Ensuring that a workplace is ergonomics-friendly isn't an option but a requirement for employers today. It's because the awareness about the consequences of poor workplace ergonomics is at an all-time high, the employees are aware of their right to a comfortable workplace, and most of the leading companies have already started an ergonomic movement at their premises.
All of this means that if you fail to provide your employees with a comfortable work environment, they'll bid your company farewell and join a company where their well-being is considered important are quite high.
Having said that, if you think your job will be done once you do take the necessary ergonomic measures to make your workplace safer and more comfortable for the workers, you're quite mistaken. Maintaining workplace ergonomics is a continuous process that requires continuous improvement to ensure effectiveness. If you ask, we would say that taking the initial ergonomics measures at your workplace might be easier than what it's like to manage and maintain them.
If you would like to know more about how you can manage the ergonomics process at your workplace, you've landed yourself at just the right place.
How Important Are Workplace Ergonomics?
You'll only be able to take the workplace ergonomics and ergonomics process seriously if you know how important they are for your employees' well-being. Workplace ergonomics go far beyond providing the employees with ergonomic equipment.
Workplace ergonomics is a broad term that encompasses not just what furniture (work desk and chair) your employees are using but also the lighting of your office, the level of noise, the climate, and literally the whole environment of your office to which an employee is exposed. You can provide your employees with the best ergonomic furniture like the Comhar All-in-One Standing Desk Gl, but that alone isn't enough.
Maintaining workplace ergonomics is extremely critical to ensuring your employees' well-being and safety. Let's look at how good workplace ergonomics can make things better for your employees and you.
Reduced Risk of MSDs
One of the biggest health risks that employees are exposed to if the ergonomics at your workplace are poor is the risk of developing MSDs (musculoskeletal disorders). MSDs are a consequence of improper posture that puts excessive stress on the muscles, tendons, and soft tissues of the body. Not only do poor ergonomics lead to excessive stress on the body, which is characterized by pain in the shoulders, neck, and lower back, but it can also lead to lifelong criticalities if not taken care of in time.
This makes it critically important for an employer to work on improving the ergonomics of their workplace so that the employees aren't at risk of MSDs.
Enhanced Productivity
When you provide your employees with an ergonomic work environment, they'll be more comfortable. For instance, an employee won't feel fatigued if they're seated in an ergonomic chair that offers excellent support to the back and the shoulders. When employees are comfortable, they'll be more productive and efficient. According to studies, you can increase your employees' productivity by 25% by providing them with an ergonomic work environment.
Reduced Costs
If an employee continues to work in poor ergonomics conditions, they'll soon fall ill and will need medical attention. This means that they'll be absent from work more often, and you'll receive more health claims to cover the treatment costs. However, with the right ergonomics measures in place, your employees are at a much lower risk of falling ill due to poor ergonomics, and this would reduce absenteeism, turnover rates, and healthcare claim costs.
Understanding the Ergonomics Process
You'll be able to design a better and more effective ergonomics process if you understand what an ergonomics process is. To put it simply, it's a plan that involves the employer collecting all the information regarding how the process flow is organized, how capable the employees are to undertake the tasks they're assigned, what are the employee limitations, and which tasks put the employees at a higher risk of MSDs.
With this information in hand, the employer can better develop ergonomics solutions that'll better accommodate the presenting problems and help employees steer clear of MSDs and other work-related injuries and ailments.
One of the most important aspects of an ergonomics process is communicating the findings to everyone involved along the way. It's the only way you can design solutions that address the problems that employees' problems to absolute perfection. An ergonomics process can only be considered successful if the employees of all levels of an organization are involved in the process, and their comfort needs are well-met.
The better the employees and everyone involved are informed, the more conscious they'll be to follow the correct workplace ergonomics and use the ergonomic equipment provided to them the right way. Also, they'll also be able to report back any problems they find in the ergonomics solution you came up with because they'll feel a sense of responsibility and involvement.
How to Develop and Manage an Ergonomics Process
If you're an employer who wishes to develop and manage an ergonomics process for their workplace to make your workplace safer and more comfortable for your employees, our guideline, as inspired by the document by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), will surely guide you in the right direction.
Developing an Ergonomics Process
The process of ergonomics refinement at a workplace comprises 5 fundamental elements. These are:
The workplace itself
An ergonomics committee
The company management
Medical management
An ergonomics expert
Each of these elements plays a distinctive role in the ergonomics process. Let's have a look at each of these in detail so that you've got the absolute best understanding of how to develop an ergonomics process.
Workplace
The first fundamental element of an ergonomics process is the workplace itself. It's the place where the employees will be working several hours every day. And it's the workplace that needs to be optimized to become ergonomics-friendly. The ergonomics of different workplaces are different. For example, if the employees working at your office are mostly computer users, you'll have to make different ergonomics arrangements than what an employer where employees are involved in heavy machine-related work. So, the first step to developing an ergonomics process for your workplace is to consider the nature of your employees' work.
Set Up an Ergonomics Committee
The next element of an ergonomics process is the ergonomics committee. This committee will be responsible for identifying all the possible risk factors that the employees at your workplace are exposed to. This committee will also be responsible for mitigating the risks and hazards at your workplace, recommending solutions, and ensuring that the ergonomics strategy delivers the expected results. The ergonomics committee will also ensure adequate training of all the staff. If that's not the case, the ergonomics committee will have to design a new ergonomics strategy to better address workplace risks and hazards.
Management
The management has got to be fully committed and dedicated to refining workplace ergonomics. The management needs to understand the significance of proper workplace ergonomics, but they also need to understand that ergonomics isn't a one-time program that has a definitive beginning and end but that it's a process. It'll take its course of time to start producing results and will need to be continuously improved to ensure the sustainability of workplace ergonomics.
Medical Management
An employer must have a solid medical management program that enables them to identify the high-risk tasks at a workplace, and the physical limitations of employees, track the MSD trends in employees and track the level of physical discomfort employees feel at work. The medical management program will also help the employer educate the staff about the symptoms of MSDs that they should immediately report and provide the employees who do report symptoms will the right medical guidance.
Ergonomics Expert
An ergonomics process can't be completed without the intervention of an ergonomics expert, especially for companies that are taking their first steps toward improving the ergonomics of their workplace. An ergonomics expert will help the ergonomics committee with their expert advice. They'll also ensure that the ergonomics process is designed to suit the management style and nature of the employees' work at a workplace. In short, an ergonomics expert will oversee the entire ergonomics process from the beginning to the end and will ensure the continuous improvement and management of ergonomics at your workplace.
Managing an Ergonomics Process
Developing an ergonomics process is just one part of the deal. The other, rather more challenging part is to manage the ergonomics process. You've got to perform some key activities to effectively and successfully manage an ergonomics process.
Track and Report Ergonomics Metrics
You can only tell if your ergonomics process was a success if the results are positive. You've got to track, report, and communicate ergonomics metrics to evaluate the results. If the metrics are satisfactory, ensure the ergonomics process continues as is, and if not, make the necessary adjustments and modifications until the metrics are just right.
Share Best Practices
As we said earlier, ergonomics is a continuous process that needs to be altered and modified on an as-need basis. With the help of the ergonomics committee and ergonomics expert, educate the staff about the best practices that will reduce the risk of workplace injuries and ailments so that they're better informed and can act accordingly.
Monitor the Effectiveness
The ergonomics process won't be 100% effective from the first day. It'll take everyone some time to adjust to the new practices. However, the process should start to feel routine in subsequent years. Monitor closely if the effectiveness of the process is improving with time. If not, you've got to come up with better solutions that feel natural and more adaptable for the staff.
Managing the process of ergonomics refinement at a workplace is an on-the-go thing. It doesn't simply come with an end date. You've got to take all the proactive measures and reactive ones, too (if necessary), to ensure that your workplace ergonomics are on point!
