Eye fatigue is a common problem among industrial manufacturing workers, and it can have a significant impact on productivity. To lower the chance of increase in mistakes it's important to understand where the causes of errors lie.
CAUSES
A cause of eye fatigue is working in poorly lit environments, such as some areas of the production plant for example. Sometimes poor lighting can cause workers to squint and strain their eyes, to better see the task they or the machine are performing. Additionally, working with small parts or performing repetitive tasks can also be a part of the problem, in case of bench workers.
IMPACT ON PRODUCTIVITY Eye fatigue can have a significant impact on productivity in the manufacturing industry. During their shift, tired workers can make more mistakes, leading to wasted materials and additional time spent correcting errors. They may also take more time to complete their tasks, which can slow down production and increase costs.
MORE THAN JUST HUMAN
More and more studies such the one published in 2017 by Vanson Bourne show how the manufacturing field suffers a larger amount of human mistakes than other fields such as medical, oil & gas, energy, telecoms and logistics. The study found that 23 % of all unplanned downtime in manufacturing is the result of human error, compared with rates as low as 9 percent in other sectors. And now, it could only be worse. “It’s perhaps not surprising that the manufacturing sector has higher levels of human error given the breadth of machinery and equipment that requires maintenance and intervention by service engineers and technicians,” said Mark Homer, VP of global customer transformation for ServiceMax.
But given that workers make mistakes because, simply put, it goes without saying that eye fatigue plays a fundamental role when talking about mistakes.
That is why good lighting is always a valuable companion in manufacturing: workbenches, semi-automatic and manual machines, quality control, vision machines, assembly stations and electrical cabinets, all need a good quality luminaire to be perfectly operated from the worker.
IMPROVING THE MACHINE
If we understand that good lighting has the same value than a screwdriver, a chainsaw, a lens, a measuring tool, then we'll be able to downsize the percentage of human mistakes in manufacturing. When an industrial luminaire is good, it's resistant, durable, gives no glare nor shadow cones and its light quality stays the same for a long time under the roughest circumstances. The perfect luminaire also has a CRI near the one of natural lighting and that's what substancially fights eye fatigue. That's the kind of luminaire that exponentially increases productivity.
SOLUTIONS
Proper lighting design and implementation can significantly reduce eye fatigue in the manufacturing industry by providing a suitable color temperature and luminance level. Properly designed luminaires can improve visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and reduce glare, which can lead to increased worker productivity and safety.