Industrial Ergonomics: What is it and the 6 Most Common Mistakes to Avoid

What is industrial ergonomics?

Industrial ergonomics is simply fitting the work to the worker in an industrial environment. The process usually includes videotaping, weighing materials handled, measuring the push/pull forces with a strain gauge, and measuring distances and heights with a tape measure.

In today’s world, ergonomists have access to computer vision software that allows us to assess posture and repetition much more quickly than the original pen-and-paper approach. The software also creates an objective hazard score for the task.

After countermeasures or training have been implemented, the software can create a before-and-after comparison that shows just how much the risk has decreased because of the intervention.

Is Industrial Ergonomics Effective?

Research demonstrates that industrial ergonomic interventions significantly reduce musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), absenteeism, and costs, while improving productivity. Studies show that ergonomic solutions, such as workstation redesigns, training programs, and participatory ergonomics, can be effective.

Ergonomics improves physical health and contributes to a more comfortable and positive work environment, potentially leading to increased job satisfaction and engagement.

According to the National Institutes of Health, a study on ergonomic interventions in material handling reduced claim frequency by 66% and cost per employee by 81%.

A study, published in Applied Ergonomics in 2020, evaluated the effectiveness of ergonomic interventions in jobs that required material handling. The study, which was conducted from 2012 to 2017, involved 33 employers and 535 employees.

Interventions included a variety of equipment designed to reduce the stress of materials handling in construction, manufacturing, health care, and service jobs. Specific examples of interventions included stair-climbing/powered hand trucks, powered truck lift gates, lift tables, and cranes/hoists.

Employees were not required to use the interventions. For employees who reported handling 50 lbs. or more for more than 33% of their jobs, upper extremity and low back pain were lower among those who reported using the intervention versus those who did not.

The 6 Most Common Mistakes

Despite all the wonderful new technology and the evidence of effectiveness of the programs, there are 5 key mistakes that companies make when conducting industrial ergonomics projects either internally or with an external consultant.

1. Lack of an internal champion who is passionate about ergonomics. Most organizations don’t have their own internal professional ergonomist. Often, implementation falls on the shoulders of safety professionals, who are so busy with other aspects of safety compliance that they have little bandwidth to deal with the ergonomic assessment and implementing ergonomic countermeasures or training.

 However, ergonomic countermeasures and training have to be someone’s responsibility in order to ensure follow-through with the necessary changes. This individual can be a member of the safety team or an operations person. There can be multiple associates involved in an ergonomic team. The important thing is that this individual(s) is/are truly passionate about ergonomics and the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Without this type of leadership, projects and training rarely progress to completion, and money is spent on assessment tools that never get used.

Even if an outside ergonomist is used and completes the assessment and makes recommendations, you still need an internal champion to make sure the recommendations are implemented. Which leads us to the next big mistake…

2. Performing ergonomic assessments but not following through with countermeasures or training Ergonomic assessment does little to no good if nothing changes. If you know a task is hazardous, even if the hazard is quantified through computer vision software, and you fail to implement countermeasures or conduct meaningful ergonomic training, essentially, the investment in the assessment has been wasted. What’s the definition of insanity?  “When you keep doing the same things over and over again and expect to get different results.”

3. Not making the training job-specific. The evidence is clear. A lot of ergonomic training is not effective.

Why?

Nine times out of ten, it’s because the training was generic, one-size-fits-all, and covered ergonomic principles instead of job-specific, relevant training. The expectation is that employees will be able to translate that generic information to their specific jobs.

 Most of the time, this just doesn’t happen. Old habits are hard to break – especially if you’re not even aware of them, much less know how to change them for the better. In our experience, the only meaningful ergonomic training – the kind that actually produces behavioral change – must be job-specific.

In addition, training with some type of visual feedback is important—either videos or photos. ErgoScience finds that incorporating computer vision software into the training greatly enhances employee buy-in and engagement. They see the objective risk scores when tasks are performed with and without good ergonomic technique, and the changes typically inspire workers to change.

4. Failing to conduct post-training follow-up. Just as assessment alone doesn’t create change, training alone doesn’t change behavior. Employees often lack the strength, flexibility, and skill to do tasks in the most ergonomically efficient manner. They need to be observed, and feedback needs to be provided for their behavior to change. With the average ratio of 1 safety professional to 300 employees, the safety professional can’t be the only person giving feedback.

If safety professionals can’t provide the necessary feedback, the responsibility may fall to frontline supervisors, which can be burdensome on top of all their other responsibilities.

ErgoScience has found that wearable ergonomic sensors that provide haptic (vibration) feedback when improper postures/lifts are performed greatly facilitate true behavior change. Safety personnel can more easily monitor changes in the number of risky postures/lifts, which generally decrease over time.

In one case study conducted at a pet food warehouse, involving 685 participants over 7,236 shifts, the use of the sensors decreased MSDs by 56% compared to the same average time frame during the previous 4 years.

5. Not periodically refreshing the assessments. Jobs change, people come and go, and equipment and tools improve. Today’s solutions may be less effective than those that become available next year. A proactive approach is to annually analyze the job tasks that are creating injuries or that the employees identify as most difficult.

If training is conducted, it should also be refreshed at least annually, and better still, every six months. New hires should receive the same training during orientation to their new jobs. Ergonomic procedures should become part of standard operating procedures that are updated with any change.

Ergonomic procedures and their importance can become the topic of “Tool Box Talks” that occur in some companies before every shift. Warm-up exercises should be periodically reviewed and updated if the jobs are changing.

6. Failing to Recognize the Importance of Participatory Ergonomics:

A participatory ergonomic approach is one in which workers are directly involved in worksite assessments, solution development, and implementation. Workers can provide valuable input by:

• Identifying hazards in their workplaces.
• Suggesting solutions to reduce the hazards.
• Evaluating the changes made as a result of an ergonomic assessment.

Involving workers in the design and implementation of ergonomic solutions is crucial for success. a participatory approach ensures that interventions are tailored to the specific needs and tasks of the employees. If employees are left out of the process, the best solutions could be missed, and employee engagement could be jeopardized.

In Summary. Industrial ergonomic assessments, countermeasures, and training are critical to a safe work environment. However, to be effective, an ergonomic program must have the following key features:

• An internal champion or a team of champions to ensure follow-through.
• Including front-line employees in the solution development and implementation.
• Following through with feasible ergonomic countermeasures and training.
• Implementing training that is job-specific.
• Post-training follow-up to ensure behavioral change.
• Refreshing of the assessments, countermeasures, and training annually.

Contact ErgoScience for assistance and consultation on your ergonomic program.