the study of people's efficiency in their working environment.
er·go·nom·ics
ˌərɡəˈnämiks/
noun
the study of people's efficiency in their working environment.
Identify Problems
Ergonomic injuries may be referred to as Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSIs), Repetitive Motion Injuries (RMIs), Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs), Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs), or Cumulative Trauma Injuries (CTIs).
What is the ergonomics?
Ergonomics is the process of designing or arranging workplaces, products and systems so that they fit the people who use them. Most people have heard ofergonomics and think it is something to do with seating or with the design of car controls and instruments – and it is… but it is so much more.
Ergonomics (from the Greek word ergon meaning work, and nomoi meaning natural laws), 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. Ergonomics is sometimes known as human factors engineering.
Computers and related products, such as computer desks and chairs, are frequently the focus of ergonomic design. A great number of people use these products for extended periods of time -- such as the typical work day. If these products are poorly designed or improperly adjusted for human use, the person using them may suffer unnecessary fatigue, stress, and even injury.
What is an ergonomic hazard?
An ergonomic hazard is a physical factor within the environment that harms the musculoskeletal system. Ergonomic hazards include themes such as repetitive movement, manual handling, workplace/job/task design, uncomfortable workstation height and poor body positioning.
What are the risk factors of ergonomics?
Not all musculoskeletal risk factors are work-related, including: Certain medical conditions: rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, obesity, pregnancy or menopause. Free time activities: hobbies or chores that involve repetitive motion, awkward postures, or force for extended periods of time.
What could be the cause of an ergonomic injury?
Ergonomic injuries are those injuries caused by the presence of ergonomic risk factors, including: Awkward or sustained postures. Forceful exertion or strain. Contact pressure.
An important part of the ergonomic process is a periodic review of the facility, specific workstation designs and work practices, and the overall production process, from an ergonomics perspective. This includes identifying existing problems, which can be obtained from reviewing the company's OSHA 300 injury and illness logs, 301 reports, workers' compensation records, and worker reports of problems. However, a more forward-looking approach, to be used in combination with reviewing injury and illness records, is to be proactive in identifying potential ergonomic issues that have gone unnoticed or resulted from facility changes, before they result in MSDs. Observations of workplace conditions and work processes, ergonomic job analyses, workplace surveys, and worker interviews are common proactive methods for identifying ergonomics related injury risks.
Review Injury Records
Looking at your injury and illness data will help identify ergonomic problems. These data can be obtained from reviewing the company's OSHA 300 Injury and Illness Logs, 301 reports, workers' compensation records, first aid logs, accident and near-miss investigation reports, insurance company reports and worker reports of problems.
Observe Workplace Conditions
By looking critically at your workplace operations, you can identify risk factors and eliminate or control them as early as possible.
Risk Factors
The risk of MSD injury depends on work positions and postures, how often the task is performed, the level of required effort and how long the task lasts. Risk factors that may lead to the development of MSDs include:
Exerting excessive force. Examples include lifting heavy objects or people, pushing or pulling heavy loads, manually pouring materials, or maintaining control of equipment or tools.
Performing the same or similar tasks repetitively. Performing the same motion or series of motions continually or frequently for an extended period of time.
Working in awkward postures or being in the same posture for long periods of time. Using positions that place stress on the body, such as prolonged or repetitive reaching above shoulder height, kneeling, squatting, leaning over a counter, using a knife with wrists bent, or twisting the torso while lifting.
Localized pressure into the body part. Pressing the body or part of the body (such as the hand) against hard or sharp edges, or using the hand as a hammer.
Cold temperatures. In combination with any one of the above risk factors may also increase the potential for MSDs to develop. For example, many of the operations in meatpacking and poultry processing occur with a chilled product or in a cold environment.
Vibration. Both whole body and hand-arm, can cause a number of health effects. Hand-arm vibration can damage small capillaries that supply nutrients and can make hand tools more difficult to control. Hand-arm vibration may cause a worker to lose feeling in the hands and arms resulting in increased force exertion to control hand-powered tools (e.g. hammer drills, portable grinders, chainsaws) in much the same way gloves limit feeling in the hands. The effects of vibration can damage the body and greatly increase the force which must be exerted for a task.
Combined exposure to several risk factors. May place workers at a higher risk for MSDs than does exposure to any one risk factor.
In addition, observe whether workers are:
Modifying their tools, equipment or work area
Shaking their arms and hands
Rolling their shoulders
Bringing products such as back belts or wrist braces into the workplace
These behaviors can mean that workers are experiencing ergonomic issues. Talk with them and review their work to see if any risk factors for MSDs are present. Workers can identify and provide important information about hazards in their workplaces. Their opinions and suggestions for change also are valuable.
Once problem jobs are identified, conducting an in-depth ergonomic job analysis can help identify solutions to prevent MSDs. An ergonomic job hazard analysis is a technique that focuses on job tasks as a way to identify hazards before they occur. It focuses on the relationship between the worker, the task, the tools, and the work environment.
While ergonomic improvement processes come in many forms, the three-phase approach involving recognition, evaluation, and control is typically one of the basic underlying themes. Over the years, scientific research and industry innovation have contributed to the development of many tools that help companies recognize and evaluate ergonomic risk factors. However, companies may still find themselves unable to develop effective solutions to ergonomic issues, even after a formal ergonomic evaluation has been completed. Lack of a formalized strategy for solution development is a recipe for failure. A company may become overly reliant on lower impact solutions such as changes in work practices or administrative controls, and workers and managers alike can become increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress and results. Below are five strategies for identifying effective ergonomic solutions that will help you get the results you expect from your ergonomics program. 1. Ask Why Five Times Solution development begins with a clear problem statement. Use the “five whys” to determine root causes for ergonomic hazard exposures such as awkward postures, forceful exertions, and repetitive motion.
Why is the operator reaching across the conveyor? To reach the parts bin.
Why is the parts bin located across the conveyor? Because there is no room for it in front of the conveyor.
Why is there no room for the parts bin? Because that area is used to store the tools.
Why are the tools stored there? Because this station does not have a tool balancer to hang them from overhead.
In this case, four whys are sufficient for identifying the root cause that leads to a simple solution. 2. Posture, Force, and Frequency Ergonomic issues in the workplace such as awkward postures, excessive forces, and extreme frequencies of movement are the primary risk factors for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). Like the fire triangle, in which three components—fuel, source of ignition, and oxygen—create fire, postures, forces, and frequencies can work together to turn small ergonomic issues into big problems. Posture- Awkward postures (non-neutral joint positions) Force- Excessive force (pressure, weight, or grip) Frequency- Extreme frequency and/or duration of movement The same risk factors that contribute to WMSDs are also barriers to performance. Repeatability of operations is compromised when extreme postures are required, and recovery times from high force applications increase the non-value-added content of job tasks. At a microelement level, the same motions that contribute to ergonomic risk are the motions that rob operations of efficiency. Use posture, force, and frequency to form useful leading questions that can help you generate simple solutions:
What can be done to eliminate awkward postures?
To reduce exertion forces?
To minimize frequency of movement?
Poor postures are often the easiest to address through simple workstation component rearrangements, and eliminating posture problems can make forceful or repetitive movements tolerable. 3. Comfort Zone The Comfort Zone is similar to the strike zone in baseball—it’s the area in front of us where we are strongest, have the best dexterity and visual acuity, and can work in neutral postures. Working inside the Comfort Zone may also reduce the time required to perform a work activity because unnecessary movements are reduced or eliminated. Challenging jobs are often performed outside the comfort zone for a variety of reasons, some of which are easy to reverse. Ask yourself what needs to be done to get the work into the Comfort Zone. 4. Tool/Target Ergonomic issues are the result of a mismatch between the workstation and the employee and/or the tool used in the work activity. Changing either the tool that is used or the target location can improve all ergonomic issues; when an employee does not use a specific tool, the tool is the employee’s hand. This solution strategy is nothing more than asking yourself "Is it easier to change the tool handle orientation or to modify the target?" With pistol grip, in-line, and right angle tools available, matching the correct tool handle orientation to the task can solve many tool-related ergonomic challenges. On the other hand, many parts can be fixtured in such a way that reorientation is simple and the existing hand tool will work fine. 5. Change the Tool Tools are designed for specific applications in a specified direction. If an employee uses the wrong tool to complete a task, he or she may resort to non-neutral postures such as wrist deviations and shoulder raising, which increase the chance of injury. It is important to select and use a tool that is appropriate for the specific work activity to promote more neutral body postures. Here are general guidelines for tool selection and design:
Use pistol grip tools when applying force horizontally, on a vertical surface
Use in-line tools when applying force vertically, on a horizontal surface
Lengthen or shorten handles and tool bits to bring the reach to the tool into the operator’s Comfort Zone
Provide a secondary tool handle for better control and improved postures
Balance tools and orient them in the direction of use
6. Change the Target If the proper tool cannot be used, change the target orientation to fit with the tool and promote neutral body postures. Ways to modify the target include:
Provide a jig or fixture to orient the part for easy access
Provide adjustable height tables
Establish a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to ensure that people use the equipment the way it was designed to be used
7. Ask the Operator The simplest solution strategy may also be the most effective—ask the person who does the job if he or she can think of a better way of doing it. Operators know the ins and outs of their job tasks better than any of us, and they often bring a great deal of clarity to the search for solutions. Engaging operators in conversation about ergonomic issues is vital to uncovering the root cause of the issue and identifying practical solutions. The real expert in any operation is the person who does it every day. Ask the operator to identify ergonomic problems that you might otherwise miss. In addition, consider asking operators the following questions to gain greater insight into the operation:
What is the least desirable or most difficult part of this operation?
While performing this operation, do you experience any pain or discomfort?
Have there been any ergonomic injuries associated with this operation?
What suggestions do you have for improving this work area?
Are there any quality or production issues associated with this operation?
These solution strategies are just a starting point, a way to generate potential improvements. Regardless of the strategy that your company uses, there are a few general rules to follow:
You do not have to eliminate all risk factors to make an impact. Projects that focus on the "home run" solution, one that would reduce or eliminate the majority of the risk factors, can be risky because of the associated high cost and long time required to implement these solutions. Ergonomics, like other improvement initiatives, is about making small continuous improvements or "base hits."
A good implementation plan will include a range of short- and long-term solutions. Short-term solutions can be implemented immediately but may not reduce the risk factors to an acceptable level. Long-term solutions may reduce the risk to an acceptable level, however they require more time to implement, which lengthens the exposure to the current level of risk. Ask yourself "What can I do today, tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year to improve this operation?" For example, suppose a work task requires the operator to retrieve parts from a pallet positioned on the floor, causing back flexion. The long-term solution may be to provide a lift table, but by stacking several empty pallets under the full pallet, you can make an immediate improvement.
Don't try and solve problems by yourself. Utilize the concept of the "group brain" to help generate out-of-the-box thinking and breakthrough improvements. Members of the "group brain" may include operators, supervisors, safety personnel, engineers, equipment vendors, other facilities, or even consultants. The more eyes looking at a problem, the more ideas you are likely to generate.
Don’t forget to check for success—go back to your problem statement and verify that the proposed solution will actually address the problem. Once improvements are in place, confirm that the ergonomic challenge has been resolved and no new challenges have been created as a result. Then you know you have a success on your hands.
Without a clear strategy for solution development, a company may struggle to meet the goals it has set for its ergonomics program. And while recognition and evaluation tools help to provide companies with a plan and a priority for addressing ergonomic risk factors, a solution development strategy allows the company to take action to correct the identified risks. Incorporating some the strategies mentioned above into your ergonomics program will help to ensure that you are getting the most out of your ergonomics initiative.
