Modified sequencing in window manufacturing to promote physical distancing and mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infection among workers

新冠肺炎的传播对加拿大产生了巨大的社会经济影响，迫使非必要企业关闭，并给就业市场带来了几乎前所未有的压力。卫生当局建议采取预防措施，如身体距离、个人防护装备(PPE)和适当的卫生，以降低感染风险。然而，在工厂环境中，工人之间经常处于物理上的接近状态，在确保遵守这些协议的同时，很难有效地运行。 这项研究项目的目的是通过改变窗户制造工厂的操作顺序，促进工人之间的身体距离，降低感染新冠肺炎的风险。由于窗户制造过程非常复杂，拟议的研究将侧重于改变作业顺序和生产线布局，以减少工人之间与工作有关的互动，并留出更多空间来保持适当的物理距离。 在制造一扇典型窗户所涉及的步骤中，安装硬件是最复杂和最耗时的过程之一，因为它需要工人在窗框的所有四个侧面进行操作。为了让工人可以轻松地旋转窗框，现有的硬件安装工作站的设计占用空间比其他工作站大得多。这限制了这些工作站周围的可用空间，使得工作人员很难在当前的物理距离协议下自由移动和高效操作。 这项研究提出了一种更简化的硬件安装过程，其中硬件直接安装在线型聚氯乙烯型材上，作为在焊接的2D窗框上安装硬件的现有过程的替代。这些改造将在工作站周围创造更多的空间，以便工作人员可以最大限度地保持身体距离，并降低感染新冠肺炎的风险。

The spread of COVID-19 has had an enormous socio-economic impact on Canada, forcing non-essential businesses to shut down and putting almost unprecedented strain on the job market. Preventative measures such as physical distancing, personal protective equipment (PPE), and proper hygiene are recommended by health authorities as a way of mitigating the risk of infection. However, it is difficult to operate efficiently while ensuring compliance with these protocols in factory environments where workers are in constant physical proximity to one another. The purpose of this research project is to promote physical distancing among workers and reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by modifying the sequence of operations in a window manufacturing facility. Since the window manufacturing process is highly complex, the proposed research will focus on changing the sequence of operations and the layout of production lines to mitigate work-related interactions among workers and allow more space to maintain proper physical distancing. Among the steps involved in manufacturing a typical window, installation of hardware is one of the most complex and time-consuming processes, since it requires workers to operate on all four sides of the window frame. In order for workers to rotate the window frame with ease, the existing hardware installation workstations are designed with a much larger footprint as compared to other workstations. This limits the space available around these workstations, making it difficult for workers to move freely and operate efficiently under the current physical distancing protocols. This research proposes a more streamlined hardware installation process wherein the hardware is installed directly on the linear PVC profiles, as an alternative to the existing process of installing the hardware on the welded 2D window frame. These modifications will create additional floor space around the workstations such that workers can maximize physical distancing and mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infection.