ERGONOMIC TOOLS

By Richard B. Wright, President, Wright Tool Company

Which of the 3,300 Wright tools can be considered ergonomic? In one sense virtually every tool that we make can be considered ergonomic because for many years we have considered safety and comfort as major factors in the design of each of our tools.

Our first reason was because many mechanics buy their own tools and would choose tools that were more comfortable to work with. Then we realized that mechanics are often required to remove fasteners which have rusted, seized or are otherwise difficult to remove. There is a need for not only the normal working torque, but occasionally substantially beyond that.

For many tools, the limitation is not the strength of the tool, but the discomfort that the user has in pulling hard on the handle or stem of the wrench. This led to the development of the nitrile grips for greater comfort and more torque. We found that this was even more desirable than expected because mechanics reported that their hands were often tender as a result of getting cut by chips or burrs in their work and the frequent washing of their hands in irritating solvents.

Our designers then developed a contoured steel handle as an alternative for the traditional knurled handles. The contour handle is designed to reduce the stress on the thumb and index finger and to distribute the load on the entire hand.

For the users who still prefer a knurled handle, we made sure that the handles were big enough in diameter for maximum comfort.

For some very greasy or oily environments, the knurled handle does provide a better grip. However, we have shaped both the nitrile and the contoured steel grips as well as the stems of wrenches to provide good grip and control of the tools even in those environments.

Additionally, we have added longer flex handle ratchets and a variety of other attachments to provide more convenient application of torque with less strain. We also designed our screwdrivers for reduced effort and improved comfort.

The comfortable "jumbo" handle allows the user to grip the tool while keeping full rotation of the wrist. The three groove, triangular design allows a good "bite" every 120¡, which is the normal rotation range of the wrist. The three deep grooves provide an efficient place for the thumb to exert pressure. Advanced deadblow hammers with fiberglass handles greatly reduce shock.

There is another way of looking at it, all hand tools require hand motions and almost any motion can lead to injury in susceptible individuals if repeated frequently and long enough. Even typists may get repetitive stress injuries, yet is there any job that requires less physical effort?

The correct selection of tools, such as the use of an extension, flex socket or universal joint, to get a ratchet into a better place of operation, will often reduce the chance of immediate injury or of repetitive stress syndrome.

Fortunately, maintenance work is not as subject to repetitive stress injuries as production line assembly work, because the work is more varied. For assembly lines and those maintenance jobs which involve a great many repetitions of the same motion, full use should be taken of power tools, longer handles, power drivers, torque multipliers, long wrenches and impact guns.

However, any time a tightening task is made easier, care should be taken that the designers' instructions for the amount of torque are followed. Fasteners can easily be damaged by too much torque and the breakage will not necessarily occur during tightening.

The fastener may not fail until it is in use, and it may even require thousands of cycles for a "fatigue" type of failure to occur. Fasteners that are under tightened may work loose.

About the Author:
Richard B. Wright is president of Wright Tool Company, a leading manufacturer of professional-quality sockets and wrenches. Located in Barberton, Wright Tool manufactures more than 3,300 tools for the industrial, contractor, and MRO markets.

Mr. Wright holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School. A licensed engineer, Mr. Wright holds several patents in the field of hand tools and electrical instrumentation.