The document discusses exoskeletons and how they can be used as personal protective equipment (PPE) to help prevent injuries in the workplace. It describes how exoskeletons work by augmenting the user's strength and reducing strain on the body. The document also notes that while exoskeleton technology is promising for injury prevention, issues around cost, comfort and adoption need to be addressed before widespread implementation.

1. Running head: JOB DESIGN
2
JOB DESIGN
2
Job Design
Aerial Carter
Columbia Southern University
Job Design
Job design is the process of assembling various elements to
form a job. Putting in mind the organization and individual
employee requirements. Health, safety and ergonomics ought to
be taken into consideration, thus, job design is the way set tasks
are organized. Poor job design can impact the worker’s
efficiency, morale and safety.
Therefore, upon watching the video, the current job design
impairs the employee efficiency, safety and lowers their morale.
Job efficiency is the ability of the workers to do more work in
less hours by embracing the use of machines. But, in the video,
employee efficiency is very low. The two workers in the video
are performing the task by using their hands. A task which they
could have done in few seconds while using a machine, ended
up taking a whole one minute. In this scenario, the workers are
young, meaning they ought to have done the work with energy.
Secondly, the site is poorly arranged, everything ought to be in

2. its proper place. I can see the blocks being enclosed between
the tractor and the timbers, thus consuming a lot time for the
workers to arrange them.
Secondly, in the video the working environment is not safe
for the employees. One worker is seen standing on a raised
surface, while picking blocks, which are much at a lower
surface. They should had removed the barrier, so that it would
be comfortable while picking the block. “However, from the
look of things, they are straining their muscles (Mbadou
&Mbohwa, 2013).” This is posing a risk to their backs and for
pronged working conditions like that, they are likely to develop
backache problems. Additionally, they are prone to physical
injuries due to the narrow range of motion, which leads to
physical injury. Some body parts, in this case the hands, wrists
and arms are being overused, resulting to pain and reduced
physical capability. Thus, it’s not safe for them.
Concerning employee morale, some observable aspects
ought to be taken into consideration. First, job monotony as
observed in the video. The task was short, and we know that,
the shorter the task, the more frequent workers will need to
repeat. Thus, repeating the same task for 30 seconds, in five
days, can barely be considered a fulfilling job. It will lower the
morale of the workers. Therefore, the working environment
ought to offer, good, safe and challenging tasks for efficient
production. Using the hierarchy of controls, job design can be
improved as follows:
Engineering control involves changing the physical arrangement
of the workplace, so it can reduce the degree of risk factors and
lessening the likelihood of injuries. Administrative controls
pertain to workplace policies, practices and procedures that
lessen the exposure of workers to risk conditions. Nonetheless,
they are regarded less effective than engineering, because they
do not eliminate the hazard. But, “they are recommended in
cases where engineering controls are exorbitant (H. Landis
“Lanny” Floyd, 2017)” Examples of administrative controls
comprises of additional employees in lifting the task, rest

3. breaks and house for keeping tools. The less effective is PPE,
since the worker is still exposed to the risk factors. Examples
are providing knee pads, anti-vibration gloves when using
powered hand tools.
Controls for MSD Hazards
The recommendations above incorporate ergonomic guidelines
of a well-designed job since, a good working environment offers
a safe and comfortable working condition for the workers. In
return, they will the economic return will improve the safety,
reduce absenteeism, curb employee turnover, raise the morale of
employees and improve public relations.
Reference Page
H. Landis “Lanny” Floyd, P. C. (2017). COVER Story:
Systematic safety. CSU LIBRARY: PLANT ENGINEERING.
Mbohwa, A. F. (2015). The Impact of Work Design and Stress
on Employees Productivity at a Call Centre. South Africa:
International Conference on Law, Entrepreneurship and
Industrial Engineering. Retrieved from
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6843/2e5739a5cd0798e853b4bf
220a9067e8dcb5.pdf

4. Running head: RISK FACTORS IDENTIFICATION
1
RISK FACTORS IDENTIFICATION 3
Risk Factors Identification
Aerial Carter
Columbia Southern University
Risk Factors Identification
People that work in the United States companies’ experience a
common, but very costly health problem called Musculoskeletal
Disorders (MSDs). MSDs are defined as disorders and injuries
that have an impact on the movements of the human body. They
include tendonitis, ligament sprain, and tension neck syndrome
among others. Musculoskeletal Disorders are caused by the
exposure of workers to risk factors. It evolves as the body
develops musculoskeletal imbalance due to fatigue outrunning
the recovery system of the body. “The two categories of the
said risk factors are individual and work-related risk factors
(Muaidi & Shanb, 2016).” I examined a video involving a
work task, described the task being performed, discussed the
identified individual work-related risk factors, the MSDs that
the workers are exposed to, the relationship between the
human body, the work environment and the development of
musculoskeletal disorders.
After viewing the video, I discovered that the task that the
workers were performing involved moving some blocks and
loading them to a rack, probably for transportation to another

5. location. The place of work at which the workers were
performing their duty posed a health risk to them. For instance,
there was a lot of noise that could cause them (workers) hearing
problems, as well as the place, being untidy. Items were
scattered all over and heavy tractor equipment stored under the
same workshop as plastic and buckets. The movement of the
block is done by two individuals, who simplified their work by
having one pick up the blocks from the heap, passed them to the
other colleague, who then placed them on the rack. This
process continued until the last block is placed on the rack.
The individual work-related risk factors that I identified, as the
task in the video was being performed, included repetitive
awkward posture, task repetition, and forceful exertions. Others
included poor work practice, poor rest and poor health habits.
One of the work-related risks that were identified was a
repetitive awkward posture. This put excess force on joints,
overloaded the tendon and muscles around the affected joint.
The workers repeatedly lifted and passed the blocks with the
same posture. This task showed the repetition of the same task,
and the exertion of force on the worker's bodies due to the
weight of the blocks. The individual related risk factors that
were identified included poor work practice that was
contributed by the work environment. “The workers could had
put the place in order to allow them enough space for better
lifting techniques (Institute of Medicine, National Research
Council, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and
Education & Panel on Musculoskeletal Disorders and the
Workplace, 2001).” Similarly, the dress code of the workers
exposed them to unnecessary risks. Poor rest is exhibited in the
video, because I do not see the workers resting after the hard
task they just performed.
The potential musculoskeletal disorders that the workers are
exposed according to the video include tendonitis, tension neck
syndrome, rotator cuff tendonitis, and mechanical back
syndrome. Tendonitis occurs when tendons are irritated by
repeated motion of the body and weightlifting overloading.

6. Tension neck syndrome is caused by constricting the flow of
blood to the scalp thus leading to muscle tightness, stiffness and
difficulty turning the head. Rotator cuff tendonitis similarly
affects tendons and muscles that assist in the movement of
shoulder joints. “The mechanical back syndrome involves spinal
joint pains that are triggered by spine movement (Middlesworth,
2019).” The workers are exposed to the highlighted MSDs,
because they all are the same tasks in the video. The activity
the workers are performing involves the repeated movement of
their body in the same position.
The relationship between the human body, the place of work,
and the development of MSDs is that the kind of tasks that the
body performs is dictated by the tasks performed in the place of
work. For instance, the body movements of the workers in the
video are a result of the nature of the task. “If they have to
perform the duty, the have to repetitively move their bodies
(Muaidi & Shanb, 2016).”
In conclusion, in the essay above, I described the task that were
performed in the video, discussed the individual work-related
MSDs risk factors, and the potential MSDs that the workers
were exposed. Also, I discussed the relationship between the
human body, workplace, and MDSs development.
Reference Page
1. Institute of Medicine, National Research Council,
Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education,
& Panel on Musculoskeletal Disorders and the Workplace.
(2001). CSU Library. Musculoskeletal Disorders and the
Workplace: Low Back and Upper Extremities. Washington,
D.C.: National Academies Press.
2. Middlesworth, M. (2019). The Causes of Musculoskeletal
Disorders (MSDs) | ErgoPlus. Retrieved 18 July 2019, from
https://ergo-plus.com/causes-musculoskeletal-disorders-msds/
3. Muaidi, Q., & Shanb, A. (2016). Prevalence Causes and
Impact of Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among
Physical Therapists. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal

7. Rehabilitation, 29(4), 763-769. Doi: 10.3233/bmr-160687
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8. EXOSKELETONS: Used as PPE for Injury Prevention.
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Professional Safety
Date:
March 1,
2019
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