Ergonomics
Industrial
Session Objectives
You will be able to:
• Understand the principles of ergonomics
• Recognize the risk factors, signs, and
symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders
(MSDs)
• Understand our program for identifying,
reporting, and controlling MSDs
• Know how to protect yourself from MSD
injuries and reduce your risk
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
What Is Ergonomics?
• Modify jobs to fit
capabilities of people
• Reduce MSDs
• Repetitive reaching,
forceful exertions,
bending and lifting, or
working with vibrating
equipment
• Engineering controls
• Safe work practices
• PPE
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Musculoskeletal Disorder
(MSD) Injuries
• 1.8 million MSD
injuries each year
• 600,000 MSD injuries
require time away
from work
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Regulation
Of Ergonomics
• General Duty Clause
• Applies to unregulated hazards
• Failure to keep a hazard-free workplace
• Hazard recognized by employer or employer’s
industry
• Hazard could cause death or serious harm
• Method exists to correct the hazard
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
MSD-Type Injuries
Repetitive Placing,
Grasping, or
Moving Objects
20%
Repetitive
Use of Tools
Typing or
Key Entry
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
8%
9%
Repetitive
Motion
63%
Characteristics of MSDs
• Occur from a single event or many small
injuries
• Take weeks, months, or years to develop
• Produce no symptoms in early stages, but
show symptoms after injury has occurred
• Contributing causes may occur at home
and at work
• Same MSD may differ in severity from
person to person doing a similar task
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
General Signs of MSDs
• Less strength for gripping
• Less range
of motion
• Loss of
muscle function
• Inability to do
everyday tasks
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
MSD Symptoms
• Back and neck—
shooting pain, stiffness
• Shoulders—pain,
stiffness, loss of mobility
• Arms and legs—
shooting pains,
numbness
• Elbow and knee joints—
pain, swelling, stiffness,
soreness
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
MSD Symptoms (cont.)
• Hands and wrists—
swelling, numbness,
loss of strength
• Fingers—jerking
movements, or loss
of strength, mobility, and
feeling
• Thumbs—pain at
the base
• Feet and toes—
numbness, tingling,
stiffness, burning
sensation
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Outward Signs of MSDs
• Swelling or
inflammation of joints
• Vigorously
shaking hands
• Massaging hands,
wrists, or arms
• Cradling arms
• Limping
• Stiff back
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Common MSDs
• Carpal tunnel
syndrome
• Low back pain
• Eye strain
• Tendinitis
• Trigger finger
Image Credit: Cal OSH & NIOSH
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Common MSDs (cont.)
• De Quervain’s
•
•
•
•
disease—forceful grip
Carpet layer’s knee—
contact trauma
Rotator cuff tendinitis—
repetitive motion
Herniated disk—
bending and twisting
Hand-arm vibration
syndrome
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Act on the Signs of MSD
Act immediately:
• Report the problem
• Seek medical attention
• Early treatment and
intervention can
prevent permanent
injury
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
What Do You Think?
Employee experiences
severe back pain often.
1. What do you think
is causing this
employee’s pain?
2. How can this be
improved?
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
What Is Causing the Pain?
Possibilities:
• Repetitive lifting
of heavy objects
• Twisting while lifting
• Poor lifting techniques
• Lifting above shoulders
• Single lifting injury
• Poor conditioning
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
What Can Be Done?
• Use lifting aids
• Don’t twist
• Lift using your legs, not
your back
• Use a stool or stepladder
• Don’t overdo it
• Keep your back in shape
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Check Your Knowledge
Which of these are MSD symptoms?





Tingling
Racing heart
Pain
Numbness
Loss of
muscle function
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
 Dizziness
 Excessive cough


Stiffness
Swelling of joints
MSDs—Any Questions?
• Do you understand
what MSDs are and
the signs and
symptoms of MSDs?
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Risk Factors
That Lead to MSDs
• Repetitive motions
• Forceful exertions
• Awkward postures
• Contact stress
(pressure points)
• Vibrations
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Risk Factor—
Repetitive Motion
• Stress on muscles and
tendons
• Contributing factors
• Duration and speed of
repetitious movement
• Number of muscles
involved
• Required force
• Raising and lowering the
arm over and over again
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Forceful Exertions
• Inflammation of
tendons, nerves, joints
• Contributing factors
•
•
•
•
Type of grip
Weight of object
Body posture
Type and duration of the
task
Image Credit: OSHA
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Awkward Postures
• Stress on muscles
and tendons
• Contributing factors
• Reaching overhead
• Force the body must
maintain to hold the
position
• Holding fixed positions
(static loading)
• Lifting while twisting,
reaching, or turning
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Contact Stress
• Pressing against or
grabbing a hard object
puts pressure on
nerves, tendons,
and blood vessels
• Contributing factors
• Repetition
• Duration of contact
• Grip strength required
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Vibration
• Affects tendons,
muscles, joints, nerves
• Contributing factors
• Prolonged grip
• Restricts blood supply
to hands and fingers
• Tools without vibration
dampening device
• Poor power tool
maintenance
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
MSDs Related
To Risk Factors
De Quervain’s disease
Repetition
Trigger finger
Posture
Rotator cuff syndrome
Forceful Grip
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Contact Stress
Hand-arm vibration syndrome
Prolonged Vibration
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Can You Identify
The Risk Factors?
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Can You Identify
The Risk Factors? (cont.)
Risk Factors
• Repetitive motion
• Lifting or reaching
• awkward position
• excessive weight
• arms raised
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
MSDs
• Torn tendon
• Tendinitis
• Back pain
MSD Risk Factors—
Any Questions?
• Do you understand
MSD risk factors and
hazards?
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Ergonomics Management
• Job assessment
• MSD reporting and response system
• Designated coordinator
• Training
• Encourage employee participation and
reporting of MSDs
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Identifying and
Controlling MSD Hazards
• Determine whether
MSD hazards exist and
degree of risk
• Devise a control
strategy with your input
• Implement control
measures
• Training
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
Control Methods
• Install engineering controls including
workstation layout and proper tools
• Institute work practice controls including
neutral postures for performing tasks
• Administrative controls including
rescheduling to reduce frequency or
duration of exposure to MSDs
• Personal protective equipment (PPE) to
provide a protective barrier between worker
and MSD
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
How to Protect Yourself
• Change positions often;
•
•
•
•
take stretch breaks
Maintain neutral posture
whenever possible
Eliminate or reduce
MSD risk factors
Use material-handling
aids
Report MSD symptoms
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
MSD Prevention and
Control—Any Questions?
• Do you think you
understand what you
need to know about the
methods to manage,
prevent, and control
MSDs?
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709
• Recognize MSD signs and symptoms
• Understand MSD hazards
• Take steps to control MSD hazards
• Participate in the Ergonomics Program
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0709