This document provides an overview of ergonomics and strategies for improving ergonomics. It discusses the history and development of ergonomics from the Industrial Revolution to today. Key points covered include defining ergonomics as matching jobs, tools, and workplaces to workers; common causes of musculoskeletal injuries like force, posture, and repetition; evaluating areas like offices, laboratories, and hospitals for ergonomic risks; and interventions like lifting equipment, adjustable workstations, and training to reduce injuries and increase productivity. The document emphasizes that small ergonomic changes can yield large cost savings by preventing injuries and improving employee health, satisfaction and retention.

1. 1
Ergonomics
for the
"General Practitioner"
Cindy Burt, MS, OTR/L, CPE
Injury Prevention Program Manager
UCLA

2. 2
Learning Objectives
o Define ergonomics
o Identify high return
interventions
o Sell ergonomics

3. History of Ergonomics
o Industrial Revolution
o Steel industry (shovels)
o Henry Ford
o Assembly line design
o Frank and Lillian
Gilbreth
o Micro-motion studies (i.e.
today’s surgical
techniques)

4. History of Ergonomics
o World Wars
o Aircraft, weapon
design
o Cold War
o Nuclear power
plants
o Today
o Industry, hospitals,
offices, product
design

5. 5
Ergonomics Today
Matching the job, work tools, and workplace
to the worker.

6. 6
Ergonomics
Employee Concerns
– Comfort
– Fatigue
– Injuries
– Job satisfaction
• Decreased boredom
• Decreased stress
• Reasonable workloads
Employer Concerns
– Worker’s comp costs
– Productivity
– Errors
– Products
– Profit

7. Results of Poor Ergonomic Design
o Discomfort and fatigue
o Injuries and accidents

8. Musculoskeletal Disorders
o Necks
o Backs
o Arm and hand
o Knee and foot

9. 9
What Causes These Injuries?
Force
Personal Environment
Posture
Repetition
Risk Factors

10. Poor Ergonomics
o Decreased efficiency
o Decreased
productivity
o Errors

11. Poor Ergonomic Design
o Turnover
o Absenteeism
o Job avoidance

12. How Do I Get Started?
o Pick your fights
o Sell your service

13. 13
What Should I Look For?
Awkward postures
Repetition
Force

14. 14
Where Should I Look?
Offices and Telecommuters

15. 15
Where Should I Look?
Laboratories

16. 16
Where Should I Look?
Hospitals

17. 17
Where Should I Look?
Facilities

18. 18
Where Should I Look?
Shops

19. 19
Where Should I Look?
Grounds

20. 20
Where Should I Look?
o Housekeeping
o Dining
o Housing
o Student stores

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What Can Ergonomics Do?
• ↓ discomfort
• ↓ accidents and injuries
• ↑ accuracy
• ↑ efficiency
• ↑ satisfaction
• ↑ job retention

22. 22
How Do I Start?
Identify problems
– Complaints of discomfort
– Symptom surveys
– Near misses
– Accidents
– Injuries
– Errors
– High turnover

23. 23
What Tools Can I Use?
• Anthropometry tables
• Body discomfort maps
• Hazard check lists
• NIOSH Lifting Equation
• Washington Ergonomics Lifting Calculator

24. What is Anthropometry?
Measurement of people
o Match size and strength with work
environment and tools

25. Why Does Match Matter?
o Average is not good enough
o Need to consider reaches and clearances

26. Who Should We Match?
o Central 90 percent
o Disregard extreme body sizes
o Try to fit males/females from 20-65 yrs

27. What is the Golden Rule?
Design so the small
woman can reach, and
the large man can fit.
S. Konz

28. What Rule Would You Use Here?
Design so the small
woman can reach, and
the large man can fit.
S. Konz

29. What Rule Would You Use Here?
Design so the small woman can reach, and
the large man can fit.

30. Accommodating Reach
• How low can we
place materials
these workers
have to reach?
• How high can a
shelf be placed
holding work
materials?
Golden Rule: Place objects between knee and
shoulder height.

31. 31
How Do I Make a Quick Impact?
Computer workstations
– On-line training
– Ergo evaluators

32. 32
How Do I Make a Quick Impact?
Reduce lifting
– Lifting equipment
– Job redesign

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Manual Materials Handling
o Golden rule
– Eliminate lifts
o When you can’t
– Keep it off the floor
– Reduce lifts
• Conveyors, dollies
• Adjust work flow

34. 34
Making a Difference
If they have to lift, teach
them how!
– High risk groups first
– Then campus-wide

35. How Should You Lift?
Stoop
Squat
Semi-squat

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

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

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

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

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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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Keep It Simple
o Staggered stance o Keep it close

42. 42
Keep It Simple
o Build a Bridge o Feet first

43. 43
Build a Team
o Ergonomist
o Safety professionals
o Health care team
o Risk management
o Rehab counselors
o Facilities/Design
o Purchasing
o Managers
o Employees

44. 44
It’s all about dollars…
o Average cost /CTS
claim = $37,552 or…
o Average cost /back
injury = $47,954 or…
WC Research Institute for CA Claims
1,565 pizzas (1 pizza/week for 30 years)

45. 45
Prove Your Value!
For every direct dollar spent
–OSHA estimates
»$3-7 indirect dollars spent
–Liberty Mutual estimates
»$2-5 indirect dollars spent

46. 46
MSD Costs
Injury Type Direct
Costs
Indirect Costs Total Costs
CTS $17,000 $350/lost day $11-112,000
Neck/back
strain
$32,000 $350/lost day $38-225,000
UCLA statistics

47. 47
Cost Justification - Injuries

48. 48
Cost Justification
Benefits of
Ergonomics

49. 49
Cost Justification - Regulatory

50. 50
It’s the Law!
CA Code of Regulations 5110 Repetitive Motion
Injurieso Scope
– 2 injuries within 12 months
– Identical work activity
o Response
– Worksite evaluation
– Exposure control and training
o Training requirements
– Review ergonomics program
– Exposures
– Symptoms/injuries and reporting guidelines
– Methods used to minimize repetitive motion injuries

51. 51
Useful References
o Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene, 3rd
Edition. National Safety Council Pgs.
283-334
o Industrial Hygiene Engineering, 2nd
Edition. National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health Pgs. 702-765

52. 52
Useful References
o The Occupational Environmental – Its
Evaluation and Control, 2nd
Edition, AIHA,
Section 4, The Human Environment at
Work.
o Kodak’s Ergonomic Design for People at
Work, 2nd
Edition, Chengalur, Rodgers and
Bernard, 2004.
o Fitting the Task to the Human, 5th
Edition,
Kroemer & Grandjean, 1997.

53. 53
Useful Internet Sites
www.ergonomics.ucla.edu
www.me.berkeley.edu/ergo/
www.uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff/ergonomics/index.shtml
www.llnl.gov/ergo/welcome.html
www.busserv.ucsb.edu/irp/ergo/tsr.htm
ehs.ucsc.edu/safety/ergonomics.php
blink.ucsd.edu/Blink/External/Topics/Policy/0,1162,4008,

54. 54
Useful Internet Sites
http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/
www.3m.com/cws/selfhelp/index.html
www.pc.ibm.com/ww/healthycomputing
www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/REU/REU_WhatsNew.html
www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstation
s/index.html

55. 55
Useful Internet Sites
www.niehs.nih.gov/odhsb/ergoguid/home.htm
www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Topics/Ergonomics/default.asp
www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/
www.bcpe.org (Board of Certification in Professional
Ergonomics)
www.hfes.org (Human Factors Society)

56. 56
Thank you!
Cindy Burt, MS, OTR/L, CPE
UCLA Injury Prevention Program Manager
501 Westwood Plaza 4th
Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1605
burt@ehs.ucla.edu
www.ergonomics.ucla.edu
310-794-5329