Ergonomics. - Drywall Talk - Professional Drywall and Finishing Contractors Forum

savant · 12-31-2007, 05:41 PM

What changes have you made as the years added on, to make things more comfortable? Did you wrap a whole roll of duct tape on your pan to keep your hands warm? When using a knife, do you find most of your palm is on the blade instead of the handle? Did you switch to automatics?

savant · 12-31-2007, 05:44 PM

I use hawks instead of pans for what hand-finishing I do. Because of arthritis my 3 little fingers put pressure on the blade now. My index finger is just for giving directions anymore.

taper71 · 01-01-2008, 01:01 AM

I switched from using hawk and trowl to hawk and knives. The trowel would give me tendonitis in the elbo something fierce.
Stopped hand taping and learned automatics, now I am into the apla techs for way less strain on the body.
I have to strech for about 15 min every morning before I can even consider putting on my socks lol. This trade sure beats a guy up.

cooper · 04-06-2008, 03:08 PM

This is a big concern for me because I have what I have seen happened to my dad. He has worked in drywall for about 35 years now and has had some major issues with longevity. He has had surgery on both of his rotator cuffs, has major arthritis, and just generally worn out knees and back.

I stretch every morning when I get to the job, just a couple of minutes, but it helps. Legs, back and shoulders. I use stilts whenever I can so my elbow is not much higher than my shoulder. And if I am not in a big hurry to get something taped, I'll even tape the horizontal angles off stilts on a 9' ceiling and higher. I have to tape angles off stilts for anything above 10' anyways, but it works me a lot less if I do the horizontals for 9' ceilings off stilts too. I only use pans that have the rubber grip on them... I wear gloves a lot more often now... Always wear a mask when sanding, also wear a hat when sanding now too... I have always had an issue with using knives larger than 8". I have to coat everything with a hawk and a trowel...

Probably some other stuff too. Longevity is really what forces a lot of people out of drywall. It is something that every worker needs to be aware of.

Brockster · 04-06-2008, 10:17 PM

I started using the SheetRock brand round bottom pan with the little plastic deal on the bottom to hold on to. I was having trouble with my left thumb from holding a pan all day. Love that new pan!
I do a lot of things differently now that I'm older that make life easier at work.

I also stretch every morning until the wrinkles are gone.

12-31-2007, 05:41 PM	#1
savant other guy Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hudson valley, NY Posts: 80	Ergonomics. What changes have you made as the years added on, to make things more comfortable? Did you wrap a whole roll of duct tape on your pan to keep your hands warm? When using a knife, do you find most of your palm is on the blade instead of the handle? Did you switch to automatics?

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12-31-2007, 05:44 PM	#2
savant other guy Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hudson valley, NY Posts: 80	I use hawks instead of pans for what hand-finishing I do. Because of arthritis my 3 little fingers put pressure on the blade now. My index finger is just for giving directions anymore.

01-01-2008, 01:01 AM	#3
taper71 Mud Manipulator Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Sherwood Park, AB Posts: 91	I switched from using hawk and trowl to hawk and knives. The trowel would give me tendonitis in the elbo something fierce. Stopped hand taping and learned automatics, now I am into the apla techs for way less strain on the body. I have to strech for about 15 min every morning before I can even consider putting on my socks lol. This trade sure beats a guy up.

04-06-2008, 03:08 PM	#4
cooper Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 61	This is a big concern for me because I have what I have seen happened to my dad. He has worked in drywall for about 35 years now and has had some major issues with longevity. He has had surgery on both of his rotator cuffs, has major arthritis, and just generally worn out knees and back. I stretch every morning when I get to the job, just a couple of minutes, but it helps. Legs, back and shoulders. I use stilts whenever I can so my elbow is not much higher than my shoulder. And if I am not in a big hurry to get something taped, I'll even tape the horizontal angles off stilts on a 9' ceiling and higher. I have to tape angles off stilts for anything above 10' anyways, but it works me a lot less if I do the horizontals for 9' ceilings off stilts too. I only use pans that have the rubber grip on them... I wear gloves a lot more often now... Always wear a mask when sanding, also wear a hat when sanding now too... I have always had an issue with using knives larger than 8". I have to coat everything with a hawk and a trowel... Probably some other stuff too. Longevity is really what forces a lot of people out of drywall. It is something that every worker needs to be aware of.

04-06-2008, 10:17 PM	#5
Brockster Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 44	I started using the SheetRock brand round bottom pan with the little plastic deal on the bottom to hold on to. I was having trouble with my left thumb from holding a pan all day. Love that new pan! I do a lot of things differently now that I'm older that make life easier at work. I also stretch every morning until the wrinkles are gone.