Sometimes, something as simple as using a different tool can make a big difference in avoiding an injury. We discovered this early on in the Lighthouse process during an observation of an employee servicing a fire hydrant.

During the observation, the employee was removing bolts on the lower flange of a fire hydrant with a manual ratchet. Because bolts on the lower part of the hydrant are sometimes rusted and hard to remove, employees are at risk for a back, arm, or hand injury from pushing and pulling. The repetitive nature of the task makes the risk even higher.

When the employee and the observer discussed the risk, a battery-powered impact wrench was suggested to replace the manual ratchet. Now, all these crews use impact wrenches for this kind of work, greatly reducing their risk of injury and saving time as well.

Less chance of injury and more efficient job performance ... a win/win for everyone, thanks to Lighthouse!