A New Approach to an Old Problem- Ergonomic Risk

Originally Published: Facility Safety Management October 2019

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Workplace ergonomics is the practice of designing an office or other workspace in a way intended to minimize employee health risks and increase employee productivity, thus reducing employer costs.

The name 'Ergonomics' was officially accepted in 1950 but the first use of the word can be traced to a series of four articles written by Prof. Wojciech Jastrzebowski in Poland in 1857.

The name Ergonomics was derived from the Greek words: Ergon - work; Nomos - natural law and is the science of refining the design of products to optimize them for human use. Human characteristics, such as height, weight, and proportions are considered, as well as information about human hearing, sight, temperature preferences, and so on.

4 Benefits of Ergonomics in the Workplace

1. Ergonomics Helps Ensure Physical Safety in the Workplace.

2. Proper Ergonomic in the Workplace Can Prevent Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs).

3. Moving Throughout the Day Can Improve Long-Term Health and Well-Being. 4. The Return on Ergonomic Investments: Enhancing Performance and Motivation.

Why Are We Still Focusing on Ergonomics?

In its 2000 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, the BLS reported that skilled workers who suffered musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) injuries lost an average of 19 workdays. Of all injuries resulting in lost workdays, 257,900 were ergonomically related, and 44 percent were caused by bodily movements or exertion.

Along with their employers' costs, affected workers also pay a price for ergonomic injuries. This cost ranges from losing a few days of normal activity to the loss of livelihood in the most severe injuries.

MSDs often are grouped with other ergonomic injury classifications known as repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) and cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs). All of these injury types can have a significant impact on both employer and employee finances.

The risk of injury is not limited to the plant floor. An increasing number of MSDs are related to office personnel’s extended use of computer keyboards. Some of the more obvious factors contributing to the rising costs of workplace ergonomic injuries are significant increases in the medical treatment costs and the requirements of various state workers' compensation laws.

Some less obvious contributing factors are the aging of the American work force and the poor physical condition of many employees. An increase in obesity and the lack of regular exercise required to strengthen the body prevail in today's work force.

Direct costs of ergonomic injuries:

OSHA has estimated that $1 of every $3 spent on workers’ compensation stemmed from ergonomic issues and that the direct costs attributable to musculoskeletal disorders and that ergonomic injuries to have direct costs of between $15 to $20 billion per year, with total annual costs reaching $45 to $54 billion. More recent data in 2013 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that ergonomics remains a costly issue for businesses. BLS data shows that these types of injuries account for one-third of days-away-from-work cases. These types of injuries make up at least 34% of all workplace injuries according to a report done in 2012 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS data further explains that employees suffering from ergonomics-related injuries required more time off the job than those with other types of workplace injuries and illnesses (a median of 11 days versus eight days).

OSHA provided this list of actual direct costs for the most common ergonomic injuries:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – $28,657
• Sprain – $28,338
• Strain – $32,319
• Hernia – $23,083
• Inflammation – $32,080

The overall goal of ergonomics is to eliminate injuries and disorders associated with the overuse of soft tissues, e.g., muscles or tendons, awkward posture and repeated tasks. Such common injuries include carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis and other sprains and strains

Indirect Costs of Poor Ergonomics:

1. Absenteeism: Even seemingly minor injuries or nagging physical issues can cause employees to maximize their sick time. As organizations know, sick days can cause major disruption because it usually means other employees have to fill in or change processes to accommodate the absence.
2. Presenteeism: Workers may show up, but they put in far less effort than before, meeting only the minimum requirements of a job. This is particularly the case with employees who have no more sick time left, or want to “save” their days for
3. Lowered Morale: When absenteeism and presenteeism are at play, it can affect an entire workforce. Other employees may feel resentful at having to take on extra work or shift their priorities to make up for an injured employee’s absence or lower work output.
4. Higher Turnover: When morale suffers, so does an operation, because employees will bolt whenever they find a new opportunity. High turnover is a productivity killer, because of the training time involved and the potential for hiring employees who aren’t a cultural fit.
5. Reduced Quality: Speaking of being comfortable, no one likes being frustrated and tired. Middlesworth points out that people aren’t able to work properly when feeling such strains. “When the job task is too physically taxing on the worker, they may not perform their job like they were trained,” he writes, “For example, an employee might not fasten a screw tight enough due to a high force requirement which could create a product quality issue.”

Risky Ergonomic Factors:

To reduce work-related ergonomic injuries and the associated costs, companies must develop and implement effective and ongoing ergonomics programs. A successful ergonomics program adapts job tasks to fit the worker and eliminates work conditions that put harmful strain on the worker's body. When performing their jobs, many employees often incorporate activities that exceed their physical limitations, such as extended reaching, repetitive stooping and bending, and overhead lifting. Over time these activities take a toll on the physically fit, young employee, and more so on an older worker in poor physical condition.

To identify potential risk factors, employers should look for the following conditions:

• Lengthy periods of repetitive activity
• Inadequate rest periods between lengthy, repetitive tasks
• Awkward work positions (extended reaching and overhead work)
• Repetitive heavy lifting and forceful movement
• Excessive vibration
• Uncomfortable environmental conditions and a stressful work organization

These potential risk factors must be eliminated or significantly modified. In many cases, the workers themselves can suggest ways to modify the tasks that will eliminate or reduce the ergonomic stresses. These remedies do not always have to be expensive. Simply modifying a worktable's height, rearranging access to parts, or rotating employees who perform repetitive tasks are but a few ways to minimize certain ergonomic stresses.

A new Approach to Ergonomic Assessment and Recommendations:

Ergonomic Assessments are costly and incomplete. Employee based ergonomic programs can identify creative solutions, but co-workers do not want to be told how to correct their behaviors or cooperate with changes to their postures and habits. A Functional Ergonomics approach to identify ergonomic risks, postures and work positions can be addressed by using the Department of Labor, Handbook for Analyzing Jobs. This tool standardizes terms and methodology used to identify essential functions and physical demands of jobs. A standardized methodology to reduce ergonomic risk comes out of the process of job analysis. Physical demand strength levels (sedentary, light, medium, heavy and very heavy) can be used along with specific physical demands, forces and frequencies to target specific ergonomic solutions. A sample ergonomic solution and recommendation is provided below.

Companies are finding that the job analysis process is the most cost-effective way to gather specific job information that can be used by Human Resources and then to identify ergonomic risks and solutions that also reduce physical demand strength levels. Ergonomic solutions can be off the shelf items, custom fabricated items, training or a combination of any of these. Body Mechanics are the main contributor to MSD injuries. Poor or risky body mechanics can be identified and corrected with use of tools such as the GSC On-Site Body mechanics Risk Assessment App or via observation and coaching.

Summary

Ergonomics today is an essential part of most EHS programs. The real question is – is your program effective in reducing the true ergonomic risks and do you have an objective, standardized method to identify and measure the effectiveness of the program and recommendations? Looking outside of the traditional ergonomic consultation, employee based or EHS based ergonomic assessments can open the door to better, more cost-effective solutions. Good ergonomic solutions not only solve a specific issue but reduce the overall physical demands for jobs and create employee retention and improved morale. Better ergonomics = better return on investment!

Want to learn what GSC On-Site can do for your company? Book a 15 minute call today!

Bio

Kris Smith - Bio Kris Smith is the Managing Member for GSC On-Site Services, an Arizona based, national injury prevention company. Kris is an Occupational Therapist by background but has spent more than 35 years working in industry with companies across all business sectors. She and her husband and business partner, Gil Smith started GSC On-Site Services to provide companies with options to prevent injuries such as Job Analysis, ergonomic risk assessments, body mechanics risk assessment and coaching, first aid only early symptom intervention and an innovative pre-shift warm up flexibility program. Kris is an expert at developing meaningful outcome metrics for the programs and services that GSC On-Site offers. Kris has published many of her outcomes, presented at national, regional and local safety, risk management, occupational health and occupational therapy conferences. She teaches industrial rehabilitation at 3 AZ Universities. Her years of experience lend themselves to creating innovative solutions for customers.

Citations

1. Ho, J. (2017, June 22). OSHA and Ergonomics: The Past, Present and Future. Retrieved from https://www.ehstoday.com/osha/osha-and-ergonomics-past-present-and-future

2. COFCO. (2016, September 28). The Cost of Ergonomic Related Injuries in the Office. Retrieved from https://www.cofcogroup.com/the-cost-of-ergonomic-related-injuries-inthe-office/

3. United States Department of Labor. (2008, December 02). Musculoskeletal Disorders and Days Away from Work in 2007. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2008/dec/wk1/art02.htm

4. United States Department of Labor. (2016, November 10) Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Requiring Days Away From Work, 2015. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/osh2.nr0.htm

5. Wood, R. (2005, December 13). Ergonomic Injuries and the Workplace. Retrieved from https://www.thefabricator.com/article/safety/ergonomic-injuries-and-the-workplace