Ergonomics At Work
Situation: An Iowa manufacturer noticed a significant increase in the number of overexertion and cumulative trauma claims in 2005 — 26 claims at a cost of nearly $250,000. Upon doing additional research, management discovered that the problem had been growing over the past several years. After initial discussions with their EMC risk improvement consultant, the company decided to form an ergonomics committee to address the issue.
Response: Using the ergonomics program from EMC’s Loss Prevention Information Manual as a model, the ergonomics committee, which included EMC’s consultant, completed risk factor training for all supervisors and employees. The committee also evaluated and made changes to over 25 workstations where injuries had occurred or where employees had identified risk factors in their own jobs.
Results: The continued efforts of this ergonomics committee made an immediate impact in claims reduction. Through the first nine months of 2006, the company experienced only eight overexertion/cumulative trauma claims, at a cost of just $11,000. Best of all, the employees now feel motivated to suggest improvements to make their workplace safer.
TIP:
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, work-related musculoskeletal disorders
(MSDs) account for 34 percent of lost workdays in the United States each year.
These disorders also account for one out of every three dollars spent on workers’
compensation. To reduce the frequency and severity of MSDs in the workplace, it is
important to eliminate the risk factors that contribute to their development.
