Ergonomics Program Development

1
Ergonomics Program Development

• TM 655
• Dr. Carter Kerk
• SDSMT
• Summer 2008

2
Ergonomics Program Guidelines(from OSHA
Meatpacking Guidelines)

• Top Management Commitment
• Written Program
• Employee Involvement
• Program Review Evaluation
• Worksite Analysis
• Hazard Prevention Control
• Medical Management
• Training Education

3
Top Management Commitment

• Visible serious commitment
• Placing a priority on eliminating hazards
• Integrate SH programs at the same level as
  production
• Assign responsibilities, authority, and resources

4
Ergonomics Program Guidelines

• Top Management Commitment
• Written Program
• Employee Involvement
• Program Review Evaluation
• Worksite Analysis
• Hazard Prevention Control
• Medical Management
• Training Education

5
Written Program

• Endorsed by top management
• Outlines goals and plans
• Estimated implementation dates
• Customized to each plant
• Available to all personnel
• Reviewed regularly

6
Ergonomics Program Guidelines

• Top Management Commitment
• Written Program
• Employee Involvement
• Program Review Evaluation
• Worksite Analysis
• Hazard Prevention Control
• Medical Management
• Training Education

7
Employee Involvement

• Suggestions feedback encouraged
• Without fear of reprisal
• Prompt reporting of symptoms
• Prompt evaluation and possible treatment
• Membership on Ergo Team
• Ergo Team receives symptom reports suggestions
  for evaluation

8
Ergonomics Program Guidelines

• Top Management Commitment
• Written Program
• Employee Involvement
• Program Review Evaluation
• Worksite Analysis
• Hazard Prevention Control
• Medical Management
• Training Education

9
Program Review Evaluation

• Regular review ( semi-annual)
• Analysis of trends in injury rates
• Employee surveys
• Before / After surveys of changes
• Records of job improvements
• New or revised goals

10
Ergonomics Program Guidelines

• Top Management Commitment
• Written Program
• Employee Involvement
• Program Review Evaluation
• Worksite Analysis
• Hazard Prevention Control
• Medical Management
• Training Education

11
Worksite Analysis

• Identification
• Evaluation
• Control

12
Worksite Analysis

• Analyze medical, safety, insurance records for
  evidence of CTDs
• Insure confidentiality of patient records
• Incident Rate Analysis
• Count incidences of properly diagnosed CTDs per
  100 full-time employees per year

13
Incident Rate
( of new cases) (200,000 work
hours) IR _______________________________
of hours
worked 200,000 (40 hrs/wk) (50 wk/yr) (100
workers) Evaluate trends by department, units,
job titles, operations, work stations, etc.
14
Ergonomics Checklist

• Focused on physical / temporal risk factors
• Systematic
• Helps novices be experts
• ID higher and lower risk jobs
• Apply before after changes
• Apply to planned and new workspaces

15
Body Part Discomfort Map
16
Employee Surveys Interviews

• Interviews are usually superior, but more time
  consuming
• Get employees more involved
• Employees have a wealth of ideas

17
Worksite Analysis

• Checklist may suggest one or more advanced
  analyses
• Biomechanical
• Psychophysical
• NIOSH Lifting Guide
• Physiological
• Postural
• Hand Tool
• Vibration

18
Worksite Analysis

• Performed by an ergonomist
• Ergonomics Team
• Ergonomist
• Occupational Health Nurse
• Design Production Engineers
• Maintenance
• Employee representation
• Line Supervisor

19
Ergonomics Program Guidelines

• Top Management Commitment
• Written Program
• Employee Involvement
• Program Review Evaluation
• Worksite Analysis
• Hazard Prevention Control
• Medical Management
• Training Education

20
Hazard Prevention Control

• Engineering Controls
• Administrative Controls
• Personal Protective Equipment

21
Engineering Controls

• Most desirable approach
• Redesign or Modify
• Workstation
• Tools
• Work Methods
• Fit the worker

22
Engineering Controls

• Establishing optimal work methods
• Adjustable workstations
• Tilt bins or containers
• Tool balancers
• Conveyors, Turntables
• Jigs, Fixtures
• Rounded or padded edges on worksurfaces
• Mechanical assist devices
• Selection of ergonomic tools

23
Work Surfaces

• Adjustability
• Ease of Adjustability
• Avoid sharp edges
• Consider sit/stand options

24
Placement Storage of Materials

• Consider frequency and weight
• Store heaviest and most frequent at knuckle
  height, Power Zone
• Store medium items from knee to shoulder
• Store only light items below knee or above
  shoulder

25
Work Station Accessories

• Arm rests
• Wrist rests
• Foot rails and foot rests
• Document holders

26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28
(No Transcript)
29
Engineering Controls
30
Engineering Controls
31
Hazard Prevention Control

• Engineering Controls
• Administrative Controls
• Personal Protective Equipment

32
Administrative Controls

• Secondary to Engineering Controls
• Insure proper methods are used
• Effective maintenance housekeeping
• Proper use of tools equipment
• Employee conditioning
• New employee conditioning

33
(No Transcript)
34
Administrative Controls Examples

• Limiting overtime on high risk jobs
• Ensuring adequate rest breaks
• Job rotation
• Job enlargement
• Training
• Teaming
• Reduce production rates
• Last resort

35
Microbreaks

• What is a microbreak?
• Take them frequently

36
Standing Fatigue Interventions

• Proper footwear
• Shoe inserts
• Anti-fatigue mats
• Footrails
• Promote good lower extremity circulation

37
Hazard Prevention Control

• Engineering Controls
• Administrative Controls
• Personal Protective Equipment

38
Personal Protective Equipment

• After engineering administrative controls are
  exhausted
• Gloves
• Finger cots
• Arm guards
• NOT PPE
• Braces, splints, back belts

39
Wrist Splints
40
Ergonomics Program Guidelines

• Top Management Commitment
• Written Program
• Employee Involvement
• Program Review Evaluation
• Worksite Analysis
• Hazard Prevention Control
• Medical Management
• Training Education

41
Medical Management

• Involvement of qualified medical personnel
• Certified Occupational Physicians
• Certified Occupational Health Nurses
• Occupational/Physical Therapists
• Member of Ergonomics Team
• Active surveillance for symptoms
• Thorough diagnosis

42
Medical Management

• Conservative treatment
• Conservative return to work
• Systematic monitoring follow-up
• Work hardening
• Consider light duty transition
• Recordkeeping
• Tracking trends
• Promote stretching strengthening programs

43
(No Transcript)
44
Ergonomics Program Guidelines

• Top Management Commitment
• Written Program
• Employee Involvement
• Program Review Evaluation
• Worksite Analysis
• Hazard Prevention Control
• Medical Management
• Training Education

45
Training Education

• Keep employees informed of program
• Train
• Production workers
• Engineers
• Maintenance housekeeping personnel
• Supervisors Managers
• Medical personnel

46
Training Education

• Customized for each plant and its written program
• General specific training levels
• Train on disorders symptoms
• Risk Factor Awareness including
• Personal, psychosocial, non-occupational
• Engineering control strategies

47
Lifting

• Squat lift generally better than stoop
• bend with your knees, not your back
• keep the load close
• get a good hand hold
• move slowly, no jerks allowed
• know or test the load
• Avoid twists

48
More Lifting Tips

• Get help (from a person or an assist device)
• Eliminate lifts
• Reduce loads
• Store properly
• Get a strategic delivery
• Use proper technique on light loads

49
Ergonomics Program Guidelines

• Top Management Commitment
• Written Program
• Employee Involvement
• Program Review Evaluation
• Worksite Analysis
• Hazard Prevention Control
• Medical Management
• Training Education

50
Barriers to Successful Ergonomics Programs

• Lack of funding
• Implementation delays
• Poor attendance by middle managers
• Viewing ergonomics as a productivity program
• Excessive dependence on consultants
• Failure to develop internal ergo expertise

51
A Bad Ergonomics Program?
52
Ingredients for Effective Ergo Programs

• Leadership commitment
• Clear purpose
• Worker / supervisor involvement
• Rigorous problem solving
• Active Ergo Team with expertise
• Ergo is a process, not a program
• Start small expand - Kaizen

53
HW OEG (OSHA Ergonomics Guidelines)

• Read one of the available OSHA Ergonomics
  Guidelines and write a four page (double spaced)
  paper on how you would implement such a program
  from a managers standpoint.
• 50 points
• Due as soon as possible

54
HW OEG, Continued

• Guidelines
• Nursing Homes
• Poultry Processing
• Retail Grocery
• Shipyards
• Available from the course website and from
  www.osha.gov, Ergonomics, Guidelines

55
Assignment

• MacLeod, Chapters Five Seven
• Gabriel, Chapter Four
• HW OEG
• CE 4 (Case Example 4)
• Exam II (covers material thru 6/3/08)
• Tuesday, June 10, 7 PM (90 Minutes)
• Closed Book
• Crib Sheet, 1-8.5x11 paper, two-sided,
  hand-written original, hand in with exam