Ergonomics and Work Place Design Consideration

Ergonomics and workplace
design consideration
Ergonomics
What is ergonomics?
• Ergonomics is designing a job to fit the worker so the work is
safer and more efficient. Implementing ergonomic solutions
can make employees more comfortable and increase
productivity.
• Workers come in all different sizes. Ergonomics can help
make the work more comfortable for the individual worker.
• To achieve best practice design, Ergonomists use the data and
techniques of several disciplines:
 Anthropometry: body sizes, shapes; populations and variations
 Biomechanics: muscles, levers, forces, strength
 Environmental physics: noise, light, heat, cold, radiation, vibration
 Body systems: hearing, vision, sensations
 Applied psychology: skill, learning, errors, differences
 Social psychology: groups, communication, learning, behaviours.
Importance of ergonomics?
• Ergonomics is important because when you’re doing a job
and your body is stressed by an awkward posture, extreme
temperature, or repeated movement your musculoskeletal
system is affected. Your body may begin to have symptoms
such as fatigue, discomfort, and pain, which can be the first
signs of a musculoskeletal disorder.
Musculoskeletal disorder
• Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are conditions that affect
your body’s muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments, and nerves.
MSDs can develop over time or can occur immediately due to
overload.
Advantages of ergonomics:
1. Increased savings
• Fewer injuries
• More productive and sustainable employees
• Fewer workers’ compensation claims for MSD
2. Fewer employees experiencing pain
• Implementing ergonomic improvements can reduce the risk
factors that lead to discomfort.
3. Increased productivity
• Ergonomic improvements can reduce the primary risk factors
for MSDs, so workers are more efficient, productive, and have
greater job satisfaction.
4. Increased morale
• Attention to ergonomics can make employees feel valued
because they know their employer is making their workplace
safer.
5. Reduced absenteeism
• Ergonomics leads to healthy and pain-free workers who are
more likely to be engaged and productive.
Costs and risk factors
Direct costs:
Direct costs are those directly associated with the claim and
include:
• Medical treatment
• Prescription costs
• Insurance premiums
Indirect costs:
Indirect costs (associated with the injury) can include:
• Overtime due to staff coverage during absence of injured worker
• Accommodation for modified duty
• Increased absenteeism
• Decreased morale
• Legal and investigation costs.
• Presenteeism: when an employee comes back to work too
early and is less productive than in a healthy state.
• Replacement worker costs.
• Advertising and recruiting if employee doesn’t return to work
• Orientation and training costs.
When is the work likely to result in an injury?

• When it’s performed frequently
• When it’s performed for a long period of time
• When the work is intense
• When there is a combination of several risk factors
Primary risk factors
Risk reduction techniques:
Job rotation
• Cross train workers so they can rotate jobs
throughout the day.
• Change tasks often within your own job (Example:
type for an hour and then file for an hour).
Job hazard analysis
• Break each job up into smaller or different tasks.
• Determine the risk factors for each task.
• Determine how each task affects risk factors for the
total job.
Select appropriate tools
• By attaching a handle extension, bending can be
eliminated from many jobs.
Participatory ergonomics
• Enlist workers to brainstorm better ways to do their
work.
• Have trained workers teach new staff.
Ergonomics training
• Educate staff on the risk factors for musculoskeletal
disorders, and how ergonomics can make their work
easier, more efficient, and safer.
• Train staff to identify job tasks that may present a risk
and determine better ways to complete those tasks.
Environmental considerations in work
place design
• These are the factors those are relevant to human
performance, comfort and safety that arise from the
surrounding environment.
• There are three common design principles regarding the
environmental ergonomics in an office workplace – climate,
lighting and noise.
Climate
• People work most productively when they are in a
comfortable climate.
• The climate of the office either can have a positive or negative
impact on workplace productivity and comfort.
• climate you perceive consists of three main components: air
temperature, air humidity and air movement.
• The best air temperature depends on the season. A range of
68-75°F (20-24°C) generally is preferable, but contrast to the
outside temperature also may play a role depending on the
season.
Ex: in the summer, an office at 68°F presents a large contrast to
the outdoor temperature and may feel uncomfortably cold,
and the reverse might be true for 75°F in the winter. Right
around
• 73°F tends to be the temperature at which the majority of
people feel comfortable.
• There is less control over air humidity, although it is an easy
measure to take.
• An increased level of humidity tends to increase the level of
perceived temperature.
• In winter, it is recommended that to keep the humidity above
30 percent, while in the summer the humidity range should
be between 40-60 percent.
• Air movement typically is minimal in an office setting.
• The recommendation is to keep drafts below 0.2m/s.
Lighting
• Adequate lighting is essential for any indoor workspace.
• An office work surface is considered to be a "fine work"
situation, for which medium-to-high levels of light are
needed, specifically in the 45-65 foot-candles (500-700 lux)
range.
• It should be noted that the range of 45-65 foot-candles
primarily applies to the actual work surface. Background and
general lighting can be significantly lower (30% of minimum
value)
• Glare from surrounding light sources can be a major issue,
depending on the positioning of computer monitors. Not only
does this hinder the ability to see the screen, but it may cause
squint, leading to eye strain, or requiring awkward postures to
eliminate the effect.
• Ideally, light sources (including windows) should be positioned
to either the left or right.
• Where possible, avoid the use of reflective colors and
surfaces, or the use of direct lighting (versus diffuse) to
minimize the chances of glare.
• Workstations generally should be placed away from windows
due to the high contrast and glare caused by sunlight.
Noise
• Generally, higher levels of noise can result in impaired
alertness and annoyance both of which decrease
performance.
• Maintaining a lower level of background noise also is
important for understanding conversations.
• A normal conversation typically is held at volumes between
60-65 dB. To understand speech correctly, we recommend
that background noise be at least 10 dB lower.
• It is recommend keeping background noise between 48-55 dB,
which has been shown to reduce noise-related errors.

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When is the work likely to result in an injury?

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