PACOST 1

Ergonomic Hazards

Ergonomic Hazards

Our bodies normally recover from the wear and tear of work
after a period of rest. But if the stresses continue day after day
without time to recover, the damage can lead to ergonomic
injuries.

Many different terms are used to describe these ergonomic

injuries. For example:
• Cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs). Ergonomic injuries
involve strain that may develop, or accumulate, over
time.
• Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs). Ergonomic injuries are
often caused by repeating the same motions over and over.
• Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Ergonomic injuries affect
the muscles, bones, tendons, nerves, and tissues.

These terms do not necessarily refer to different

conditions. Many ergonomic injuries can be described in
all three ways.

These disorders include a number of specific diseases such as

carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, and tendinitis. Back injuries are
the most common and most costly MSD.

Symptoms of these disorders are most common in the back, hands, arms, wrists, elbows,
neck, and shoulders. They include:

• Soreness or pain (aching or

sharp) • Tingling (as though the area is “asleep”)

• Stiffness • Unexplained weakness

• Swelling
• Loss of coordination
• Numbness

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If your work exposes you to any of the ergonomic risk factors described on page 3 of this
factsheet, these symptoms may be signs that you have an MSD.

It is important to seek medical care if these symptoms:

• Last for more than a week
• Bother you so much that you restrict activities or take time off to recover.

if You Believe You Have an msd

• Seek early treatment. The longer you have symptoms without getting help, the harder they can
be to treat successfully.
• Find a doctor who understands work-related health problems. Don’t be afraid to educate your
doctor about the possible causes of your MSD.
• If your problem is work-related, report it to your supervisor. You may be eligible to file a
workers’ compensation claim to cover lost work time and/or medical costs.
• Don’t return to the same working conditions that caused your problem. Work with others at
your school to ensure that the equipment or activities that contributed to your injury are
changed.
• Finding the right doctor, getting effective treatment, and improving your work environment take
persis- tence and energy. Don’t hesitate to ask for help and don’t give up until the problem is
solved.

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Ergonomic Hazards

risk Factors for Ergonomic injuries

The field of ergonomics examines the fit between employees and their jobs. Ergonomics look at:
• What body movements and positions people use when they work.
• What tools and equipment they use.
• The physical environment (temperature, noise, lighting, etc.).
• The organizational environment (deadlines, teamwork, supervision).
• Whether any of these factors may place an employee at risk of injuries or illnesses.

The goal of ergonomics is to fit workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the
individual worker, instead of making the worker fit the job.

To prevent injuries, ergonomic risk factors must be identified. Ergonomic risk factors are workplace
situations that cause wear and tear on the body and can cause injury. Once these have been
identified, you can work on finding ways to eliminate them.

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Ergonomic risk Factors

RISK FACTORS DEFINITION POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Repetition Making the same motion over and Redesign task to reduce repetitions;
over. increase rest time between
repetitions; rotate among tasks with
different motions.

Awkward Posture Prolonged bending, reaching, Redesign tasks, furniture, and

kneeling, squatting, or twisting equipment to keep the body in more
any part of your body. “neutral” positions and minimize
reaching bending and twisting.

Forceful Motion Excessive effort needed to do Redesign task to reduce the

tasks such as pulling, pounding, exertion needed; assign more staff;
pushing, and lifting. use mechanical assists.

Stationary Position Staying in one position too long, Redesign task to avoid stationary
causing fatigue in muscles and positions; provide opportunities to
joints. change position.

Direct Pressure Prolonged contact of the body with Improve tool and equipment design
a hard surface or edge. or layout to eliminate pressure;
provide cushioning material.

Vibration Using vibrating tools or equipment. Insulate the hand or body from
vibration; keep tools or equipment
in good condition to reduce
excessive vibration.

Extreme Temperature Working where it is too hot or too cold. Control temperature where
Cold reduces feeling, blood flow, and possible; insulate the body against
strength. Heat increases fatigue. cold by wearing gloves and warm
clothing; provide breaks and fresh
water in hot environments.

Work Stress Includes machine-paced work, Establish reasonable workload;

inadequate breaks, monotonous provide sufficient breaks and
tasks, multiple deadlines, poor work vary tasks.
organization, or poor supervision.

• The more risk factors you face, the greater your chance of injury.
• The longer you are exposed to a risk factor, the greater your chance of injury.
• By reducing or eliminating risk factors, the chance of injury can be decreased.

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Ergonomic Hazards

identifying risk Factors

Below are some ways to identify ergonomic risk factors.

TALK TO EMPLOyEES: SURVEyS OR INTERVIEWS

Employees are often the best source of information on the
potential problems posed by their jobs. You can conduct a written
survey or talk to people individually.

LOOK AT JOBS: INSPECTIONS AND JOB EVALUATIONS

Conduct a walkaround inspection of the school environment to
see which jobs or tasks may pose ergonomic problems. Those
jobs can then be evaluated to identify specific risk factors.
When evaluating a job, break the work down into the smallest
pieces possible so that you can be specific and detailed.

Once you have watched people do their work and asked them
about it, use a checklist or similar form to record risk factors as
well as to track your progress in resolving a problem.

Below are some tips for conducting job

evaluations. A job evaluation should include three

parts:
• Discussion. Talk to the people doing the job. Ask whether they experience pain or discomfort while
performing the job and what specific activities seem to trigger that pain. Understanding the
relationship between pain and specific activities can help you pinpoint tasks, workstations,
equipment, or tools which may be causing or aggravating injuries.
• Job description. Collect information that fully describes each specific task, job, workstation,
tool, and/or piece of equipment that you evaluate. Include information about work pace and
work schedule, including break times. See if there is a written job description available and
supplement it with your own notes.
• Observation and measurement. Use direct observation, videotapes, photos, and sketches to
identify risk factors. Use a checklist to record specific risk factors, including the weights of objects,
how long they are held, or how far they are moved.

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controlling Ergonomic Hazards

There are many ways to reduce ergonomic risk factors and help fit the workplace to the
worker. Solutions can be grouped into three main categories: eliminate the hazard, improve
work policies and procedures, and provide personal protective equipment. Often the best
solution involves a combination of approaches.

Eliminate the Hazard

The most effective way to control ergonomic hazards is to eliminate the risk factors altogether.
Sometimes you can change the tools, equipment, job design, or work area to remove the hazard
completely. This is called using “engineering controls.”

These are some examples of engineering controls:

• Redesign workstations and work areas to eliminate reaching, bending, or other awkward postures.
• Provide adjustable tables and chairs that can be used by employees with a range of sizes and
shapes, and that allow neutral postures.
• Provide carts for transporting material and mechanical hoists to eliminate lifting.
• Use tools that fit the hand, have no sharp edges, and eliminate awkward hand and wrist positions.
• Change where materials are stored to minimize reaching.
• Design containers with handles or cutouts for easy gripping.

Improving the workplace is the

heart of ergonomics: changing the
work to fit the worker. The design
should accommodate the wide
range of people assigned to the
task.

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Ergonomic Hazards

improve Work Policies and Procedures

The next most effective solution is to develop work policies, procedures, and practices that
change how the job is done. This is called using “administrative controls.”

These are some examples of administrative controls:

• To the extent possible, rotate employees among different tasks to rest the various muscle
groups of the body, reduce repetition, and ease mental demands.
• Improve work scheduling, if possible, to reduce risk of fatigue.
• Increase staffing to reduce individual workloads.
• Provide sufficient breaks, since adequate recovery time can reduce fatigue.
• Assign more staff to lifts of heavy objects.
• Encourage proper body mechanics and use of safe lifting techniques (see box on next page).
• Require all loads to be labeled with their weight.
• Store heavy objects at waist height.
• Follow good housekeeping practices. Keep floors free of slipping or tripping hazards. Maintain
power tools properly to reduce vibration. Keep cutting and drilling tools sharp to reduce the force
required.
• Provide workers with training on safe working postures, lifting techniques, ergonomics policies
and procedures, and the safe use of lifting and carrying devices.

Training is a critical element of nearly

any solution and provides an
important opportunity for employee
participation. However, it is not a
substitute for reducing risk factors
and should be used in combination
with engineering and administrative
controls.

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SAFE LIFTING TECHNIQUE

Lifting can put great strain on your back. Lifting from the floor can be particularly risky. For
example, lifting a 25-pound box from the floor requires about 700 pounds of back muscle force,
even when you bend your knees. Below are some tips that can help protect your back when you
need to lift heavy objects.
• Try out the load first. If it is too bulky or heavy, get help.
• Avoid lifts that require stretching or bending to reach the load.
Redesign the work area so objects you lift are close to the body and at
waist height.
• Don’t lift awkward objects such as long pipes or large boxes by
yourself. Get help or use mechanical assists.
• When lifting, keep your back straight and lift with your legs.
• Lift slowly and carefully and don’t jerk the load around.
• Keep the load as close to your body as possible while lifting it.
• Don’t twist or turn your spine while carrying the load.
• Make sure your path is clear while carrying the
object. Remove obstacles that could cause you to
trip.

A program to teach employees how to lift properly should be used in combination with workplace
redesign that reduces the amount of lifting needed. Remember, if materials are too heavy or
awkward to lift and carry safely, get help, redesign the materials to be lighter and easier to handle,
or use mechanical assists such as carts.

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Ergonomic Hazards

Provide Personal Protective Equipment

While more permanent solutions are being found and implemented, or if you are unable to redesign
the job or equipment to eliminate risks, personal protective equipment (PPE) can be used.

PPE that can help address ergonomic problems includes:

• Knee pads for kneeling tasks.
• Shoulder pads to cushion loads carried on the shoulder.
• Gloves to protect against cold, vibration, or rough surfaces.

A CAUTION ABOUT BACK BELTS

Back belts are sometimes provided as PPE. Back belts have been studied extensively, and
experts have concluded that they are not effective in preventing back injuries. Some believe that,
in fact, they may cause injury by encouraging workers to lift heavier objects or by making muscles
weaker. Most importantly, they do not make workers stronger or more able to perform a lift that is
awkward or too heavy. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
recommends
that employers not rely on back belts to protect workers. Instead, it recommends that employers
implement a comprehensive ergonomics program that includes workplace assessment, hazard
reduction, and worker training.

Establish a comprehensive Ergonomics Program

School districts should establish an ergonomics program to minimize musculoskeletal
disorders. Elements of a good program include:
• Management commitment
• Employee involvement
• An organizational structure to get the work done, such as an ergonomics team or committee
• Training and education of employees and supervisors
• Job evaluation to identify risk factors
• Hazard prevention and reduction or elimination of risk factors
• Early detection and treatment of ergonomic injuries, and medical management of injury cases
• A system for employees and supervisors to report ergonomic problems, symptoms, and
injuries without reprisal
• Ongoing evaluation of the ergonomics program.

The above was adapted from materials developed for California Worker Occupational Safety and Health Training and Education Program
(WOSHTEP)
.
School Action for Safety and Health (SASH) Program
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inspection checklist for Ergonomic risk Factors

Date: Time: Employee observed:

Job title: Task:

Task description:

Found In
RISK FACTORS Cause/Description Possible Solutions
This Task

Repetition

Repeated forceful or awkward motions

Little or no rest

Using same body part repeatedly

Awkward Posture

Bending or leaning forward

Reaching or lifting below knee level

Twisting or bending to the side

Reaching above chest level

Bending wrist frequently

Twisting hands or forearms

Raising arms to side or forward

Bending neck

Forceful Motion

Lifting, pushing, or pulling

more than 50 pounds

Lifting more than six pounds with one hand

Forceful gripping of material or tools

Handling tools or material in pinch grip

(continued on next page)

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Ergonomic Hazards

inspection checklist for Ergonomic risk Factors

(continued from previous page)

Found In
RISK FACTORS Cause/Description Possible Solutions
This Task

Stationary Position

Working in one position for long periods

Standing for long periods

Sitting for long periods

Direct Pressure

Tool or equipment pressing on hand or

body
Seat or table pressing on leg or body

Vibration

Using vibrating hand tools

Operating vibrating heavy equipment

(including large vehicles)

Temperature and Environment

Temperature too hot or too cold

Workplace poorly lit

Walkways obstructed or slippery

Work stress

Pace of work is machine-controlled

Piece work is used as production incentive

Insufficient work breaks

Poor supervision

Ergonomic Hazards