The Economics Of Ergonomics What Is Ergonomics? Ergonomics is the field of study concerned with finding ways to keep people safe, comfortable, and productive while they perform tasks at work. We Refer To This As The Ergonomic Alternative There Are Generally Three Terms That Identify Stress Workplace Injuries Cumulative Trauma Disorders Musculoskeletal Disorders Repetitive Stress Injuries These Terms Are Often Interchangeable And Refer To: Any injury to your soft tissue or musculoskeletal system caused by repeated exposure by anyone performing multiple risk tasks over time. Are Your Employees At Risk? Do They Perform frequent tasks using repetitive motions? Bend at the waist or twist when lifting objects? Do they sometimes use the wrong tool for the job? Grasp tools with their fingers? Forget to take breaks while working? Feel like they are under stress? Have to stretch to reach their work? Forget to adjust the work area to fit their task? Lift push or pull objects throughout the day? The more questions you answered yes! The greater their risk.
Did You Know? The average mason handles 4 tons of 8 block a day each weighing 34 lbs 2.5 tons of red brick each weighing 6 lbs It takes on average 266 individual shovels to unload 4 tons of blacktop Each Task Requires A Repetitive Motion That Over Time May Contribute To Cumulative Trauma Injuries A Cumulative Trauma Injury May Develop Anywhere In The body Hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders Back and neck Hips, knees and ankles Low Back Pain CTI s Affect The Entire Muscular System Including Muscles Tendons Ligaments Bones Nerves Blood Vessels Disks Many CT Injuries Go Unreported Because Of What we Call The. The Wimp Factor If you break a bone or are bleeding, you get macho points for taking the pain. Report a soft tissue Boo Boo and you re considered a Wimp, so employee s tend to ignore them until the problem becomes more severe. Most Frequent CTD Injuries In Maintenance Operations Are; Lumbar/Spine 12.8% Upper Extremity 11.4% Soft Tissue 6.0% Shoulder 4.5% Total 34.7% Do You Know What Each Injury Costs Your Municipality? The National Safety Council States: $38,000 Direct cost of injury, includes emergency room, doctor visits, medical bills $152,000 Indirect cost of injury, include admin. cost, increased insurance costs, lost work hours and productivity of your injured employee $190,000 Total cost of one injury.
The Ergonomic Alternative Minimizes potential injuries to employees by fitting the job to your employee, instead of forcing your employee to fit the job. There Are Six Multiple Risk Factors Associated With CTD s Static Loading Including using the correct tools, the correct way Evaluating the tasks they complete And improving the environment they work in Vibration Contact Stress Repetition Let s Look At Each Factor! Force Awkward Posture Awkward Posture Is any position where an employee s part of the body is angled outside the middle range of motion for that joint Minimize Awkward Posture Injuries By avoiding excessive bending or kneeling Avoiding overhead reaching If awkward postures are unavoidable, change tasks, stretch, or take frequent short breaks To Minimize Force Injuries Force The amount of effort needed to lift, carry, push, pull, or grip objects Use mechanical lift assists when available Avoid manually handling heavy objects (more than 35 pounds) Avoid carrying objects more than 100 feet Develop Proper Material Handling Push instead of pulling Use both hands when pushing Stand directly behind a cart when pushing and avoid twisting your body Maintain good control and limit speed Ensure cart is not overloaded
Use Proper Lifting Techniques Examine the load and the surrounding area Bend knees Keep back straight Position the load close to the body Maintain a firm grip on the load Use smooth, controlled movements Keep arms close to your body Turn feet in direction of movement to avoid twisting Get help before performing tasks requiring excessive force Two Person Lifting Is Appropriate When A lift, hoist, or other mechanical assistance is unavailable Heavier than you are capable of lifting alone (typically more than 35 pounds) Heavier than what two people are capable of lifting (typically less than 60 pounds) The object is awkward or oversized. Any object that does not have its weight equally distributed within the load. Remember some objects are too heavy or awkward to be handled even with two people Minimize Repetition Injuries Repetition Is the number of motions performed by a body part/parts, typically measured by multiple repetitions per minute By using power tools when available Changing tasks, stretching, or taking a break from repetitive tasks Develop job rotation policies where applicable, job rotations will work alternate muscle groups between successive job functions Static Loading Minimize Static Loading Injuries Is when a person maintains an awkward posture without external support for a prolonged period of time Avoiding prolonged awkward postures By changing the position of your work or your body position to get as close as possible to the work area If prolonged awkward postures are unavoidable, use a supported posture to compensate A supported posture uses parts of your body to support the weight of another body segment that is in an awkward position
Contact Stress Is the compression of soft tissue with any hard or sharp surface Minimizing Contact Stress Injuries Avoid putting pressure on palms, wrists, and elbows: Use padding on hard or sharp surfaces Change your position to eliminate the stress Avoid pressure on knees: Avoid kneeling on hard surfaces for prolonged periods Use knee pads when kneeling tasks are unavoidable Vibration Vibration is transmitted from an external source (i.e. powered tools, construction equipment, industrial trucks, etc.) to the whole body or specific body segments Minimize Vibration & Torque To lessen vibration: Pad tool handles with a soft compressible surface Use vibration damping (gel filled) gloves Select tools (hammers and chippers) with built in damping systems (springs/hydraulics) To lessen torque reaction: Use electric tools as opposed to air driven tools Use pulse tools or autoshutoff tools The Best Prevention Against Cumulative Trauma Disorders Stretching Like professional athletes; it s important for workers to warm up your bodies before attempting any strenuous work activity. Stretching Increases the flexibility and elasticity of muscles Increases circulation to warm the muscles, improving mental alertness, reducing fatigue Decreases muscle tension and stress
Stretching Techniques Relax and breathe normally. Don t hold your breath. Hold each stretch for a count of 15, or as long as comfortable Use gentle, controlled motions. Do not bounce. Keep the knees slightly bent for better balance. Stretch until a mild tension is felt, then relax. Stretch by how you feel and not by how far you can go. Summary Indentify potential ergonomic risk factors in your area Stretch throughout the shift especially before and after activities that require awkward positions or lifting Pay attention to your body and know your physical limitations Ergonomic injuries are preventable! Remember you own your own safety Thank You Any Questions?