Ergonomic programs are designed to improve the fit between workers and their tasks, equipment, and environment, reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, injuries, and fatigue. But how can you tell if your ergonomic program is effective and delivering the expected benefits? Here are some ways to measure the success of ergonomic programs in your workplace.
Before you start measuring anything, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your ergonomic program. What are the specific problems or challenges that you want to address? What are the desired outcomes or indicators of improvement? How do you align your ergonomic goals with your organizational goals and values? Setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals will help you focus your efforts and evaluate your progress.
Defining your goals for an ergonomic programme should shift focus towards inputs and leading indicators rather than solely relying on outputs and lagging indicators. Traditional metrics like injury rates or absenteeism only tell you about past events and offer limited foresight. Concentrating on leading indicators such as the quality of ergonomic training, the frequency of workstation assessments, or the implementation of preventive measures provides actionable insights that can be used to proactively improve conditions. This approach enables you to make real-time adjustments, thus elevating the overall effectiveness and responsiveness of your ergonomic initiatives.
The goal and desired outcome should be to improve employees' quality of life in the workplace, reduce MSK/MSD-related absenteeism, increase productivity, reduce risks and ensure that your business is aligned with the HSE law/compliant. To achieve this, we must invest in ergonomic training initiatives by engaging with ergonomic experts like us, who will help to develop effective ergonomic programmes which will benefit everyone. A quarterly audit of the ergonomic programme is always advisable to ensure employees are following the set rules and if anyone needs extra help and support to learn further.
When measuring the success of your ergonomic program, you may want to use different types of metrics depending on your goals. Lagging metrics, such as injury rates, absenteeism, turnover, costs, or productivity, can be useful for showing the impact and return on investment of your program; however, they may not reflect the current situation or the root causes of the problems. Leading metrics, such as training, assessments, interventions, feedback, or participation are ideal for monitoring the process and quality of your program; yet they may not show the direct effects or outcomes of your program. Additionally, perception metrics such as satisfaction, engagement, awareness, or confidence can be used to capture the human and cultural aspects of your program; though they can be subjective or influenced by other factors. Therefore, you may want to combine metrics from different categories to get a comprehensive and balanced picture of your ergonomic program.
One of the greatest tools is to make personal safety and comfort a PRIORITY. The first step in your Orientation and training schedule. Every staff member then knows the Employer DOES take it seriously, and it is not a tick and flick exercise
Once you have decided on your metrics, you need to collect and analyze your data in a systematic and reliable way. You may use various sources and methods of data collection, such as records, surveys, interviews, observations, or tests. You may also use different tools and techniques of data analysis, such as charts, graphs, tables, statistics, or benchmarks. The key is to use consistent and valid data collection and analysis methods that suit your goals and metrics.
The final step is to communicate and act on your findings. You need to share your results and insights with your workers and stakeholders in a clear and meaningful way, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of your ergonomic program, the achievements and challenges, and the recommendations and action plans. You also need to follow up on your findings and implement the necessary changes or improvements to your ergonomic program, based on your data and feedback. You should also review and update your goals and metrics periodically to reflect the changing needs and expectations of your workplace.
By following these steps, you can measure the success of your ergonomic programs and ensure that they are meeting your objectives and adding value to your workplace.
Receiving regular feedback and sharing them transparently with the wider business audience is the key to demonstrating the success of an ergonomic programme. It will be good to demonstrate how employees have benefited, how the business has benefited and areas of improvement to increase employee safety further. For example: if an organisation has always done online DSE Assessments and employees have requested a physical assessment, then they should implement and make necessary reasonable adjustments for home workers and employees in the workplace for better safety and compliance. Workplace ergonomics is a preventative measure, hence in law, it is an important compliance.