Ergonomics for Industrial Environments
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means, without permission. © Vector Solutions. All rights reserved.
Ergonomics for Industrial Environments
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 3
Course Overview .................................................................................................................... 3
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) ............................................................................................ 3
Introduction to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) ................................................................. 3
Economic Effects of Musculoskeletal Disorders...................................................................... 4
Risk Factor Overview ............................................................................................................. 4
Motion-Based Risk Factors ........................................................................................................ 5
Motion-Based Risk Factors Overview ..................................................................................... 5
Awkward Postures and Positions............................................................................................ 5
Forceful Exertions .................................................................................................................. 5
Repetitive Motion .................................................................................................................... 6
Duration.................................................................................................................................. 6
Vibration ................................................................................................................................. 6
Contact Stresses .................................................................................................................... 7
Cumulative Effect ................................................................................................................... 7
Physical Work Environment Risk Factors ................................................................................... 7
Physical Work Environment Risk Factors Overview................................................................ 7
Psychological State Risk Factors ............................................................................................... 8
Psychological State Risk Factors Overview ............................................................................ 8
Ergonomic Control Strategies .................................................................................................... 8
Ergonomic Control Strategies Overview ................................................................................. 8
Engineering Controls .............................................................................................................. 8
Administrative Controls ........................................................................................................... 9
Proper Lifting Technique .......................................................................................................10
Strengthening ........................................................................................................................11
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................11
Summary and Implications ....................................................................................................11
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Ergonomics for Industrial Environments
Introduction
Course Overview
Sprains, strains, and chronic pain injuries in the workplace are often the result of poor body
mechanics when performing a task.
While workplace regulations or standards do not specifically address these types of injuries,
they have become so commonplace as a recognized hazard that employers are obligated to
address them.
To combat the threat of injury, employers are encouraged to thoroughly evaluate how workers
interact with their work to reduce the impact on the body. This formal evaluation and its study
are known as ergonomics.
Employers are encouraged to work with consultants, their risk partners, and insurance carriers
who can provide resources to evaluate and control the hazards associated with ergonomic
injuries.
In this course, we will discuss the science and use of ergonomics. We will identify risk factors
and discuss injury prevention measures.
Professional credentialed ergonomists can provide ergonomic evaluations of workplaces.
Employers should get ergonomic evaluations of office and non-office settings in their workplace.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
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Identify different types of musculoskeletal disorders MSDs) and discuss the risk factors
for developing these disorders
Describe motion-based risk factors and discuss their cumulative effects on the body
Describe physical work environment risk factors
Identify psychological state risk factors
Explain ergonomic control strategies and discuss how these strategies can be used to
prevent MSDs at work
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)
Introduction to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)
Every year, hundreds of thousands of workers are diagnosed with musculoskeletal disorders or
MSDs.
MSDs are injuries or illnesses that affect the nerves, tendons, muscles, and supporting
structures of the body.
These injuries include sprains, strains, inflammation, degeneration, tears, pinched nerves or
blood vessels, bone splintering, and stress fractures.
Many of these problems develop gradually and result in chronic injuries,
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Ergonomics for Industrial Environments
although sudden events such as trips or falls may also lead to an MSD.
MSDs often have recognizable signs and symptoms that can be identified early on. Early
intervention is critical to prevent or minimize the severity of an injury.
Signs and symptoms of an MSD include:
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ongoing or persistent muscle aches
sudden, stabbing pain
persistent weak, numb, burning, or tingling sensations
cramping
stiffness
This course discusses the risk factors or contributing causes for MSDs in an industrial setting
and how to reduce those factors.
Economic Effects of Musculoskeletal Disorders
Musculoskeletal disorders can become a significant economic issue for employers and
employees.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 346,000 MSDs result in employees
missing time from work every year.
Of those cases, nearly 70% of them are back-related injuries.
Even if an injured worker still comes to work…
their aches and pains can cause them to move slower and make more mistakes resulting in
lower-quality work. Because of this, MSDs cost American businesses billions of dollars in lost
productivity every year.
Ergonomics is the science of fitting the workplace to the worker instead of fitting the worker to
the workplace. This principle significantly reduces the risk factors present in many industrial
work environments. In an effort to reduce the impact on the worker, think of ergonomic solutions
as ways to “work smarter, not harder”
Risk Factor Overview
A risk factor is any action, condition, or situation that increases the possibility of an adverse
event such as an injury.
The three main risk factors that can contribute to MSDs in an industrial environment are:
Motion-based activities
The physical work environment {and}
The psychological state of the worker and surrounding people
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Ergonomics for Industrial Environments
All three of these risk factors must be addressed to reduce the threat of injury.
Motion-Based Risk Factors
Motion-Based Risk Factors Overview
The motions required to perform a task pose the most significant potential risk to a worker.
Motion-based risk factors include:
Awkward postures and positions
Forceful exertions
Repetitive motions
Duration
Vibration
Contact stress
Awkward Postures and Positions
The way the body is positioned during an activity determines which joints and muscles are used
and the amount of force applied to each body part.
For example, handling a load with the back bent or twisted places more stress on the spinal
discs than handling the same load with the back kept straight and upright.
Another example would be holding or lifting a load away from the body.
This movement puts more stress on the back than holding the same load close to the body.
A great way to experience this effect is by taking a gallon jug of milk or water and holding it
close to the body at chest height.
Slowly move the jug away from your body, straight out and parallel with the floor. The farther the
jug is moved away from the body, the more strain placed on the arm and shoulder to keep it
parallel to the floor.
Activities requiring frequent or prolonged work above shoulder height can be particularly
stressful.
Even office-related tasks such as typing can cause bodily stress if performed in an awkward
posture or positions.
Forceful Exertions
Forceful exertions occur when heavy loads are placed on the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and
joints.
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Ergonomics for Industrial Environments
Prolonged or recurring exertions may cause fatigue and may also lead to musculoskeletal
problems if there is inadequate time for rest or recovery. Many tasks in an industrial
environment can lead to force-related injuries, including:
Lifting a load
Pushing a load
Pulling a load
Reaching too far {and}
Twisting
Repetitive Motion
If motions are repeated frequently for prolonged periods, fatigue and muscle-tendon strain can
accumulate.
If stretching activities are done or sufficient time is allotted between exertions, tendons and
muscles can often recover from the effects of repetitive motion.
But if the same task is repeated several times during the workday, multiple times a week, it can
lead to MSDs.
This accumulation of strain can occur even with small repetitive motions, such as hammering or
using a screwdriver.
Duration
Duration refers to the amount of time a person is continually exposed to a risk factor.
Job tasks that require the use of the same muscles or motions for long durations increase the
likelihood of both localized and overall body fatigue.
In general, the longer the period of continuous work, the longer the recovery time required
Vibration
There are two types of vibration that workers can be exposed to, local vibration and whole-body
vibration.
Local vibration occurs when a specific part of the body comes in contact with a vibrating object,
such as a powered hand tool.
Whole-body vibration occurs when the entire body is exposed to vibrations. For example, this
may occur while standing or sitting in a large industrial heavy-duty vehicle
or using equipment that vibrates the entire body like a jackhammer.
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Contact Stresses
Repeated or continuous contact with hard or sharp objects may create pressure over one area
of the body and inhibit nerve function and blood flow.
Contact stress risks range from resting your arm off the edge of a desk, to the continual use of
unpadded, narrow-handled tools.
With all potential MSD injuries, the key is prevention and early intervention. Taking specific
steps to recognize risk factors, especially the way work is performed, allows for preventative
measures to be employed.
Early intervention involves taking action when the signs and symptoms of a possible MSD start
to appear.
Both the employee and employer must get involved to prevent a nagging condition from
worsening.
Cumulative Effect
Many of these risk factors are cumulative.
Cumulative injuries occur when repeated actions cause small traumas within the body.
These minor traumas eventually add up until the injury becomes severe and painful.
For example, repeatedly twisting to move materials from one location to another can cause
many little stresses that add up to create severe back pain.
A good illustration is bending a tab on the top of a soda can. After a dozen or more times, the
repeated back-and-forth motion causes the aluminum tab connection to fail and eventually
break.
Physical Work Environment Risk Factors
Physical Work Environment Risk Factors Overview
The physical work environment can be a contributing factor to causing MSDs. These include:
Extreme heat or cold conditions
Insufficient lighting
Excessive noise
A cramped or enclosed workspace
The spacing or distance between the worker and the work {and}
A crowded workspace with other workers
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Ergonomics for Industrial Environments
When one or more of these conditions are present, it places an extra burden on the body. As a
result, unwanted strain is felt both physically and mentally.
Psychological State Risk Factors
Psychological State Risk Factors Overview
Psychological state risk factors are a blend of social attitudes and mental states.
Injuries often follow where work schedule and budget are prioritized and valued above jobsite
safety.
For example, the safety culture of a workplace might discourage an individual from taking the
needed time to safely perform the job task, or using the proper equipment to avoid injury.
The mental state of a worker can also pose a risk.
While no direct mechanism has been determined, researchers have shown an increased
incidence of MSDs in workers with high-stress jobs.
Factors that can contribute to stress in the workplace include:
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feeling a lack of control
working at a fast pace
insufficient rest breaks {and}
stress from home
Ergonomic Control Strategies
Ergonomic Control Strategies Overview
There are several strategies that can be used to prevent MSDs at work. These strategies
include:
Engineering controls
Administrative controls
Use of proper lifting and handling techniques {and}
Strengthening
Engineering Controls
Aside from eliminating the need to perform the work, such as using robots, the most successful
method for eliminating or reducing the risk of MSDs is using engineering controls.
Examples of engineering control strategies for reducing the risk of MSDs are:
Changing the way materials, parts, and products are transported.
This may look like using mechanical devices to relieve heavy load lifting and carrying tasks…
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and using handles or slotted hand holes in packages that require manual handling.
Push carts, dollies, forklifts, and conveyors are examples of material handling engineering
controls.
Changing the way a product is manufactured to reduce worker exposure to risk factors.
This could look like maintaining the cleanliness of plastic molds to reduce the need for the
tedious manual removal of excess flashing on molded plastic products…
…or using easy-connect electrical terminals during assembly to reduce the required manual
forces.
Modifying how parts and materials are presented and accessed. This can be as simple as tilting
or adjusting the height of frequently accessed parts or material bins.
Changing workstation layout. For example, consider several loads on a platform below waist
height. If the platform were positioned closer to waist height, this would reduce the amount of
reaching and bending necessary to access the loads.
Changing the way parts, tools, and materials are to be manipulated. One example would be
using a fixture such as a vise or a clamp to hold a workpiece, relieving the need for awkward
hand and arm positions.
Another example is suspending tools to reduce their effective weight while allowing the worker
easier access to them.
Changing tool designs. Examples include using pistol-handle grips for knives to reduce wrist
bending postures required by straight-handled knives and using squeeze-grip-actuated power
screwdrivers to replace finger-trigger-actuated screwdrivers.
Administrative Controls
Administrative controls are management-dictated work practices and policies designed to
reduce or prevent exposures to ergonomic risk factors.
Although engineering controls are preferred, administrative controls can be helpful as temporary
measures until engineering controls can be implemented or when engineering controls are not
technically feasible.
Examples of administrative control strategies for reducing risk of MSDs are:
Reducing shift length or the amount of overtime worked
Rotating workers' job duties so that their new tasks use different muscle groups than their
previous tasks
Scheduling breaks more frequently
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Ergonomics for Industrial Environments
Adjusting the work pace to relieve repetitive motion risk and give the workers more control of the
work process
Establishing job exertion limits.
For example, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, also known as NIOSH,
has established a lifting model that determines the maximum load that can be safely lifted.
This limit takes into account how the load is positioned with respect to the body, the starting and
ending positions of the load, the frequency of the lift, and the duration of the lift.
Prepare policies and procedures to prescribe ergonomically safe practices. A job safety
analysis (JSA) or standard operating procedure (SOP) describe how work is performed
including safety precautions.
A good example of this would be the development of a policy that requires a lifting team (two or
more persons) when manually handling loads exceeding 50 pounds.
Proper Lifting Technique
Back injuries are one of the most frequently cited injuries related to poor ergonomic conditions.
The use of the proper lifting technique reduces the amount of strain on the back. Consider these
steps to avoid injuries when lifting and handling materials:
Plan your lift in advance. Remember to divide large loads into smaller loads and to get help
before lifting large, heavy, or awkward loads. Also consider the destination of the load and
remove tripping hazards in your path.
Stand close to the object you're lifting to avoid reaching and overextending.
Plant both feet firmly about shoulder width apart, and stop moving to establish your balance.
Bend your knees and keep your back straight.
Use both hands and grasp the load.
Keep your head up while lifting the load slowly and gently using your legs until you are standing
straight.
Hold the load near your body and below your line of vision.
Keep your stomach muscles tight and back straight while carrying the load.
Walk slowly and take small steps.
Keep your eyes on where you're going and look for any new hazards.
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If you must turn, take small steps with your feet to avoid twisting.
To lower the load, keep your back straight and your stomach muscles tight as you slowly bend
your knees. Then, place the load at its final destination.
Strengthening
In addition to engineering controls, administrative controls, and the use of proper lifting
techniques,
strengthening and stretching your muscles can help reduce the risk of injury.
For more information on strengthening your body, talk to your doctor or physical therapist or ask
your employer.
Proper nutrition and sleep are important to ensure optimum body performance. Staying
hydrated helps avoid muscle cramps and muscle fatigue.
Conclusion
Summary and Implications
Musculoskeletal injuries are one of the most common and severe job-related health concerns.
Not only do MSDs decrease the quality of life for the employee, they also cost businesses
billions of dollars every year in lost productivity.
You can reduce your and your employees’ risk of suffering from MSDs by knowing the risk
factors, the signs and symptoms of MSDs, and actions you can take to mitigate those risks.
Following the tips and guidelines in this course will reduce your chances of suffering from an
MSD and help you have a healthy, productive work experience.
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