This document provides an overview of ergonomics and discusses how to implement ergonomic principles to improve workplace safety and productivity. It defines ergonomics as designing the job to fit the worker. The goals of ergonomics are to provide a safe working environment, increase efficiency, prevent injuries, and improve work quality. Specific topics covered include office ergonomics, manual handling guidelines, musculoskeletal disorders, and exercises to prevent injuries when working. The key messages are that ergonomic risks like repetitive motions and awkward postures can cause injuries, but these risks can be reduced through engineering controls, work practice changes, and exercise breaks.

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Ergonomics Training Module

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INTRODUCTION

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What is Ergonomics?
Ergo =
“work”
nomics
=
“laws or rules ”
Ergonomics = “the laws of work”
OSHA defines ergonomics as: “the
science of designing the job to fit the
worker, instead of forcing the worker to fit
the job”.

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“The science of Ergonomics is
a body of knowledge about
human abilities, human
limitations and human
characteristics that are
relevant to design.”

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Goals Of Ergonomics
Provide a safe and healthful working
environment engineered to the capabilities
of the human body
Increase efficiency and productivity by
reducing fatigue.
Prevention of Occupational injury & illness.
Work quality improvement.

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Rules Of Ergonomics
• Straight Back Rule
• Belly Button Rule
• Swinging Arm Rule
• Straight Wrist Rule
• Straight Eye Rule
• Skin Rule
• No Brain Machine Rule

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Methodology To Achieve The Goals
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Improving Workplace

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Awkward postures

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Posture
Posture

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There are no “right” or
“correct” ways to sit, stand or
lift....
However, there are more and
less demanding ways!

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Good posture is a great
'tool'
to help in prevention of pain.

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Typical Work Situation
Relationship Between User, Keyboard, Monitor And Mouse
Graphic Representation
Mouse
Keyboard
Body

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Risk Factors
Force
Repetition
Posture
Pain

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What Should I Look For?
Awkward postures
Repetition
Force
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Why Ergonomics?
Employee Concerns
Comfort
Fatigue
Injuries
Job satisfaction
Decreased boredom
Decreased stress
Reasonable workloads
Employer Concerns
Worker’s comp costs
Productivity
Errors
Products
Profit
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Poor Ergonomic Design
o Decreased efficiency
o Decreased productivity
o Errors
o Turnover
o Absenteeism
o Job avoidance

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What Can Ergonomics Do?
↓ discomfort
↓ accidents and injuries
↑ accuracy
↑ efficiency
↑ satisfaction
↑ job retention
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How Do I Start?
Identify problems
Complaints of discomfort
Symptom surveys
Near misses
Accidents
Injuries
Errors
High turnover
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How Do I Make a Quick Impact?
Reduce lifting
Lifting equipment
Job redesign
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Tool Use Example
Working with bent wrists
decreases grip strength
Use tools that let you
keep your wrist straight

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OFFICE ERGONOMICS

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Office Comprises
Chair
Table
Computer
Other items like- files, phone, etc.

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Chair
Adjustment

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Seven Contact Points

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Chair
Cont.Good chair should have—
Adjustability of height
Backrest
Seat depth
Adjustable arm rest
Stability.

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Adjustment Of Chair
Adjustment of chair height
Adjustment of arm rest

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Adjustment Of Chair- Cont.
Thigh measures
Lower back support

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Keyboard
Adjustment
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Key Board Adjustment
Pull up close to your keyboard
& Position IT directly in front
of you.
Determine what section of the
keyboard you use most
frequently, and readjust the
keyboard accordingly.
Adjust the keyboard height so
that
your
shoulders
are
relaxed, your elbows are in a
slightly open position (100° to
110° and your wrists and
),
hands are straight.

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Key Board Trays
Best height for keyboard is generally –at
elbow height or lower.
Tray should hold keyboard as well as
mouse.

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Computer Mouse

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Computer Mouse Hazardous
Generally while using the mouse, person
stretching the arm outwards and forwards to hold
it there with unsupported forearm as long as they
are using the mouse.

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Cont.-
Computer Mouse Hazardous
This posture caused Pain –
on top of the hand,
around the wrist
Along the forearm and elbow
Numbness and tingling in the thumb & index
finger
May develop the carpel tunnel syndrome
Soreness and fatigue by putting extra load on the
muscles of upper back & shoulder

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Correct Method Of Using Mouse
Don't squeeze it.
Hold it loosely in your hand with a relaxed
grip.
Keep your fingers relaxed.
Keep your wrist straight.

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Monitor
Adjustment

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Position Of Monitor
Viewing angle- degree above or below an imaginary
horizontal line at the level of viewer’s eyes & center of
the object being looked at. place the monitor at about 15
degrees below the horizontal line.
Poor angle leads to postural (neck & shoulders)
discomfort .
Position the top of the screen should be at eye level or
slightly lower. (If you wear bifocals, lower the monitor to a
comfortable reading level.)
Centre the monitor directly in front of you, above your
keyboard.

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Viewing distance
Sit at least an arm's length away from the screen and then adjust
the distance for your vision
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Monitor, Document, and Telephone
Incorrect positioning of the screen and documents
can result in awkward postures.
Look for glares and reduce it.
Place the documents directly in front , between the
monitor and the keyboard.
Place your telephone within easy reach. Use
headsets and speaker phone to eliminate cradling
the handset.
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Incorrect Method of Using Computer
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Correct Method of Using Computer
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Manual Ergonomics

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Manual handling includes
• Lifting
• Throwing
• Pushing
• Pulling
• Carrying
• Moving
• Holding
• Repetitive tasks such as :
• –packing, typing, assembling,
• cleaning, sorting, operating machinery and
equipment

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Anatomy of Back & Back Injuries
Knowing what
causes back injuries
can help you prevent
them.

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Manual Materials Handling
Golden rule
• Eliminate lifts
When you can’t
• Keep it off the floor
• Reduce lifts
o Conveyors
o Adjust work flow
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Making a Difference
If they have to lift, teach them how!
High risk groups first
Then campus-wide
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How Should You Lift?
Stoop
Squat
Semi-squat

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Stoop
Can get close to load
Less effort and energy
than squatting
Fast
….but it increases strain on
low back

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Squat
Limits strain on low back
….but it is difficult to keep
load close
….requires increased effort
and energy
….and it is inefficient

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Semi-Squat Lift
Less work
Preferred for lifting
heavy objects on
occasional basis

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Squat and Semi-Squat Lifts
More protective of back
Preferred by injured workers

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Preferred / Not Preferred Position
Not Preferred
Position
Preferred Position

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MUSCULO SKELETAL DISORDERS
(WMSDS)

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Musculo Skeletal Disorders
Also known as:
Cumulative Trauma Disorders (CTDs)
Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs)
Overuse injuries
Soft tissue injuries

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Causes MSDs
Risk Factors
Awkward Postures
High Hand Force
Repetitive Motions
Repeated Impacts
Heavy, Frequent, or Awkward Lifting
Moderate to High Vibration
=

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Risk Factors
Risk of injury depends upon:
Duration of exposure (how long)
Frequency of exposure (how often)
Intensity of exposure (how much)
Combinations of risk factors

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How Do MSDs Affect the Body?
Force
Repetition
Posture
Pain

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Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)
Carpal tunnel
syndrome
Epicondylitis
(Tennis elbow)
Rotator cuff tendonitis
De Quervains'
disease
Trigger finger
Synovitis
Low back pain
Muscle strains
Disc Herniation
Raynaud's
phenomenon
Sciatica

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Symptoms of MSDs
Discomfort
Pain
Numbness
Tingling
Burning
Swelling
Change in color
Tightness, loss of flexibility

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Stages of Progression
• Early Stage-The body aches and feels tired at work,
but symptoms disappear during time away from work.
The injury will heal completely if dealt with properly at
this early stage.
• Intermediate Stage-The injured area aches and
feels weak near start of work. Work is more difficult to
do. The injury will still heal completely if dealt with
properly.
• Late Stage-The injured area aches and feels weak
even at rest. Sleep is affected. Even light duties are
very difficult.

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Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Causes– swelling of flexor tendons due to
repeated exertions.
– Repeated or prolonged forceful
exertions of the hand combined
with wrist flexion.
– Repeated or prolonged nonneutral wrist postures.
– Blunt Trauma.
– Rheumatoid arthritis and other
connective tissue disorders.
– Endocrine disorders: myxedema,
acromegaly, diabetes, pregnancy.

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Tennis Elbow
This is caused by prolonged
gripping activities such as• hammering
• driving screws
• weight lifting
• playing certain musical instruments
• digging in the garden
• driving
• racquet sports etc.
The pain is exacerbated by gripping activities like turning a door
handle can cause intense pain.

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Stages Of Cervical Disc Herniation
1. Poor posture, incorrect and/or
repetitive lifting or twisting can place
additional stress on spines.
2. Aging.
3. Trauma.
4. Lifestyle - Lack of regular exercise,
tobacco use substantially contribute
to poor disc health.

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Back Pain
Compression
Injury
Tension
Injury
Shearing
Forces
forward
bending of
the spine,
Overstretching
Torsion Forces Acting
On A Vertebra
Twisting movements
of the spine

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Common causes of back-pain
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Accidents and injuries
Twist and sprains
Improper working postures
Lifting heavy weights
Prolonged working in same posture
Fatigue and tiredness
Infections and diseases
Pregnancy

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Prevention & Control of Ergonomic
Risk Conditions
Engineering controls
Work practice controls
Administrative controls

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Eye Strain While Working On VDT
Experienced as –
Burning
Tightness
Sharp or dull pains
Watering
Blurring
Double vision
Headache etc.

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Eye Strain While Working On VDT
FactorsGlare– light source shining directly into the eyes e.g.
ceiling lights, bright. windows etc.
The luminance (brightness) difference between what is
being looked at and its immediate environment
The distance between the eye and screen and document
The readability of screen and document
The workers vision and his or her corrective lenses

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Prevention Of Eye Strain
Watch out for glare .
Follow “20/20/20 rule” means every twenty minutes, look
twenty feet away for twenty seconds.
It may be due to dryness of eyes. Lowering the monitor.
looking downward– more of eye surface will be covered by
the eyelids and eyes blinks more leads more lubrication.
Keep the proper distance and angle between eyes and
monitor.

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Cont.-
Prevention Of Eye Strain
Peoples who needs bifocal glass often experiences sore
neck and shoulder because they have to tip their heads
back to see the computer screen. Other options for them
like—
Progressive addition lenses (PAL)– For persons
working long hours with computers the PAL is the
choice.
Wearing contact lenses

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What you can do?
• Recognize and report symptoms
• Get involved in ergonomics

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Symptom Recognition and Reporting
Report symptoms if:
Pain is persistent, severe or worsening
Pain radiates
Symptoms include numbness or tingling
Symptoms keep you from sleeping at
night

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Key Points To Remember
Ergonomics can help you on your job
MSDs can happen in jobs with risk factors
Risk factors can be reduced and MSDs
prevented
Reporting symptoms early is important
You can help your company put ergonomics
changes into place

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Thumb Rules To Prevent MSDS
Use moderate postures for individual joints
Don’t use too much force
Break for 4-5 min. for every hour spent at workstation to
ease muscle aches, eye strain & stress. Vary the tasks.
Break up the keyboard task work by doing other job.
Look away from the screen & focus your eyes on an object
far away time to time.
Relax your muscles, stretch & change position.

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Ergonomic
Exercise

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Reason For Stretch At Work
Reduce muscle tension & stress, increase
alertness, improve circulation and productivity.
Reduction in day to day tiredness.
To feel better

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Stretch At Work
Stretches must be performed slowly and carefully. They
shouldn’t be painful. If they are painful, stop and consult
doctor.
Make slow movements- avoid rapid or jerky movements.
Hold the stretch for at least 5-7 seconds.
Stretch frequently, especially when sitting or in other
constrained environments.

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Schedule -Each exercise 3 times
1. Preparations:- Remove shoes. Take out mobiles spectacles, pen,
diary etc
2. Neck movement
(a) Bending backwards (b) Rotate left – center –
right (c) Bend sideways
3. Neck exercise
push – counter push by both hands.
4. Eyes
(a) Squeezing 10 times (b) Palming
5. Shoulders
(a) Up / down (b) Rotate clock-wise (c) Rotate anticlockwise
6. Palm pressure & Fist Rotation

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Schedule -Each exercise 3 times
7. Namaskar (Front) pose + movement up/down
9. Executive stretch
11.Calf muscle stretch
12.Thigh muscle stretch
13.Walking on heels & toes
Executive
stretch
Calf muscle
stretch

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Thank you
Have a Nice Day