stress in comparison to an average worker of a global workforce population. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein each elemental unit time of a work element represents a duration to perform one repetition of the work element, and each frequency value of a work element represents a number of times the work element is performed or accomplished in completion of the work instruction. 
     
     
         13 . A computer-readable storage medium for causing manufacture or production of a product in accordance with an engineering design from which a work plan is generated, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is non-transitory and has computer-readable program code portions stored therein that, in response to execution by an apparatus configured to communicate with a network and comprising a processor and a user interface, cause the apparatus to at least:
 receive a plurality of work plans for the manufacture or production the product, each of which includes a plurality of work instructions; and for each work instruction,   determine work elements applicable to the work instruction relating to the manufacture or production the product, the work elements having respective associated elemental unit times, elemental risk ratings and frequency values, each elemental risk rating of a work element representing a potential for ergonomic injury to an average worker of a standard normal population of workers when performing one repetition of the work element at a pace indicated by an elemental unit time of the work element;   calculate a labor time standard from the elemental unit times and frequency values for each of a plurality of work elements i=1, 2, . . . n by calculating, for each work element, an elemental time standard for a respective work element i as a product of the elemental unit time EUT(i) and the frequency value FV for the respective work element as follows ETS(i)=EUT(i)×FV, and then calculating the labor time standard LTS_std by summing the elemental time standards ETS(i) for each of the plurality of work elements;   calculate an ergonomic safety rating from the elemental time standards and elemental risk ratings by multiplying, for each work element, the elemental risk rating for a respective ergonomic category and the elemental time standard for a respective work element to define a product and then summing the product for each of the plurality of work elements to determine the ergonomic safety rating, the ergonomic safety rating being a numeric value representing the potential for ergonomic injury to the average worker when performing the work instruction relating to the manufacture or production the product;   perform an ergonomic safety evaluation of the work instruction from the labor time standard and ergonomic safety rating, and to determine whether to release or reject the work instruction relating to the manufacture or production the product; and   cause requirements of the engineering design to be at least partially built, created or completed in accordance with the work instruction in an instance in which the work instruction is released.   
     
     
         14 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the labor time standard comprises a standardized labor time standard, and wherein the apparatus being caused to calculate the labor time standard includes being caused to:
 calculate a localized labor time standard from the standardized labor time standard, and from one or more local workforce factors,   wherein the apparatus being caused to perform the ergonomic safety evaluation includes being caused to perform the ergonomic safety evaluation from the localized labor time standard.   
     
     
         15 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein the one or more local workforce factors include a personal, fatigue and delay factor that is a numeric value applicable to the local workforce when performing activities required to complete tasks involved in the work instruction, and
 wherein the apparatus being caused to calculate the localized labor time standard includes being caused to adjust the standardized labor time standard according to the personal, fatigue and delay factor.   
     
     
         16 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the apparatus being caused to perform the ergonomic safety evaluation includes being caused to compare the ergonomic safety rating to a maximum threshold allowance that is a numeric value representing a level of risk acceptable to allow release of the work instruction, the maximum threshold allowance being a function of the labor time standard. 
     
     
         17 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 16 , wherein the maximum threshold allowance is further a function of a risk capacity factor that is a numeric value indicating an ability for an average worker of a local workforce to tolerate ergonomic risk or stress in comparison to an average worker of a global workforce population. 
     
     
         18 . The computer-readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein each elemental unit time of a work element represents a duration to perform one repetition of the work element, and each frequency value of a work element represents a number of times the work element is performed or accomplished in completion of the work instruction.