Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affect the muscles, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments and tendons.
Workers in many different industries and occupations can be exposed to risk factors at work, such as lifting heavy items, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads, working in awkward body postures and performing the same or similar tasks repetitively. Exposure to these known risk factors for MSDs increases a worker's risk of injury.
Work-related MSDs can be prevented. Ergonomics --- fitting a job to a person --- helps lessen muscle fatigue, increases productivity and reduces the number and severity of work-related MSDs.
Let us provide detailed assessments of ergonomic issues for specific jobs in your organization. An Ergonomic Risk Assessment requires a visit at your facility and is performed by an Ergonomist with experience in your industry
Industrial Workplace Evaluations
An important part of the ergonomic process is a periodic review of the facility, specific workstation designs and work practices, and the overall production process, from an ergonomics perspective. This includes identifying existing problems, which can be obtained from reviewing the company's OSHA 300 injury and illness logs, 301 reports, workers' compensation records, and worker reports of problems. However, a more forward- looking approach, to be used in combination with reviewing injury and illness records, is to be proactive in identifying potential ergonomic issues that have gone unnoticed or resulted from facility changes, before they result in MSDs. Observations of workplace conditions and work processes, ergonomic job analyses, workplace surveys, and worker interviews are common proactive methods for identifying ergonomics related injury risks.
Procedure
Facility Walkthrough
Review of all pertinent records- OSHA, medical, workers' compensation
Objective assessment of ergonomic status performed by a Certified Professional Ergonomist
Meetings with key management, engineering, safety/health, ergonomist, medical and operations personnel
Review injury and illness data - Early reporting should be encouraged
Draft of an ergonomics program/action plan for the company
Results
Status Report - description and prioritization of the ergonomic needs for select jobs
Assessment of workplace interventions and training efforts
Identification of risk factors
Policy and procedure guidelines - recommendations for problem abatement. The recommendations may include commercial product solutions, design changes and/or administrative solutions