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Ergonomics
News – December 2007 |
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Welcome to Ergonomics
News, a monthly electronic newsletter designed to help Ergonomists and
Safety Managers find the right solutions to a host of ergonomic-related
challenges - from manual material handling to office ergonomics. The
newsletter will include a column written by a veteran ergonomist, plus
several other articles linked to
http://www.occupationalhazards.com. |
In This
Newsletter:
1. Trends in
Office Ergonomics: Perception vs. Reality
2. Will You Still
Need Me When I'm 64? Designing the Age-Friendly Workplace
3. Construction
Industry Appeals Voluntary Ergonomics Standard
4. Ohio State
Center Partners With Automotive Industries to Bolster Worker
Protections, Minimize Health Care Costs
5. OSHA Adds
Two Modules to Ergonomics E-Tool for Electrical Contractors
1. Trends in Office Ergonomics:
Perception vs. Reality
David Brodie
As part of the process I use to perform an individual office
ergonomics assessment, data is collected using an online survey format.
This survey gathers information on employee demographics (i.e. height,
weight, age, etc.), work-related discomfort, workstation setup, and the
level of understanding of ergonomics and office furniture and products.
As this information is gathered over time, it can provide insight into
the characteristics of people and products that are associated with
higher or lower levels of risk. This data cannot give insight into the
impact of an intervention as it is taken from pre-intervention surveys.
Instead, this data allows us to review the differences in risk (as
measured by levels of discomfort) based on the varying characteristics
of the employees.
On Nov. 29 at the National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition (NECE)
in Las Vegas, I presented an analysis of 2,441 surveys. In addition to
the data presented during the conference, the audience was polled on 10
basic questions that were answered over the course of the presentation.
The goal of the audience survey was to determine whether the perception
of risk is in line with reality (i.e. objective data).
The is a summary of the answers provided by the audience during the
presentation:
- Do men experience higher levels of discomfort in the
workplace? 18 percent of the audience answered yes, which is
correct.
- As you get older, do you experience higher levels of work-related
discomfort? 82 percent of the audience answered yes, which is
incorrect.
- Is work category (job title) a reasonable method to distinguish
risk in an office environment? 51 percent of the audience answered
yes, which is incorrect.
- Is computing time (number of hours on computer per day) a good
measure of risk? 85 percent of the audience answered yes, which is
correct.
- Are tall people at a similar level of risk as short people (i.e.
individuals at extreme ranges of height)? 77 percent of the audience
answered yes, which is incorrect.
- Is a person with increased body weight at increased risk for
work-related MSD discomfort? 85 percent of the audience answered
yes, which is correct.
- Do adjustable features on a chair relate to lower levels of
discomfort? 62 percent of the audience answered yes, which is
correct.
- Does a keyboard tray result in lower discomfort in the
hands/wrist? 56 percent of the audience said yes, which is correct.
- Are laptop users at increased risk of developing work-related
discomfort? 90 percent of the audience said yes, which is
incorrect.
- Does knowledge of ergonomics have an impact on work-related
discomfort? 87 percent of the audience said yes, which is correct.
The results illustrate that the audience (safety, health and ergonomics
professionals) is correct in their assumptions on 60 percent of the
questions. This does not mean that we are analyzing jobs incorrectly and
recommending poor solutions 40 percent of the time. Instead, this result
instills some simple recommendations for anyone performing office
ergonomics assessments:
- Do not let personal biases and opinions completely rule your
approach and responses when performing an assessment.
- Use research and hard data to guide and justify your approach
whenever possible.
- Look deeper into a situation to understand why the difference in
risk exists.
This last recommendation deserves elaboration. In looking at the
questions asked of the audience, the general bias was incorrect when
looking at age, height, work category and the use of laptops. Where do
these biases come from?
- Older people are expected to have more pain.
- Taller people are expected to have problems fitting into their
desks.
- We are trained to look deeper into a problem than simply job title.
- Laptops have smaller keyboards and monitors, which means they should
be tougher to use.
The key, though, is that these questions are not simply yes/no
questions, but instead they often are couched with the concept of "given
these conditions." When you look at these questions in this light, you
realize:
As you age, you may be less likely to consider your pain to be
work-related versus age-related. Further, older employees in an office
environment often work in higher-level positions requiring less time on
the computer. Less exposure = less pain.
The furniture currently available for the office workplace is biased
towards taller individuals. This may be related to the fact that the
data used to determine the adjustable range of furniture has been based
on a non-civilian, non-representative population until recently.
Further, engineering constraints often make it more difficult to design
equipment that can adapt to the smaller population versus the taller
population.
Work category or job title seems too simplistic a method of
analysis, but the question is: can you prioritize risk based on this
factor? Question 4 on the survey asked whether computing time was a
relevant factor and the majority of the audience said yes. When you
consider a person's work category (i.e. manager, customer service),
these jobs inherently have different levels of computer use. Exposure =
risk.
From an ergonomics perspective, it makes complete sense to suggest
that working on a laptop requires an employee to adapt a higher degree
of awkward working postures versus using a desktop. But, if the majority
of laptop users have external peripheral devices and tended to work
fewer hours on the computer, it is understandable how the risk could be
lower.
The review of this data illustrates that the simple relationships that
we assume exist in the office workplace are not always what they seem.
It is not possible to review all of the data and all of the relevant
relationships in this article.
Instead, the results of this research will be published in three white
papers that will be available in the coming months. If you would like to
receive a copy of these papers as they become available, please contact
me at dbrodie@atlasergo.com and I will add you to the
distribution list.
Contributing Editor David Brodie, MS, CPE, (dbrodie@atlasergo.com) is director of ergonomics
services for Atlas Ergonomics. Atlas Ergonomics, LLC is a leading
ergonomic service and technology provider, helping customers reduce the
spiraling costs of work related injuries within industrial, office, and
commercial driver environments. Atlas Ergonomics provides turnkey
support through a nationwide network of providers or can assist
corporate resources with the necessary training and technology. Atlas
Ergonomics is located in Grand Haven, Michigan, and additional
information can be found at www.atlasergo.com.
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5. OSHA Adds Two Modules to Ergonomics E-Tool
for Electrical Contractors
OSHA has added two new modules to the agency's "Ergonomics Solutions
for Electrical Contractors" e-Tool. The modules, developed with input
from the Independent Electrical Contractors Inc. (IEC), as part of the
OSHA and IEC Alliance, include safety and health information for
"installation and repair" and "prefabrication" processes.
Read More
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Did you Miss the American Red Cross at the Safety WebExpo and
Conference? You still have time to view the webinar!
Featuring: Bloodborne Pathogens: Disease Transmission in the
Workplace
Sponsored by the American Red Cross, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) and the American Association of Occupational
Health Nurses (AAOHN)
Industry experts provide information on OSHA's bloodborne pathogens
standard, establishing an exposure control plan, the use and types of
personal protective equipment (ppe), the policies associated with ppe
and the annual training requirements, and information on bloodborne
pathogens training from the American Red Cross.
Nurses who view this webcast can receive 1.0 continuing nursing
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Log on today!
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If you have
any comments or feedback about the content or format of IH
Insights, please share them with Editor Sandy Smith at ssmith@penton.com.
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