Carglass

Carglass is the automotive glass repair and windscreen replacement expert. The company is committed to the health and well-being of its workers. In addition to ensuring the safety of chemical substances and monitoring vibrations and noise levels, Carglass is investing heavily in ergonomic solutions. Mensura has been assisting the car glass specialist with custom advice and recommendations.

Carglass strongly believes in creating a safe and healthy work environment. Materials and substances that are potentially hazardous – such as the glue used by technicians for windscreen installations – are tested extensively. The company also carefully monitors the impact of noise and vibrations on the health of workers at its service centres and warehouses. But the company’s number one focus is ergonomic health.

Mensura examined the various job functions and workstations to identify where and how to reduce the ergonomic stress to which Carglass workers are exposed. “Technicians are constantly bending over while working on train window replacements, for instance. They were often lifting heavy tools at the same time”, says Jelle Bonroy, Carglass Safety Advisor.

Gerrit Pollentier, prevention advisor on workplace ergonomics at Mensura: “We examine each individual situation and aim to find the best possible solution together with the people on the workfloor. We actually record their movements and actions, and we conduct surveys to get more insight into the ergonomic risks involved. We also test theory against practice.” The result: concrete advice with immediate results. “We much prefer this over long reports filled with graphs and numbers”, Jelle continues.

“In addition to introducing problem-solving solutions, we knew we had to improve our preventative efforts”, Jelle adds. “We brainstormed with the team at Mensura, our HR and prevention departments, and our internal training staff. Together, we developed a lower back pain prevention campaign: ‘One back, your life’. We soon expanded the campaign to ‘One body, your life’, as ergonomic health is about so much more than back problems alone.”

Jelle: “When we are limited in the adjustments we are able to make to workstations, we show our employees how they can work differently. We offer training, advice and practical tips, through instructional videos for instance, such as the one about safe lifting techniques. We also built a sports facility at our new distribution site. This stimulates our workers to stay active, which will prevent ergonomic problems in the long run.”

Jelle: “We use wearables, motion sensors and other devices to monitor muscle activity and other things. This way, we can determine the exact physical stress placed on these workers at each of the workstations. We then create profiles that are visually reflected in body charts. These profiles are easy to interpret as they highlight problem areas. Then, we look at new ways to reduce the physical stress experienced by workers at Carglass. We teach them new, healthier habits, and tell them to switch between tasks more often or implement innovative tools, such as exoskeletons. Mensura then helps with testing these new methods on the workfloor.”

Jelle: “All workers are provided with custom advice and practical tips based on these ergonomic profiles. For instance, when the shoulders are placed under too much stress, we introduce specific exercises to strengthen the muscles. This improves the employability of older workers especially, and of those returning to work after a workplace injury. We can find the ideal workstation for these people to keep physical stress to a minimum for as long as necessary.”

“This innovative approach by Carglass also helps the team at Mensura”, Gerrit concludes. “We learn from their methods and they inspire us to explore new paths. It creates a win-win situation for both of us.”