National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health

IOSH

ELEMENTS OF
ERGONOMICS
PROGRAMS

A Primer based
on Workplace
Evaluations of
Musculoskeletal
Disorders

A N S E RVI C
UM ES
H .
&

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

US
H

A
HE A LT

Public Health Service

T OF

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

EN

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

M

T
AR CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL
DEP
AND PREVENTION
 A Pathway to Controlling Work-Related
Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSDs)

LOOKING FOR
Cues and tip-offs
SIGNS OF WMSDs to problems

SETTING THE
Management commitment
STAGE FOR ACTION and employee roles

TRAININGBUILDING
General and specialized training
IN-HOUSE EXPERTISE needs and access to resources

GATHERING AND EXAMINING

EVIDENCE OF WMSDs Health and risk factor data
collection and assessment

DEVELOPING CONTROLS Options for reducing risks and

evaluating their effectiveness

ESTABLISHING HEALTH
Duties of health care
CARE MANAGEMENT providers and others

CREATING A PROACTIVE
ERGONOMICS PROGRAM Accent on prevention

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 Awkward Postures Overhead Work Twisting and Carrying Loads

Wrist Deviations Contact Stress Poor Shoulder/Wrist Position

Lifting Bulky Loads Hand - Arm Vibration Whole Body Vibration

Figure 1. Illustrations of selected risk factor conditions. (Illustrations adapted from UAW-GM Center for Health &
Safety [1990]; Putz-Anderson V [1988]; Grant et al. [1995]; Canadian Center of Occupational Safety and Health [1988];
American Meat Institute and Ergo Tech, Inc. [1990].

21
 Raise and tilt the Extend and support Use conveyors to
container for easier tool to reduce reduce twisting
access and to reduce stress on arm and shoulder. and eliminate lifting and
bending and lifting carrying.
burdens.

Use a turntable Round or pad edges Raise worker with

with fixture to hold of guards, contain- platform and use
the work; select a tool that ers, or work tables. in-line tool to reduce wrist
reduces wrist deviations. bending.

Use mechanical Select power tools Use balancers,

assist devices for with anti-vibration isolators and
less stressful handling. properties. Use handle damping materials to
coatings that suppress reduce vibrations at the
vibrations; increase source or along trans-
coefficient of friction to mission path. Make
reduce force requirements. driving surface smooth.

Figure 2. Illustrations of some basic ways for controlling selected risk factor conditions.

33
Tray 4A. Symptoms Survey Form

Symptoms Survey: Ergonomics Program

Date

Job Name
Plant Dept #

years months
Shift Hours worked/week Time on THIS Job

Other jobs you have done in the last year (for more than 2 weeks)

months weeks
Plant Dept # Job Name Time on THIS Job

months weeks
Plant Dept # Job Name Time on THIS Job

(If more than 2 jobs, include those you worked on the most)

Have you had any pain or discomfort during the last year?
Yes No (If NO, stop here)

If YES, carefully shade in area of the drawing which bothers you the MOST.

Front Back

(Continued)

87
 Tray 4A (Continued).

(Complete a separate page for each area that bothers you)

Check Area: Neck Shoulder Elbow/Forearm Hand/Wrist Fingers

Upper Back Low Back Thigh/Knee Low Leg Ankle/Foot
1. Please put a check by the words(s) that best describe your problem
Aching Numbness (asleep) Tingling
Burning Pain Weakness
Cramping Swelling Other
Loss of Color Stiffness
2. When did you first notice the problem? (month) (year)
3. How long does each episode last? (Mark an X along the line)

1 hour 1 day 1 week 1 month 6 months

4. How many separate episodes have you had in the last year?
5. What do you think caused the problem?

6. Have you had this problem in the last 7 days? Yes No

7. How would you rate this problem? (mark an X on the line)
NOW

None Unbearable
When it is the WORST

None Unbearable
8. Have you had medical treatment for this problem? Yes No
8a. If NO, why not?
8a. If YES, where did you receive treatment?
1. Company Medical Times in past year

2. Personal doctor Times in past year

3. Other Times in past year

Did treatment help? Yes No

9. How much time have you lost in the last year because of this problem? days

10. How many days in the last year were you on restricted or light duty because of this problem?
days
11. Please comment on what you think would improve your symptoms

88
 Tray 6A. Recommended Workstation Measurements*
64

56
Occasional
20" extended
10" 48
13"17" 21"25" reach

40

INCHES
32
40"
60"
24
SEATED WORK:
Primary and secondary areas for table top work. 16
Optimal work surface height varies with the work performed:
Precision work = 3137 in. 8
Reading/writing = 2831 in.
Typing/light assembly = 2128 in.
Seat and back rest heights should be adjustable 0
as noted in chair requirements below. 0 8 16 24 32 40
INCHES
510
SEATED WORK:
Boundaries for vertical reaches
for grasping objects.
6"12" Work Surface

8"212" 7" Minimum

25

14"21" 4"
ADJ.
STANDING WORK:
Footrest Shelf heights to which a free-
25 standing person can reach and
place a hand flat on a shelf
should not exceed 60 in.

STANDING WORK:
Workbench heights should be
above elbow height for
precision work,
just below elbow height for
light work, and
46 in. below elbow height for
heavy work. 37"43" 34"37" 28"35"

Precision work Light work Heavy work

*Adapted in part from Grandjean E [1982] (Fitting the Task to the Man: An Ergonomic Approach.
London: Taylor & Francis Ltd.) and UAW-GM [1990] (UAW-GM Ergonomics Handbook. Madison
Heights, Michigan: Center for Health & Safety).

102