Industrial Ergonomics Audit
Industrial Ergonomics Involves
Industrial ergonomics is the practice of adapting the design of industrial work environments, tools, and tasks to fit the physical and cognitive capabilities of its workers, with the goals of maximizing comfort and efficiencies, and reducing or eliminating entirely related musculoskeletal injuries.
Successful Ergonomic programs include multiple steps including:
- Record Review - Examine injury and illness logs (like OSHA 300 Logs), workers' compensation reports, first aid logs, and near-miss reports to identify specific jobs, tasks, or areas with a history of sprains and strains or other musculoskeletal disorders.
Procedure - Define the standard assessment methods that will be used (e.g., checklists, RULA, REBA, or the NIOSH Lifting Equation) to ensure consistency for comparison across assessments.
Data Collection – On-site observation of the employees performing their tasks in real-time. Document and measure factors like:
- Measured forces required to lift/push/pull or grip.
Frequencies of repetitive tasks like reaching, grasping, bending, twisting and lifting.
Postures – static positioning and dynamic postures.
Duration – the length of time an employee spends in a particular posture and/or performing a task.
Environmental Factors like sound, lighting, temperature or vibration.
Workplace Contributing Factors
Contributing factors are aspects of work tasks that can lead to fatigue, repetitive stress symptoms and injuries. These factors may be present in one or more of the tasks employees must perform to accomplish their jobs. The contributing factors you and your employees should be aware of include:
Thermal, Light, and Equipment Stressors
There are also environmental factors associated with the workplace that can cause problems. Extreme high temperatures can increase the rate at which the body will fatigue. Alternatively, exposure of the hands and feet to cold temperatures can decrease blood flow, muscle strength, and manual dexterity.
These conditions can also cause excessive grip force to be applied to tool handles or objects. In addition, the lighting in a workplace may be too dark or too bright for the work task. This may result in employees assuming awkward postures to accomplish work tasks, with a potential for loss of product quality. OSHA standards for sound mediation may also be necessary after assessment of the work environment.
