Question for a new product: uni student. What jobs are done on the floor / kneeling most?

[Sara Davies]

Good day

I'm a university student on a product design course.

To create a product around electricians day to day work making your lives easier.

My main question is what work do you conduct most on or near the floor?
What tools are used in those jobs?
lastly
what are your issues an problems when working down low?
any other information on how something could help make your life easier please feel free to let me know.

Thank you

 

[littlespark]

I think the products already exist, namely knee pads or kneeling boards…. And if not at hand, a scrap piece of insulation board.
Anything to cushion knee joints on a hard floor.

Also, we get younger, more nimble apprentices to do all the bendy work.

In our line of work, the regulations have raised the minimum height of sockets, so we don’t have to get down as far as we used to.

Is it just low level work you are interested in, or also high?
There is a bad habit of decorative light fitting designers of making the fitting several kilograms of weight, having to hold that up at ceiling height, and make connections, whilst up a stepladder.

 

[Sara Davies]

I think the products already exist, namely knee pads or kneeling boards…. And if not at hand, a scrap piece of insulation board.
Anything to cushion knee joints on a hard floor.

Also, we get younger, more nimble apprentices to do all the bendy work.

In our line of work, the regulations have raised the minimum height of sockets, so we don’t have to get down as far as we used to.

Is it just low level work you are interested in, or also high?
There is a bad habit of decorative light fitting designers of making the fitting several kilograms of weight, having to hold that up at ceiling height, and make connections, whilst up a stepladder.

Thank you for replying. Currently, I'm looking at the idea of having a kneeling bad that doubles as a toolbox/rollout. so when doing jobs lower down you have the knee support but also tools that are essential to hand also?
I truly appreciate your input concerning light fittings, should I ever design one I will remember this.
Thank you

 

[Spoon]

Welcome to the forum.

It also depends on what sector you work in.
In industrial you can by laying cables in ladder rack in trenches in the building floor.
Also when designing control panels we have regs for minimum height that equipment should be mounted for accessibility and maintenance. (BS EN60204 11.2.1)

what are your issues an problems when working down low?

All depends on your age..
As above, get the young people to do the dirty work.

 

[Sara Davies]

Welcome to the forum.

It also depends on what sector you work in.
In industrial you can by laying cables in ladder rack in trenches in the building floor.
Also when designing control panels we have regs for minimum height that equipment should be mounted for accessibility and maintenance. (BS EN60204 11.2.1)


All depends on your age..
As above, get the young people to do the dirty work.

Thank you for your input. Ive been looking at one with wheels on would this benefit you in the trenches? The idea is to make your life easier young or not lol poor younglings ha ha .

 

[littlespark]

The main jobs that low down would be fitting a socket… half a dozen hand tools at most.

So a kneeling pad that folds up to create the lid of a small toolbox?


I got “housemaids knee” when I was in my early 20’s (don’t laugh) because I spent day after day for weeks building storage heaters. Kneeling, and twisting picking up the bricks to stack inside the heaters.

Back then, I didn’t think about knee pads.

 

[Sara Davies]

The main jobs that low down would be fitting a socket… half a dozen hand tools at most.

So a kneeling pad that folds up to create the lid of a small toolbox?


I got “housemaids knee” when I was in my early 20’s (don’t laugh) because I spent day after day for weeks building storage heaters. Kneeling, and twisting picking up the bricks to stack inside the heaters.

Back then, I didn’t think about knee pads.

The idea behind this is to prevent future generations to not have this issue, but make it very useful so it's wanted to be used be the case. when young you never think of what could happen to your knees, (mature student, used to street run, now have bad knees too) .
This is useful information, thank you. I'm definitely considering something that you can carry easily, contains basic tools and can be used to rest your knees on but also has wheels on for that twisting motion.
very grateful for your input and it will definitely factor into the design.

 

[nicebutdim]

The idea behind this is to prevent future generations to not have this issue, but make it very useful so it's wanted to be used be the case. when young you never think of what could happen to your knees, (mature student, used to street run, now have bad knees too) .
This is useful information, thank you. I'm definitely considering something that you can carry easily, contains basic tools and can be used to rest your knees on but also has wheels on for that twisting motion.
very grateful for your input and it will definitely factor into the design.

There's always a market for knee protection, but I'd caution against specifically aiming it at tradespeople. The vast majority of work trousers have pockets for kneepads and I don't know many people, from any trade, that don't keep a set of kneepads in those pockets. Surprised this hasn't already been mentioned.

 

[Sara Davies]

There's always a market for knee protection, but I'd caution against specifically aiming it at tradespeople. The vast majority of work trousers have pockets for kneepads and I don't know many people, from any trade, that don't keep a set of kneepads in those pockets. Surprised this hasn't already been mentioned.

Thank you. The issue with design is the companies always want to create a new must-have when in reality the simplest way is often the most common and useful. fully appreciate this. My aim is to please the company but also cater for your actual needs. the concept is to have it all within this item so its picked up and you kneel down with everything ready to go for that job .

your input is very much appreciated. Thank you

 

[brianmoooore]

The main jobs that low down would be fitting a socket… half a dozen hand tools at most.

So a kneeling pad that folds up to create the lid of a small toolbox?

Can't stand wearing kneepads. Always used a kneeling pad aimed at gardeners, or occasionally a bit of Celotex, and the knees are working fine into my 7th decade.
Littlespark's idea above is the gap in the market, if there is one. Provision for half a dozen small tools and a bit of green/yellow. sleeving

 

[Rockingit]

Personally, I think a better design solution would be the creation of a device that allows working at 4-500mm and doesn’t rely on the weight of the body resting on your knees to start with.

 

[Sara Davies]

Personally, I think a better design solution would be the creation of a device that allows working at 4-500mm and doesn’t rely on the weight of the body resting on your knees to start with

 

[Sara Davies]

As in you can stand and work a tool-specific item down low?, this would be going to robotics and apps/tech I feel. in theory, were not far off from this. The tech is there, but too expensive for large consumerism etc.
I will have a think though. thank you for your input

 

[Fazz711]

Being a maintenance engineer means I regularly have to work at floor level and often under machines.

Many years ago I smashed my left knee to bits and ever since then I always have to fit the knee pads into work trousers.

If I know I'm going to be on knees a lot I have been known to put another pain of pads in boiler suit knee pockets.

The only improvement I can think of would be in the materials the pads are made of.
They only last so long and need new ones.

 

[nicebutdim]

Was thinking earlier that manufacture of replacement joints might be considerably more profitable.

 

[Sara Davies]

Being a maintenance engineer means I regularly have to work at floor level and often under machines.

Many years ago I smashed my left knee to bits and ever since then I always have to fit the knee pads into work trousers.

If I know I'm going to be on knees a lot I have been known to put another pain of pads in boiler suit knee pockets.

The only improvement I can think of would be in the materials the pads are made of.
They only last so long and need new ones.

Im sorry about your knee , the material is likely a reasonably priced plastic to keep cost down. However the future is all about quality lasting products again, I can put it forward to the company and fingers crossed for you .

 

[Fazz711]

Was thinking earlier that manufacture of replacement joints might be considerably more profitable.

Last thing my surgeon said to me was see you when you need a new knee.

Luckily not yet lol

 

[Sara Davies]

Was thinking earlier that manufacture of replacement joints might be considerably more profitable

Last thing my surgeon said to me was see you when you need a new knee.

Luckily not yet lol

metal moulded and glued onto pad with memory foam inside ! got any savvy friends ?

 

[Lister1987]

The more functions you could put into the device th more useful it would be.

A collapsible seat with in-built cable functionality (similar to cable jack etc), a skirt around the top of the swat would provide pockets for tools.

 

[ipf]

Last week, stretching and reaching on my back and knees as well as squeezing into, under and through gaps, fault finding in an existing fitted kitchen.
I came away regretting I'd not had a sledge hammer handy.