ABSTRACT
The work flow analysis analyzes the operator steps while the product is flowing through the system down to the second. This chapter presents non-value-added steps up into three main categories: required work, unnecessary work and idle time. Required work comprises steps which are required but don’t necessarily meet all several of the value-added criteria. These steps may be taping a shipping box closed, deburring a part, or filling out a requisition form, or some work in transactional areas. People are a critical element of any work system and when work demands exceed the capabilities of the human element, system performance is threatened and output becomes unreliable. For example, wasted human motion may be the result of reaching too far to retrieve tools or bending over to pick up parts from a pallet on the floor. The risk factors ergonomics addresses are conditions in the workplace which increase one’s chance of developing a musculoskeletal disorder.
