Changing tires on heavy vehicles, such as trucks or buses, can be physically demanding for operators. When working conditions are not ideal (heavy tools, loud noise levels, vibration transmissions or overall ergonomics), overall job quality and operator safety can be impacted. Here are two pieces of advice to help improve your operator's working conditions:
1. Select ergonomic equipment
Changing tires in the heavy vehicle industry means working in a demanding environment. Therefore, setting up the best working conditions for operators can help prevent MSDs (Musculoskeletal Disorders) caused by bad posture and inadequate equipment. It also significantly improves the quality of the job. If you have concerns about working conditions, we recommend taking a look at the following solutions:
- Wheel Dollies: Without a wheel dolly, operators carry and roll the wheels manually. Designed to be a sturdy and handy assembly aid for heavy vehicles, the use of wheel dollies allows easy removal and installation of tire/wheel assemblies, and can help avoid operator injuries.
- Ergonomic seats: Many tire workshops are not familiar with ergonomic seats; however they bring significant improvements in operator comfort, like preventing operators from having bad posture. Some specific seats are even improving job quality, thanks to integrated filter regulator lubricators (FRLs) and tool balancers.
“When choosing an ergonomic seat, check the ease of handling, the robustness, the quality and stability of the seat," says Christophe Roland, very high load specialist at Chicago Pneumatic. "More advanced solutions, like our CP87029 Ergoseat, are also designed with integrated FRLs, ensuring the right air pressure close to the tool and a tool balancer for more comfort to the operator.”
2. Choose nutrunners (or pneumatic torque wrenches)
Did you know that you can use nutrunners, also called pneumatic torque wrenches, to tighten your wheels with better accuracy? Nutrunners are specifically designed with a very low (close to zero) vibration transmission and a low noise level.
When truck and bus wheels are mounted and tightened properly, it ensures the safety of drivers and passengers, and can reduce road accidents. Chicago Pneumatic’s BlueTork CP7600 nutrunner series can tighten wheel nuts to a precise specification without using impact force.
Proper wheel maintenance and the use of proper tools can help to eliminate dangerous wheel offs and loose wheels. Chicago Pneumatic has developed a series of tools including a final torquing tool to help assist in this process.
Information provided by: Chicago Pneumatics
