Applications of Tool Balancers for Industrial Safety

A recent study has identified that approximately 3 million workers in the United States have been found to seek treatments for issues related to musculoskeletal conditions due to  lifting heavy loads continuously for a prolonged period. The positive news is that with the advent of technology and introduction of solutions like Tool Balancers which are very much popular now in industries due to the fact that it helps reduce getting tired and hurt from lifting heavy loads. As the name suggests, these tools allow operators not to bear any weight of heavy equipment like grinders, riveters, impact guns etc. These tools help eliminate tension and enhance control and maneuverability.

It’s really important to safeguard your employees from the health risks associated with lifting heavy loads on a day to day basis. Through this blog, let’s discuss the conditions that could arise as a result of lifting heavy loads regularly and how Tool Balancers could help you enhance safety and productivity of your workers, the proper usage of these equipment and their future.

Risks associated with lifting heavy loads

Research has shown that about one third of the injuries happening at the workplace are as a result of heavy loads and it has been found  that every year about three million workers are affected by musculoskeletal conditions from dealing with heavy tools and machines continuously. Our body can be impacted at a greater degree from the continuous as well as long time lifting of heavy loads thereby resulting in sprains, fatal accidents, strains as well as weariness. 

Automobile, shipbuilding, aerospace and several other industries are in the need of operations related to assembly and tightening. The main industries that are susceptible to heavy equipment accidents. The workers from these sectors have to withstand serious vibrations as well as torque forces during their prolonged working with pneumatic equipment such drills, impact wrenches as well as grinders. In due course of time, this can lead to hand-arm vibration syndrome, tendinitis, continuous back as well as shoulder pain and carpal tunnel syndrome.

The workers in the agricultural sector are also susceptible to same kind of upper body issues due to the continuous usage of heavy equipment during farming activities like planting as well as harvesting. Operating a tractor over the rough terrain could possibly cause whole-body vibration and at the same time manually handling farming activities like plowing and cultivation would require pushing , pulling and twisting forcefully. These actions when repeated for a long period of time would translate to degeneration of spinal and musculoskeletal conditions. 

How do Tool Balancers help to improve safety and productivity?

For the purpose of enhancing safety and efficiency at the workplace, Tool Balancers are found to be the best due to the vast advantages they offer. They help protect the workers from any kind of discomfort, weariness as well as injuries from dealing with large, heavy weighted tools. 

Statistics

Statistical results show measurable advantages with the use of tool balancers. While tool balancers are replaced for unsupported tools, operators have reported about 64 percent drastic reduction in upper body discomforts. This has helped them operate more effectively and efficiently without being tired. 

Extremely impactful outcomes are associated with the intelligent as well as uncomplicated mechanical design.Tool balancers usually include a spring loaded reels that is already mounted on it and connected to the support cable as well as arm. This enables the equipment to strongly counterbalance their weight of the heavy load in order to create a floating effect. 

The tool is kept safely in the air with the help of a balancer which will react to each and every movement made by the worker. This offers a smooth feel and helps to accurately place and position it without any fatigue. It helps operators to do their job more swiftly and with very less effort and with a little possibility of getting injured. 

Applications of Tool Balancers for Safe Operation

Till now we have talked about the various risks that can be eliminated with the use of tool balancers and the risks associated with the lifting of heavy loads otherwise, let’s check the various applications where tool balancers contribute to the safety of the work place. 

Assembly Line & Factory Organization

Tool Balancers offer a very safe and secure way for the operators in the factory to put away their tools while they are working on other jobs during assembly.  Tool Balancers help in securely hanging the tools in its exact place without having the fear of it falling down thereby causing damage to machinery or causing injury to people. 

Secure Barcode Reader on Forklifts

It’s important for the forklift operators to keep the barcode readers always in position and handy as they need it often. Tool retractors play an important role in such situations where they help in holding the barcode readers in place ensuring that the operator would be able to access it as and when required. 

Suspending heavy Impact guns

In huge truck wheels, it’s essential to have impact guns as they help in loosening and tightening the lug nuts. During the maintenance of wheels, they reduce the fatigue of the operator and improve the accuracy by counteracting the tool weight. This helps in easy and efficient use of heavy weight tools thereby contributing to the well-being of the operator as well as effective maintenance of the truck. 

Automobile Shops

Special equipments are required in automobile shops to work efficiently and effectively in cars without any risk. Tool Balancers help to a great extent to reach and make use of the right tools as and when required rapidly while working on an automobile. Tool Balancers help reduce the strain of mechanics on their hands and arms that can be resulted from lifting heavy loads and thereby allowing smooth functioning of the shop itself.

Aerospace Manufacturing Industry

As we know aerospace manufacturing is very crucial and it requires certain specific tools and equipment in order to manufacture their parts. Tool Balancers become very helpful in such situations as they offer a safe and secure way for storage, lifting and moving heavy loads safely and securely.

Reduces Personnel Fatigue

Frequent and accurate handling  of components is very essential  in mechanical manufacturing industries. There is no excuse for electrical and electronic components to fall short  of efficiency and precision. At the same time, it’s important that the mechanical components have the operator's effective hand-eye co-ordination. Tool Balancers serve as a great help in such situations as they help lessen the muscle strain by counterbalancing the tool weight thereby reducing fatigue in the operator and ensuring smooth operations.

Enhanced Productivity

It’s vital to have an assembly workstation properly organized to enhance productivity in every sector. Tool balances allow proper organization of the tools and access it quite easily without straining the operator during constant lifting of heavy tools. This makes tools balancers become the right choice for applications where the operators need to grab the tools quickly without having the need to strain or extend their arms or hands.

Conclusion

On the far side of improvement in safety, tool balancers offer greater efficiency by enabling quick retrieval of tools and proper handling. The operators need not waste their time unnecessarily for searching any misplaced tools or moving around obstructing gear. This consequently enhances productivity by 15-25 percent.

In order to completely leverage the advantages of tool balancers, industrialists should be associated with reputed dealers of tool balancers who can even research and offer personalized integration of tool balancers. Simplifying the process of organizing tools, their storage and tool handling is a good investment for a safe, productive and professional environment. There’s no doubt that the returns will surely justify the expense incurred in establishing a tool balancer system. If you’re looking for the right company to partner with for establishing a tool balancer system in your company in the Middle East, YES Machinery is your right partner.