Industrial athletes and your aging workforce
Frankly, comparing your employees to machines is a bit cold. Let's think of them as "industrial athletes" instead. To be the most successful — the most productive — at their jobs, they need to be in good condition. They need to be able to do the work required of them without inordinate risk of injury from repetitive motion and overstress of joints, limbs and muscle groups.
But how do you accomplish that? Until they're injured, most employees will never understand the physical mechanics of their job. Even then, conventional medical help isn't usually focused on getting them job-ready. It's focused on eliminating pain — for a while.
Unfortunately, as soon as the employee goes back to work and uses his arm again, he'll experience pain. Eventually his pain may turn into a serious claim.
Professional athletes don't have long, productive careers unless they take conditioning seriously. That's true of your employees as well. As your workforce continues to age, strengthening and flexibility will become increasingly important in maintaining productivity on the plant floor.