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Why are Ergonomic Assessments Important?

Jun 13, 2022
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Every day, millions of individuals spend their days at work seated in front of a computer. Since their desks are not correctly set up, many of these same employees suffer from a range of muscular strain and stress-related ailments. How many times have you noticed yourself slouching or having bad posture? This is what causes chronic neck and back discomfort, as well as other concerns that make it difficult to focus and become more productive.

Do you want to save money on workers' health care and compensation for your company? Is increasing productivity among your company's main goals for this year? What about enhancing the product's quality? If that's the case, creating or strengthening your company's workplace ergonomics approach should be at the top of your priority list.

To address this problem, many businesses invest in ergonomic examinations and see improvements for both their workers and their bottom line.

Ergonomic Evaluation

What Exactly Is an Ergonomic Evaluation?

Risk managers use ergonomic evaluations, the first and most essential phase in the ergonomics process, to correctly and efficiently target solutions that encourage greater safety and health among employees. In a nutshell, an ergonomic assessment involves observing departments, workstations, and individual employees in order to identify risk factors related to MSDs and other common work-related injuries, with the goal of providing managers with a picture of the workplace that allows them to make proactive changes.

Any comprehensive ergonomic evaluation should take a holistic approach to the work environment, employing both quantitative and qualitative metrics to characterize the extent of risk factors and provide modification suggestions. Instead of separating these two forms of evaluation, a successful ergonomic assessment considers both perspectives.

The qualitative element is critical for ergonomic assessors in identifying the depth and breadth of an organization's ergonomic demands; it's an exploratory investigation—it employs categories and is not definitive. The quantitative part is more extensive, encompassing precise measurements and concrete data in order to give detailed suggestions to management when the evaluation is completed.

"What form of force would the worker employ for this task?" is an example of a qualitative inquiry. In the meanwhile, a quantitative measurement poses a more specific question: "How much force should the worker use to execute this task?" Quantitative data is then utilized to enhance the workplace environment and lower the risk of MSDs, cardiovascular diseases, and other injuries, thanks to qualitative analysis.

The following characteristics are considered by ergonomic assessors:

Physical work demand
Posture
Workstation design and equipment
Keyboard usage
Environmental considerations such as noise and lighting

Proposals are made to enhance workstations in order to decrease worker stress and strain and increase productivity.

Advantages of a Workplace Ergonomics Program

The Advantages of a Workplace Ergonomics Program

The findings of the Washington State DLI research back up five of the recognized advantages of a solid workplace ergonomics process:

Ergonomics Saves Money

You may avoid expensive MSDs by proactively eliminating ergonomic risk factors. With MSDs accounting for around $1 from every $3 in workers' compensation expenditures, this provides a substantial cost-cutting potential. Also, keep in mind that the indirect cost of an accident may be up to 20 times the direct cost.

A 59 percent decrease in the average number of Musculoskeletal Disorders
A 65 percent reduction in the incidence rate
A 75 percent reduction in missed workdays
A 53 percent reduction in restricted days
A 68 percent reduction in worker's compensation expenditures
A 39 percent decrease in claim costs
A 43% reduction in labor expenses

Ergonomics Boosts Efficiency

Productivity is often improved by the greatest ergonomic solutions. The workstation becomes much more productive when it is designed to allow for optimal posture, less effort, fewer movements, and better elevations and reaches.

Productivity increased by 25%.

Ergonomics Improves the Standard of Living

Poor ergonomics result in dissatisfied and weary employees who do not perform at their best. When a job assignment is too physically demanding for a person, they may not be able to do it as well as they were instructed. For example, owing to high force demand, an employee may not tighten a screw enough, resulting in a product quality problem.

A 67 percent decrease in scrap/errors on average

Ergonomics Boosts Staff Motivation

Employees notice when their employer goes above and beyond to protect their health and safety. It may minimize attrition, and absenteeism, boost morale and promote employee participation if an individual does not suffer weariness and pain throughout their job.

Employee turnover was reduced by 48 percent on average, while employee absenteeism was reduced by 58 percent on average.

Ergonomics Promotes a Safer Workplace Atmosphere

Ergonomics demonstrates your company's dedication to health and safety as a key value. Your company's safety culture will be strengthened as a result of the preceding four ergonomic advantages. Employees who are healthy are your most precious asset; building a safe and healthy culture at the firm will result in improved human performance.

Negative Consequences of Poor Ergonomics

What Are the Negative Consequences of Poor Ergonomics?

Bad ergonomic practices have both immediate and long-term health repercussions, including:

Temporary

Headaches
Repetitive injury strains
Neck pain
Back pain
Shoulder and arm pain

Long-Term

Carpal tunnel syndrome
Diabetes
Heart problems
Obesity
Muscle pains and aches caused by poor posture
Musculoskeletal conditions

Role Does Ergonomics Play in Injury Prevention

What Role Does Ergonomics Play in Injury Prevention?

Depending on the nature of employment, different ergonomic risk factors exist. The location of the keyboard, mouse, and chair, for example, might influence an office worker's fingers, wrists, and arms. A manufacturing worker, on the other hand, is more likely to have back and neck injuries as a result of twisting of the waist and carrying heavy goods.

The symptoms of poor ergonomics are often mistaken for those of other conditions. Alternatively, they may be tiny and indistinct initially, causing them to go ignored. You're setting workers up for more effective work by providing them with customized, comfortable, and appropriate workstations.

Worth the Money to Invest in Workplace Ergonomics

Is It Worth the Money to Invest in Workplace Ergonomics?

Is it thus worthwhile to invest in an ergonomics process?

Without a doubt, it is!

Ergonomics is beneficial to both your company and your employees. To acquire buy-in for the process, we should be able to show the importance of ergonomics as health and safety specialists.

When making choices, good managers think about the following:

Will this result in an increase in revenue?
Will this help us save money?
Is this the proper course of action?

All three of these questions may be answered emphatically "YES!" when evaluating a workplace ergonomics procedure.

Ergonomic Furniture Solutions

Ergonomic Furniture Solutions

There are many products available now that are specifically designed to bring ergonomics to the forefront. They are equipped with features that make it easier for employees to work without experiencing back, shoulder, neck, wrist, or joint pain.

The Adjustable Standing Desk by FlexiSpot is one such ergonomically-designed product. It caters to employees of every height, which makes it perfect for offices. It has a 5-step assembly process for an exceptionally easy setup. It is made with North American ergonomic standards and comes with two high-quality dual motors that allow a quick way to change the table's height.

The materials include high-grade steel that prevents the desk frame from wobbling even when it is at the highest adjustment point. The fluid-like, smooth transition offers high stability so that all your belongings are secure.

The desk shifts into a standing position so that you can switch between sitting and standing to break free from the usual sedentary lifestyle. This increases the physical activity of the employees, which is necessary to ensure a healthy back, legs, and weight.

You can also invest in ergonomic chairs for the office as they provide lumbar support to the back, shoulders, and neck. It keeps your body protected, even when you're working for long hours. It is highly adjustable, so it suits people of all heights and ensures that they are perfectly in line with the monitor and desk. You will no longer have to strain your eyes and neck to work. The armrests are also designed to ensure that your wrists are at the optimum position, preventing carpal tunnel syndrome.

In Conclusion

Ergonomic assessments are essential in a workplace since they can impact the overall health and safety of your employees while they work. Make sure to have a proper ergonomic assessment so that you can make any necessary in the office.