Business Services Industry

'Sit up straight.' - ergonomics in the workplace - includes tips on workstation ergonomics

HR Magazine, Sept, 1998 by Kathryn Tyler

At Mitsubishi, associates attend a two-hour ergonomics training course where they learn how to solve ergonomics problems in their groups, says DeYoung. The course explains "what causes CTD injuries and what you can do to prevent them, why you don't want to work with your arm bent, what a good posture is, and what a bad posture is," he explains.

At 3M, an intranet web site provides employees with a basic ergonomics overview, ergonomics course information and a self-evaluation tutorial. The information also is posted on the company's Internet web site at http://www.3M.com/cws.>How much will it cost? While training costs vary based on the audience and the complexity of the material presented, they usually run about $1,600 per day. However, DeYoung assures, "Every cent spent on ergonomics training - even though it's hard to track - pays for itself many times over."

THE FOLLOW-UP

For training to be effective, companies need to have programs in place for solving ergonomics problems identified by employees. For example, in Mitsubishi's Group Ergonomic Kaizen Program, groups of employees nominate a representative who compiles the results of questionnaires about employee comfort and meets with the branch manager, staff engineer, and union and safety representatives weekly for two months to discuss ergonomic concerns. The Kaizen program is reactivated any time there is an increase in injuries for the group.

Similarly, Ford Motor Co., which has had its ergonomics program in place for more than 10 years, has ergonomics committees at every plant. Bradley Joseph, manager of ergonomics in Dearborn, Mich., says, "We teach employees to look for potential issues, listen to their bodies, work with team leaders and see if they can resolve the issues. If they cannot resolve them, they call the ergonomics committee."

But the process doesn't end once ergonomics solutions are in place. "You need to see that the fix-its are really fixing things," says Rabourn. If the solutions are working, they can be implemented in similar situations elsewhere.

"If they don't seem to be fixing things, try to determine why. The thing I see most often is, companies do a thumbnail analysis and decide, for instance, we need a hoist here." Then they discover "the person is not using the hoist because it's too slow or he can't get a grip on the part. Make sure the solution didn't create another problem along the way."

ASSESSING EQUIPMENT

Before buying ergonomic equipment, decide "what you are trying to achieve and then find the best way to achieve it," advises Purdy. "Do you need a bicycle, a car or a truck? It depends on what the needs are. It could be as cheap as a wrist rest or as expensive as redesigning a workstation."

Experts caution against buying equipment just because it says "ergonomic" on the label. "You need to buy equipment and workstations that are adjustable to meet the size of the people that might work at the station," says Rabourn. "And they need to be easily adjustable or people won't adjust them."