Professional Documents
Culture Documents
for the
Professionals"
By Faisal Jalal
1
Learning Objectives
o Define ergonomics
o Identify high return
interventions
o Sell ergonomics
2
History of Ergonomics
o Industrial Revolution
o Steel industry (shovels)
o Henry Ford
o Assembly line design
o Frank and Lillian
Gilbreth
o Micro-motion studies (i.e.
todays surgical
techniques)
History of Ergonomics
o World Wars
o Aircraft, weapon
design
o Cold War
o Nuclear power
plants
o Today
o Industry, hospitals,
offices, product
design
Ergonomics Today
Matching the job, work tools, and workplace
to the worker.
5
Ergonomics
Employee Concerns Employer Concerns
Comfort Workers comp costs
Fatigue Productivity
Injuries Errors
Job satisfaction Products
Decreased boredom Profit
Decreased stress
Reasonable workloads
6
Results of Poor Ergonomic Design
Results of Poor Ergonomic Design
Force Posture
Risk Factors
Personal Environment
11
There are several risk factors leading to MSDs.
Poor Ergonomics
o Decreased efficiency
o Decreased
productivity
o Errors
Poor Ergonomic Design
o Turnover
o Absenteeism
o Job avoidance
The effects of the risk factors associated with the development of WMSDs
(primarily force, posture and repetition) have been validated throughout
history. Archaeological digs at an ancient Mayan toolmaking factory in
Poor Ergonomics
Belize uncovered skeletal remains with distinct wear-and-tear damage to
the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints of the dominant hand. These
discoveries were indicative of long hours repeatedly hammering stones to
make tools. Industrial hygiene issues and WMSDs were first identified as
o Decreased efficiency
a significant cause of occupational disease/injury nearly 300 years ago by
Bernardino Rammazzini, the father of occupational medicine. He identified
o Decreased
that certain diseases were attributed to irregular motions and unnatural
postures which over time lead to discomfort, pain or impaired function.
productivity
Fortunately, the discomfort and pain gradually develop which means that
time exists to stop the progression and reverse the process if we intervene
o Errors
early and proactively.
In 1918, Alice Hamilton identified Raynauds disease (a numbness and
whitening of the fingers) as a problem among men using air-hammers to
cut stone. She associated the disease to three cause: duration of force in
holding the tool, vibration and cold. She also noted that the severity of the
disease increased as the total exposure time increased.
Despite the early connection between occupation and disease, it wasnt
until World War II that engineers began to design cockpits to fit the size of
most pilots and match capabilities to vision and sound.
Excerpted from Safety and
Health
How Do I Get Started?
o Pick your fights
o Sell your service
How Do I Get Started?
o Pick your fights
o Sell your service
17
What Should I Look For?
Awkward postures
Repetition
Force
Laboratories
20
Where Should I Look?
Laboratories
21
Where Should I Look?
Hospitals
22
Where Should I Look?
Hospitals
consider.
Where Should I Look?
Facilities
24
Where Should I Look?
Shops
25
Where Should I Look?
Shops
Grounds
27
Where Should I Look?
Grounds
29
What Can Ergonomics Do?
discomfort
accidents and injuries
accuracy
efficiency
satisfaction
job retention
30
How Do I Start?
Identify problems
Complaints of discomfort
Symptom surveys
Near misses
Accidents
Injuries
Errors
High turnover
31
How Do I Start?
Identify problems
Complaints of discomfort
Complaints of discomfort and symptom
Symptom surveys
surveys are often the first sign of problems.
Dont forget to consider other safety issues
Nearasmisses
near misses, accidents and injuries.
Accidents
High turnover can often indicate a job that
is dangerous or difficult to do. Errors and
Injuries
accuracy are also affected by job design
and performance expectations.
Errors
High turnover
32
What Tools Can I Use?
Anthropometry tables
Body discomfort maps
Hazard check lists
NIOSH Lifting Equation
Washington Ergonomics Lifting Calculator
33
What is Anthropometry?
Measurement of people
o Match size and strength with work
environment and tools
What is Anthropometry?
Measurement of people
o Match size and strength with work
environment and tools
44
Manual Materials Handling
o Golden rule
Eliminate lifts
o When you cant
Keep it off the floor
Reduce lifts
Conveyors, dollies
Adjust work flow
45
Making a Difference
Stoop
Squat
Semi-squat
How Should You Lift?
Squat
Semi-squat
53
Keep It Simple
o Staggered stance o Keep it close
55
Build a Team
o Ergonomist
o Safety professionals
o Health care team
o Risk management
o Rehab counselors
o Facilities/Design
o Purchasing
o Managers
o Employees
56
Build a Team
o Ergonomist
o Safety professionals
o Health care team
o Risk management
An effective team is composed of many
o Rehab counselors
disciplines bringing a variety of expertise to
solve ergonomic problems and improve the
o Facilities/Design
workplace.
Latin: ergon work and strength o Purchasing
nomos law or rule
o Managers
1957 North American scientist and engineers
recognized the field as human factors. o Employees
Before 1957 ergonomics were disregarded in 57
military human machines.
Its all about dollars
o Average cost /CTS
claim = $37,552 or
UCLA statistics 59
Cost Justification - Injuries
60
Cost Justification
Benefits of Ergonomics 61
Cost Justification - Regulatory
62
Thank you!
63