Researching ergonomics for the natural gas industry: the natural gas industry is working with Gas Technology Institute to develop tools and techniques to relieve the pain and cost of common utility tasks

Pipeline & Gas Journal, April, 2004 by Bruce Campbell

Applying biomechanics and ergonomic engineering to the natural gas industry is an effective way to reduce catastrophic and long-term worker injury. According to the American Gas Association's 2002 Natural Gas Utility' and Transmission Industry Occupational Injury and Illness Statistics, the natural gas industry had 6,846 OSHA Recordable Injuries/ Illnesses cases in 2002, of which 1,659 were lost-time injuries and 3,570 were lost workdays injuries. (1) While OSHA statistics can reveal industry trends, they don't identify the specific, potentially harmful utility tasks, the tools that are unwieldy, or the field situations that set the stage for injury.

Valves, pipes, meters, and other components are engineered to provide natural gas to customers and to protect public safety. However, they are not always designed to make installing, maintaining, and replacing them easy or comfortable for workers. In a collaborative program with the gas industry and Gas Technology Institute (GTI), tasks that gas utility workers regularly conduct are being analyzed using biomechanics principles (e.g., strength required, reach required, twisting under strain, repetitive motion cycles). The goal is to identify potentially hazardous activities and lessen the aggravation of common tasks through new work methods or ergonomically designed tools.

Using a cost/benefit analysis model that better represents all the costs of an injury will clarify the cost of the "we've always done it that way" procedure. A complete cost analysis will also justify an ergonomically or biomechanically sound new work procedure to both management and field workers, and can help to quantify productivity increases developed through "interventions" that change procedures, equipment, or situations.

The Science Of Ergonomics

The science of ergonomics often uses tools developed through the application of biomechanics to evaluate the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). (2) Examples include:

* The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) revised lifting equation.

* The University of Michigan 3D Static Strength Prediction Program (3D SSPP), and

* The Lumbar Motion Monitor (LMM).

The 1991 NIOSH lifting equation was developed to reduce the risk of lower back pain and injuries in industry, and includes factors for load weight, worker posture (bending and twisting), vertical lift distance, lift frequency and duration, and adequacy of grip.

The 3D SSPP is a computer model that provides information on spinal disc compression and the percentage of the male and female population with the strength capability to perform the task at the major joints (elbow, shoulder, hip, knee). It considers worker anthropometry (height and weight), gender, worker posture, and the magnitude and direction of the force on the hands. The LLM is a model of the spine that is attached to the worker while a task is being performed. The LMM recognizes the velocity of torso twisting and torso sideways bending while lifting. Fieldwork observation by ergonomists and biomechanical engineers can provide detailed work task procedures, identify potentially high-risk activities, identify contributing factors, and present intervention paths.

The information needed to address worker injury through ergonomics is fundamentally different than the information historically gathered to document on-the-job injuries. For example, detailed procedure analysis is not contained in an OSHA log. Many serious injuries are not catastrophic one-time occurrences, but instead may occur, with repetition and overexertion, over several years. According to a GTI report, for transmission companies, strain or sprain injuries accounted for 26.8% of all reported injuries, and for local distribution companies, an even more staggering 43.6%" (3). Investigating gas industry tasks using ergonomics and biomechanics may reduce the everyday pain many field workers experience, as well as the long-term injuries that curtail productivity and pull experienced workers out of the field.

The Cost Of Injuries

The tree cost of work-related injuries is difficult to measure. Traditionally, costs associated with an injury include medical costs to treat the injury and workman's compensation payments. But, what does it take to get the work order done when an experienced member of a crew is not present? According to a GRI report, the average age of an injured worker was 38, and the 31 to 35 age group experienced more injuries than any other group. The cost to recruit and train replacements can be significant, and both work quality and productivity may suffer due to the temporary or permanent loss of experienced workers. Also, many chronic long-term injuries are not reported until they are serious and result in lost time and/or significant medical costs. While medical treatment may begin outside of work, it is often covered by the company's health insurance.

In a comprehensive review of the costs associated with work-related injuries, all medical expenses, both leading up to and after the injury, should be included. Disability and vocational rehabilitation costs should also be included. In addition, many skilled, productive workers do not retire, but leave due to injury. The true cost of an injury becomes what the industry must spend, in time and dollars, to replace an experienced worker and complete the required work with replacement personnel.