Industrial Ergonomics Risk Prevention

© BLR®—Business & Legal Resources 1501
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

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

Musculoskeletal Disorder
(MSD) Injuries
• 1.8 million MSD
injuries each year
• 600,000 MSD injuries
require time away from
work

• 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
OSHA Regulation
of Ergonomics
Regulation
Of Ergonomics

MSD-Type Injuries
Repetitive
Motion
63%
Repetitive Placing,
Grasping, or
Moving Objects
20%
Repetitive
Use of Tools 8%
Typing or
Key Entry
9%

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

General Signs of MSDs
• Less strength for gripping
• Less range
of motion
• Loss of
muscle function
• Inability to do
everyday tasks

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

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

Outward Signs of MSDs
• Swelling or
inflammation of joints
• Vigorously
shaking hands
• Massaging hands,
wrists, or arms
• Cradling arms
• Limping
• Stiff back

Common MSDs
• Carpal tunnel
syndrome
• Low back pain
• Eye strain
• Tendinitis
• Trigger finger
Image Credit: Cal OSH & NIOSH

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

Act on the Signs of MSD
Act immediately:
• Report the problem
• Seek medical attention
• Early treatment and
intervention can
prevent permanent
injury

What Do You Think?
1. What do you think
is causing this
employee’s pain?
2. How can this be
improved?
Employee experiences
severe back pain often.

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

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

Which of these are MSD symptoms?
Check Your Knowledge
Loss of
muscle function
Racing heart
Pain
Numbness
Tingling









Dizziness
Excessive cough
Stiffness
Swelling of joints

MSDs—Any Questions?
• Do you understand
what MSDs are and
the signs and
symptoms of MSDs?

Risk Factors
That Lead to MSDs
• Repetitive motions
• Forceful exertions
• Awkward postures
• Contact stress
(pressure points)
• Vibrations
• Using tools not
ergonomically
designed

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

Forceful Exertions
• Inflammation of
tendons, nerves, joints
• Type of grip
• Weight of object
• Body posture
• Type and duration of the
task
Image Credit: OSHA

Awkward Postures
• Stress on muscles
and tendons
• Reaching overhead
• Force the body must
maintain to hold the
position
• Holding fixed positions
(static loading)
• Lifting while twisting,
reaching, or turning

Contact Stress
• Pressing against or
grabbing a hard object
puts pressure on
nerves, tendons,
and blood vessels
• Repetition
• Duration of contact
• Grip strength required

Vibration
• Affects tendons,
muscles, joints, nerves
• Prolonged grip
• Restricts blood supply
to hands and fingers
• Tools without vibration
dampening device
• Poor power tool
maintenance

MSDs Related
To Risk Factors
De Quervain’s disease
Trigger finger
Rotator cuff syndrome
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Hand-arm vibration syndrome
Repetition
Posture
Forceful Grip
Contact Stress
Prolonged Vibration

Can You Identify
The Risk Factors?

Can You Identify
The Risk Factors? (cont.)
• Repetitive motion
• Lifting or reaching
• awkward position
• excessive weight
• arms raised
MSDs
• Torn tendon
• Tendinitis
• Back pain
Risk Factors

MSD Risk Factors—
Any Questions?
• Do you understand
MSD risk factors and
hazards?

Ergonomics Management
• Job assessment
• MSD reporting and response system
• Designated coordinator
• Training
• Encourage employee participation and
reporting of MSDs

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

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

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

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?

• Recognize MSD signs and symptoms
• Understand MSD hazards
• Take steps to control MSD hazards
• Participate in the Ergonomics Program
Key Points to Remember!

Industrial Ergonomics Risk Prevention

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