SITTING. It sounds simple enough. Yet despite years of training, training, and more training, the saga goes on. The saga "stars" the seated worker. Be it a call center employee, a manufacturer performing bench work, or an over-the-road truck driver, we continue to observe workers seated in semi-flexed, rounded postures.
Editor's note: Anti-fatigue matting is hot right now--and it's not just for human workers, says Greg Clouse, the industrial and agricultural matting sales manager for Koneta Inc. (www.konetainc.com) of Wapakoneta, Ohio. Koneta, which makes mats, trucks' splash guards, and other products, has been certified to QS-9000/ISO-9002 Quality System requirements and ISO 14001 Environmental Management System requirements.
Editor's note: New guidelines to increase the safety of manual handling tasks are being finalized by a partnership that includes NIOSH, CAL/OSHA, the Material Handling Industry of America's EASE Council (Ergonomics Assist and Systems Equipment), and five other entities. The EASE Council's chairman is James J. Galante, director of Product and Market Development for Southworth Products Corp., the largest manufacturer in the world of lifting and positioning equipment for material handling applications.
ERGONOMIC furniture is not a new concept, but among many office workers--from secretaries to CEOs--it remains unknown or misunderstood. According to a recent survey conducted by our company, only about one in four American office workers is at least somewhat familiar with the usage and benefits of ergonomic furnishings in the workplace.
IT is a tough, competitive world out there. Every day, the news reminds us that capital is footloose and labor is fungible: For the price of group health benefits for a single American worker, a firm can hire a Ph.D. engineer offshore. And many do.
GOOD ergonomics is good business. According to a November 2003 productivity study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), lost productive time from common pain conditions among active U.S. workers costs an estimated $61.2 billion per year while at work and in work-related absences.
Editor's note: Static postures aren't harmless; they can cause low back pain, varicose veins, and other problems. Sit to stand postures are preferable, says Ann Hall, marketing manager for LINAK U.S. Inc. LINAK, a Scandinavian company with its North and South American headquarters located in Louisville, Ky., provides movement by electric actuation for customers who design and manufacture a multitude of finished products, including sit-stand desks.
ESTABLISHING and achieving performance and improvement goals are critical elements of any successful organization. The adage "what gets measured, gets done" is true for all operations of a business, especially managing ergonomic improvements.
EMPLOYERS often struggle with the effects workplace injuries and illness have on employees, their families, and companies' financial health.
WITHOUT a doubt, highly trained people and corporate dedication to safety are the key elements of any good ergonomic program in industry.
MOVING raw materials and finished products through a facility is a common process in industry. Throughout the process, operators routinely lift/lower, push/pull, and carry an object, presenting a significant challenge to health and safety professionals.
MANY hospitals today find their financial health in critical condition. Increasing worker's compensation claims, an ongoing nursing shortage, higher operating costs, and reduced government funding contribute to a challenging operating prognosis.
ACCORDING to the National Safety Council (2000), falls represent one of the most common causes of unintentional injury deaths in the United States annually (approximately 14,200 in that year). Only motor vehicle accidents and poisonings ranked higher, with 42,900 and 14,500, respectively.
THE emphasis on designing workplaces to accommodate individuals having a variety of physical differences has increased due to the knowledge and public awareness surrounding ergonomics. As both manufacturers and consumers understand, work environments that are more comfortable to use and adjustable to individual needs can reduce discomfort, the potential for fatigue, and cumulative trauma, as well as increase job productivity.
SO many millions of personal computers have been sold over the past two decades, each with only one mouse, that most people think single-mouse operation is natural. Although it has become, by default, the norm, it is not necessarily natural.
EACH year, injuries caused by manual materials handling are a significant cost to industry in terms of medical costs and lost productivity.
MY interest and attention to ergonomics began as the consequence of managing workplace injuries within the Risk Management division of a large high-tech company 10 years ago. Ergonomics was still relatively new and unproven to our immediate industry, and I was extremely skeptical of how injuries could be reduced by placing monitors on phone books or putting a piece of foam rubber in front of a keyboard.
IN the middle of 2001, Hewlett-Packard made a decision to change the way it addressed ergonomics in its office environments. HP had two goals: decrease the rate of repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) corporate-wide and create significant administrative efficiencies.
IN corporate America, we are obsessed with productivity, reduced costs, and the "bottom line." Add to this all the concerns about safety and ergonomics, and you have the makings of a colossal headache. In fact, in some cases, I think the obsession with productivity has gone a little too far, even taking a step backward.
IN the occupational health arena, shoe programs are at the core of many safety and health issues. Besides the "steel toe" issues, there are electrical conditions requiring conductive and/or ESD shoes. Also, sole slip resistance is most important and even critical within select environments.