Product development of hand-held scooping utensil for the pharmaceutical industry

Abstract: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common groups of work-related illnesses. At PET Dispensing, AstraZeneca Södertälje, several MSDs had been linked to a specific scooping utensil made of stainless steel. This master thesis aimed to, using a user-centered design approach, identify the MSD risks associated with this utensil and then develop, test, and suggest a re-design to reduce these risks. PET Dispensing was a pre-manufacturing department with the main task of re-packaging supplier raw material, such as cellulose and color pigment, before entering AstraZeneca’s factories where it needed to fit their industrial processes for producing medicines. The repackaging was sometimes done using a lifting aid but more often using a hand-held scooping utensil in stainless steel. The packaging varied in size, material, and weight depending on the type of raw material and supplier and the work tasks were therefore hard to standardize. Interviews with operators and observation of the scooping tasks with the utensil showed that a full scoop could weigh up to 2.5 kg per scoop and the scooping motion was often done about 56 times per 30 min. The utensil handle was so positioned that downward bending of the wrist occurred during most of the scooping task. The result of the thesis project was two-fold: identification of risk factors and a requirement specification with a final design concept for a new scooping utensil. The most prominent MSD risks were repetitive motions, especially of the wrist, high loads using one arm, and awkward body postures. For the risks to lessen one or more of these parameters must be addressed. Organizational factors such as rotation of work tasks, training of employees, and customized work material and tools such as lifting aids and height adjustable surfaces were also recommended measures. The product development of a new scooping utensil concept was done using ideation, prototyping, and testing. Prototypes of increasingly higher levels of detail were used to visualize ideas and were brought to the operators for feedback. The final design concept is based on literature studies on ergonomic handle design and requirements collected from operators and process responsible at AstraZeneca. It is visualized using 3D modeling software and has a new handle placement with a grip optimized for force transmission. The proposed scooping utensil concept includes using stainless steel as a main material because of hygiene requirements and regulations at PET Dispensing. Other materials are encouraged to be further evaluated.