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Home / Washington Business - March 2006 / ERGONOMICS: Not as Bad as You Think |
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ERGONOMICS: Not as Bad as You Think |
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Written On: March 2006 |
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Written By: by Daniel Brunell |
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Ergonomics once struck fear into the hearts of employers. The feeling that ergonomics is an unknown and arbitrary science led many within the business community to fear it. But a new understanding of ergonomics has been used to prevent musculoskeletal disorders and other health conditions related to the jobs people do. Ergonomics also helps improve employee comfort, morale, productivity and quality.
Since ergonomics came on the scene in the early 1990s, some feared that it would lead to an explosion of frivolous injury claims and lawsuits. However, since 1994, the rate of injury claims has slowed. Several factors are involved. "Automation has really helped in bringing down claims," said Peregrin Spielholz, a prevention analyst for the Washington Department of Labor and Industries. "Also, employers are more aware and better educated about the issue."
Much of this awareness has come from educating companies about ergonomics. L&I has an exhaustive database and expert knowledge in this field and has helped hundreds of businesses find solutions for their employees. Groups such as the Association of Washington Business, Associated General Contractors and the Washington Restaurant Association have also held seminars and assisted in research to help their members reduce the number of repetitive motion and musculoskeletal injuries.
"These programs not only inform companies of dangers in their workplace, but also have a positive long-term economic effect, with fewer work days missed and lower rates on insurance," said Michael Foley, senior economist with L&I.
One of the most successful ergonomic solutions has been implemented by Fluor Hanford at its cleanup of Hanford Nuclear Reservation's K-Basins near Richland, Wash. The basins are used to store tens of thousands of irradiated fuel assemblies that once comprised the cores of nuclear reactors. The spent fuel rods sit on the bottom of giant pools holding more than a million gallons of radioactive water. The basins are close to the Columbia River, posing a giant environmental risk to the entire region.
Fluor came to Hanford in 1996 to face the monumental task of cleaning these basins. They found almost immediately they had an ergonomics problem.
"Everything was oriented downward," said Denise Brooks, an occupational safety consultant with Fluor. Brooks is a 23-year veteran of commercial, nuclear and manufacturing industrial safety programs. "People were leaning over rails, using very long-handled tools, and performing repetitive actions in circumstances where lighting was often positioned at odd angles relative to the worker."
With a few inexpensive modifications to the tools, changing the way equipment was positioned, and other minor tweaks, Fluor has been able to lower its OSHA-recordable injury rate by more than 75 percent since 1996. The once-dangerous job of cleaning up nuclear waste showed an average rate in 2003 of 4.0 recordable injuries and illnesses for every 200,000 hours worked. This is very favorable compared to the aerospace industry's 3.6 rating and automotive manufacturing's 10.2 rating. Boeing, UPS and Costco have also successfully implemented ergonomic programs that improve the health of their employees and lower insurance premiums.
You don't have to be a big company to implement meaningful ergonomic changes in the workplace. For free information about ergonomic solutions, contact L&I at (800) 547-8367 or visit their Web site at www.lni.wa.gov.
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