Does Your Ergonomics Program Need a Tune-Up Before It’s Too Late?
Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are costly and reduce productivity. Worse, they undermine your relationship with your workforce and increase workers’ compensation costs. So, it’s essential to understand how to improve ergonomics in the workplace. One of the best ways to do this is to create and follow an ergonomics program. The right program will help identify and address the risk of WMSDs in your workplace environment.
What Is an Ergonomics Program?
Ergonomics programs reduce your employees’ risk for developing a WMSD. An office ergonomics program can decrease or prevent various disorders brought on by sedentary, repetitive work. Plus, an ergonomics safety program could also mitigate the risk for on-the-job accident injuries, injuries due to improper lifting, and more.
The most effective ergonomics programs provide multiple benefits for your employees. These benefits will result in a pain-free, accident-free environment that will stimulate higher work satisfaction and production levels.
Creating an Ergonomics Program
Your risk is much greater than other industries if you’re a high-risk occupation, such as health care, warehousing, or construction. However, if you employ workers who sit at a desk most of the day or perform work in some other static position, you should also be concerned. These workers are more likely to develop metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions.
- High blood pressure
- Excess body fat around the waist
- High blood sugar
- Abnormal triglyceride or cholesterol levels
Creating an ergonomics program is a proactive step toward increased employee health and wellness and decreased workers’ compensation costs that will benefit any business.
Worried about worker safety in your business?
Call McClure Ergonomics for your ergonomics assessment today!
How to Start an Ergonomics Program
The first step in determining how to improve ergonomics in the workplace is to assess the current working conditions. Create a checklist and walk through the area. Make observations, then write them down. You can also answer a series of questions highlighting problem areas.
- Do your employees lift heavy objects?
- Do they perform repetitive tasks?
- Are the walkways free and clear of obstacles?
- Is your equipment in good working order?
- Are there hazards in or around the area?
- Do you have clear procedures for dealing with hazardous chemicals and biohazards?
- And more
The more questions you can answer, the easier it will be to create an effective ergonomics program that will benefit you and your employees.
Key Ergonomics Program Elements
Your ergonomics program has to meet unique needs in various work environments. Some of the elements you’ll want to consider will involve sedentary office work areas. And other elements will apply to movement-oriented jobs. However, you should always include these elements.
- A process for identifying risk factors
- Training on all levels (management & workforce)
- Health and medical evidence
- Program implementation
- Program evaluations
- Management commitment and employee involvement
- Worker recovery plans and procedures to help injured employees return to work
Don’t wait until someone develops a WMSD to create and deploy an effective ergonomics program. The sooner you have an ergonomics program in place, the more effective it will be. WMSDs occur over time. So, you’ll want to catch problems early to prevent them from affecting your employees and your business.