Coping with Worker Distraction

optimizing labor in warehouse or work yardOften, when an accident occurs in a warehouse or manufacturing facility, the culprit is distraction. It doesn’t have to be a lengthy or major distraction to make a difference – a recent study from Michigan State University determined that a distraction or interruption of only 3 seconds is enough to disrupt a manual task and cause twice as many mistakes. While their task of data input meant only needing to hit the backspace key, such interruptions in manufacturing environments can be much more dire – there is no backspace key if the distraction causes a pallet to fall or machine to malfunction. So what are some of the most common distractions, and how can we counter them?

Speed

This might not be what commonly springs to mind as a distraction, but it is likely the top cause of workplace accidents. Workers get distracted by needing to move quickly, and sacrifice or ignore safety precautions to do so.

The solution to this distraction is consistent reminders that speed is always second to accuracy. Moving too fast and making errors only causes efficiency to lower. Moving too fast and bypassing safety precautions for expediency can causes accidents, and can cripple the worker as well as cripple the production line.

Technology

Often referred to as “digital distraction,” the increasing dependence on technology means there are more opportunities for it to become an issue. This can range from something innocuous, such as an employee checking out last night’s sport scores, or something bigger, such as text messaging on the manufacturing floor.

These need to be addressed by degrees. A simple reminder that the employee should limited their surfing time is enough to correct the wayward web user, although you may want to encourage a little surfing now and again – it can be an effective “micro-break” that allows the worker to reset and refocus when they return.

Something more drastic, such as phone interruptions on the warehouse floor, need to be addressed more harshly. A distracted warehouse worker may not pay attention to the dangerous surroundings, encouraging an accident. They don’t even need to answer the call – we discussed earlier the amount of time it takes to double error rates, so taking the three seconds to silence a call can be enough. This doesn’t mean you need to ban cell phones from the manufacturing floor, although that is a definite option. Your first steps should be education and small nudges, but many manufacturers have found that banning them outright is the only way to break the attachment.

Complacency

Mundane, repetitive processes and jobs lead to the distraction of complacency, and the worker convincing themselves that they don’t need to pay attention. When we get used to these actions, we stop paying attention to the dangers that surround them.

To fix complacency, try moving the workers out of their comfort zone, or encourage micro-breaks as mentioned earlier. These micro-breaks will bring the worker back to earth, and help them refocus when they return to their tasks.

Personal Matters

Try as we might, sometimes the world outside the work space worms its way inside. A bad night of sleep, a tiff with the significant other, even thinking about what you need to pick up at the store on the way home – all of these can be distractions that spring up at inopportune times, like when you’re climbing a ladder or packing a trailer up to the loading docks.

This is a distraction that is hard to counter, as it often strikes randomly and is difficult to get out of the worker’s head. Encourage your workers to make sure that, when such distractions strike, they stop any action they are doing until they are able to refocus. Encourage them to seek out a sympathetic ear if they need to get something off their minds before work.

So cut down on distractions at work, and there’s a good chance you will see the productivity rise and the error and accident rates fall. There will be some push-back for sure, but stick with it and convince your workers of the benefits.