Boost productivity, cut injuries with job rotation

Risk & Insurance, March 3, 2003 by Joshua Clifton

Workers who continually perform repetitive tasks will likely suffer breakdowns over time, so employers should rotate workers through a variety of tasks or jobs to prevent injuries.

The idea behind job rotation is to alleviate physical fatigue and stress by rotating workers among jobs that require the use of different muscle-tendon groups. Experts say job rotation can result in increased product quality, employee satisfaction and lower injury rates. However, it can be difficult changing the organizational structure of a work system.

Job rotation alone does not change the ergonomic risk factors in a facility. It only distributes the risk factors more evenly across a larger group of employees. When workers rotate between two jobs, the risk exposure may drop to a safe level. However, if the two jobs have similar risks, the benefits are lost.

Dan MacLeod, an ergonomics consultant based in Milford, Pa., says employers can create a successful job rotation program using the following guidelines:

* Get employee input. This is key, says MacLeod. He suggests employers first hold an employee meeting to determine if there is any interest in a job rotation program. During this meeting, show a short presentation on ergonomics and job rotation. MacLeod says this will help build upon previous ergonomics training and introduce the job rotation concept.

Anyone should be allowed to suggest job rotations, including supervisors, managers, production employees and union officials, he says. However, an ergonomics committee and the employees who will be affected by the changes should approve rotations.

* Make a list. Generate a generic list of all acceptable rotations for each department to allow flexibility in making job assignments without violating company ergonomic policies.

* Verify rotation efforts with each affected department. A common-sense review of logistics and compatibility will ensure that proposed rotations are suitable and reasonable. In addition, review the proposed rotations with all employees who will be affected by the changes. Employee concerns should be taken into account and changes made, if necessary.

* Provide training. Employees need to understand how new tasks will be performed or unfamiliar equipment should be handled. The same training requirements and documentation for new hires should be applied to experienced line employees going into new jobs.

* Phase it in. Provide employees with adequate break-in time to ensure they are fully qualified and physically conditioned to perform their new tasks.

* Monitor the rotation. This can ensure flexibility for individuals who are having difficulty performing new tasks. Assess if further training or accommodations can be made for these individuals. To determine if the results of job rotation changes meet the goals of the program, a system of tracking should be in place. The system should let you compare the number of cumulative trauma disorders, restricted duty days and lost hours.

* Evaluate changes. Hold follow-up meetings with employees to evaluate the job rotation. Survey workers using a job rotation questionnaire. Compare the results to the initial survey and reactions. If results indicate a problem, decide if corrective action is needed or if the rotation should be discontinued.

* Measure effectiveness. Track data such as injury rates, turnover, employee satisfaction and workers' compensation costs to determine the effects of the job rotation.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has guidelines for implementing job rotation programs in meat-packing plants. However, OSHA warns job rotation should be used with caution and only as a preventive measure, rather than as a response to symptoms.

When job rotation is used, OSHA says, a job analyses must be reviewed by a qualified individual to ensure the worker is not using the same muscle-tendon group in both jobs. Otherwise, the employee will not be able to rest the specific muscle-tendon group, making the job rotation pointless.

According to OSHA, a qualified individual should have sufficient training and experience to identify ergonomic hazards in the workplace and recommend an effective means for correction. For example, a plant engineer who has been fully trained in ergonomics would be fully qualified.

In analyzing jobs for rotation, OSHA says, the qualified individual must have sufficient expertise to identify the ergonomic stressors each job presents and which muscles and tendons are used.

OSHA says job rotation can include two or more different tasks performed during different parts of the day--for example, switching between jobs at two- or four-hour intervals. The key is ensuring that the different tasks do not present the same ergonomic stressors to the same parts of the body.

There is no single work-rest regimen recommended by OSHA. That must be determined by the nature of the task, the agency notes.