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How does ergonomic analysis and intervention enhance safety and reduce injury risk?

This is an excerpt from Dynamic Human Anatomy 3rd Edition With HKPropel Access by William C. Whiting.

As an interdiscipline, ergonomics spans a variety of disciplines, including human anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, psychology, sociology, medicine, and engineering. Ergonomics is composed of three primary domains: organizational, cognitive, and physical. The organizational domain deals with organizational design, policies, and processes as they relate to workplace communication, work design and systems, networking, and teamwork. The cognitive domain involves mental processes, including perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response.

The physical domain is most relevant to our study of dynamic human anatomy. This domain integrates anthropometric, biomechanical, and physiological concepts as they relate to human movement, primarily in occupational settings. The principles of physical ergonomics have been used extensively in the design of consumer and industrial products, assessment of manual materials handling tasks, development of workplace safety guidelines, workplace design, and diagnosis of work-related medical conditions.

Goals

The primary goals of ergonomics are to improve productivity, improve efficiency, enhance safety, reduce injury risk, and reduce cost. Ergonomic interventions can improve both the quantity and quality of worker output and increase efficiency by facilitating production in a time-effective manner.

Safety enhancement and injury risk reduction are at the core of most ergonomic programs. One of the most common worker risks is a class of conditions collectively known as musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs are the risk factor most closely associated with human movement tasks.

Research has generally shown that ergonomic analysis and intervention can result in significant cost savings by reducing health care costs, lost work time, workers’ compensation claims, and human error. Many ergonomic interventions are relatively inexpensive and therefore cost-effective for businesses, agencies, and workers alike. While many studies (e.g., Lee et al., 2021) have reported positive effects following ergonomic intervention, a few reports are equivocal in their conclusions (e.g., Sundstrup et al., 2020; van Niekerk et al., 2012).

Many government agencies and professional organizations have issued safety guidelines addressing specific ergonomic issues and recommendations. These guidelines cover a multitude of industrial and service areas, including agriculture, apparel and footwear, baggage handling, computer workstations, construction, health care, product manufacturing, metalwork foundries, meatpacking, mining, poultry processing, printing, sewing, shipyards, and telecommunications (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d.).

Methods of Analysis

Ergonomic analyses can be reactive or proactive. A reactive analysis addresses an existing problem or situation. A proactive analysis seeks to anticipate potential problems and make changes that prevent them.

An ergonomic analysis typically involves several steps, the first of which is the identification of risk factors. General risk factors associated with work-related MSD (WMSD) include physical factors (e.g., awkward postures, overhead work, twisting and carrying loads, contact stress, poor shoulder and wrist posture, lifting bulky loads, whole-body vibration), psychosocial stress factors (e.g., fatiguing workload, repetitiveness, lack of job control, extreme mental demand, low job satisfaction), factors outside the workplace (e.g., parental responsibilities, state of personal health, financial concerns), and individual worker factors (e.g., genetic factors, educational status, culture, personality traits) (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH], 2024).

In conducting an ergonomic assessment, the first step is to identify risk factors specific to the situation being assessed. Risk factors may be systematic (i.e., evident in the overall work environment) or specific to an individual. In assessing the work environment of a computer data-entry operator, for example, potential risk factors might include keyboard height and inclination, monitor height (relative to the operator’s line of sight), distance, brightness, lack of arm and wrist support, chair design and support, and operator posture.

Once the ergonomic risk factors have been identified, the ergonomist must identify possible changes (e.g., new or adjusted keyboard, monitor, or chair) to improve comfort and safety. After the changes have been implemented, the worker should be reevaluated to ensure that the modifications have achieved the ergonomic goals.

Risk factors that are common to a group of workers can be addressed through either engineering or administrative controls. Engineering controls involve improving worker conditions by modifying tasks, adjusting movement patterns, redesigning workstations or tools, and providing protective equipment, as needed. Administrative controls include the development and implementation of procedures and processes that can reduce risk, such as job rotation (i.e., varying work tasks) and appropriate work breaks (e.g., rest or stretching breaks).

Numerous analysis approaches have been used to identify ergonomic problems and find solutions. Among those approaches are surveys and questionnaires, iterative prototyping, meta-analysis, work sampling, and a wide range of computer-based models applicable to specific tasks or systems.

Human–Machine Interface

Many occupations involve human interaction with a machine or device, in what is termed a human–machine interface. Examples include computer or keyboard operators (figure 13.1), assembly-line and construction workers, medical technicians and clinicians, and automobile mechanics. Ergonomics can improve the effectiveness and safety of the human–machine interface in many ways, including product design, postural and movement recommendations, and worker education.

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