Hazards Series: Ergonomic Hazards in the Workplace
How to spot the ergonomic safety hazards in your workplace before they harm your employees
Ergonomic hazards are factors in your environment that can harm the musculoskeletal system. The are Injuries that are caused by strain placed on the body from ergonomic hazards and aren’t always immediately obvious, making these hazards difficult to detect. In this post from our “Workplace Hazards” series, we’ll take a look at how you can identify ergonomic hazards and remove them your workplace.
How to know if something is an ergonomic hazard
The severity of ergonomic hazards often depends on the level of exposure over time. Injuries sustained from these safety hazards can include anything from sore muscles to long-term illnesses. Ergonomic hazards include:
Improperly adjusted workstations and chairs
Frequent lifting
Poor posture
Awkward movements, especially if they are repetitive
Using too much force, especially if it’s done frequently
Vibration
Ergonomic hazards are often a result of the way a space is designed, meaning that planning ahead and thinking about how employees interact with their work space is crucial.
Questions to ask about ergonomic hazards when assessing your workplace
What kinds of repetitive tasks are my employees performing?
Have workstations and chairs been adjusted according to employee height?
Do our workstations encourage employees to use proper posture?
What kind of strenuous activities are employees engaged in throughout the day?
How much force are employees exerting while working?
Are factors in the workplace producing vibrations?
What to do once ergonomic safety hazards have been identified
When ergonomic hazards are identified, it may be necessary to redesign aspects of a workspace or employee routine. Anything that could cause employees to experience long- or short-term strain should be evaluated and alterations to procedures and work spaces should be considered. If it’s determined that ergonomic hazards cannot be removed from a workplace, controls can be implemented to reduce risks that are involved.
Administrative vs. engineering controls
Engineering controls limit risk by reducing or eliminating safety hazards through physical means. Examples of engineering controls for ergonomic hazards include:
Breaking down tasks and weight loads to reduce the exertion necessary by employees
Limiting employee exertion by using equipment for heavy lifting
Redesigning work spaces to accommodate individuals in order to reduce strain and improve posture
Ensuring that all work spaces provide employees the full range of motion required to complete a task
Repositioning objects and surfaces such as tables in the workplace to reduce the need for reaching
Administrative controls reduce risk by changing work processes and activities in order to make them more safe. Some examples of administrative controls for ergonomic hazards are:
Provide employees with break periods that help to reduce short-term strain
Adjusting the pace of work to reduce exertion
Rotate employees working in repetitive or strenuous tasks, to reducing exposure
Store objects and tools where employees can retrieve them while maintaining neutral position
Label any heavy loads with their weight amount
Place requirements on weight loads by introducing group lifting policies
How working alone increases risks from ergonomic hazards
Because lone workers are often away from others when injuries from ergonomic hazards take place, lone workers are going to face much more difficulty receiving help. Providing employees with a lone worker monitoring system, like SafetyLine, can help make sure that they’re safe at work whether they can call for help or not.To learn more about how you can identify and remove safety hazards from your workplace, see the other posts in this series and download our free hazard assessment guide.
To learn how SafetyLine can help keep your employees safe at work, call 1-888-WRK-ALNE or contact us by email here or fill out the form below