Worksite International Blog

Developing, implementing and managing an ergonomics process (EP) is a worthwhile endeavor resulting in a positive and rewarding experience for all those involved. When properly constructed it engages and influences employees and management alike in an area that requires our undivided attention, our own health, wellness and safety. A successful ergonomics process will change the way the organization and those within operate on a day to day basis.

Workers’ compensation ergonomic worksite analysis (EWA) involves a professional onsite analysis of the injured worker and a comprehensive medical-legal report of findings and recommendations. The report is intended to be evidenced- based, objective and defensible in a court of law as it is part of the medical management of the claim. As such, the document represents the professional ergonomist’s expertise in what the work injury causation is and how to mitigate the exposures causing the injury. The ergonomic analysis is a “recipe” for worksite changes to minimize or eliminate to the extent feasible the risk factors so the injured worker can stay at work or return to work safely

But what happens if the claim goes sideways and your employee decides to sue you? Will the ergonomic analysis help or hurt you in court?

Selecting ergonomic chairs for a diverse workforce is not easy to do. I find most employers, including purchasing managers or in-house ergonomics support tasked with selecting and purchasing ergonomic chairs often choose poorly. Primarily because they don't utilize good criteria to select from or know where to find the criteria. Many select chairs based on the lowest price which is a recipe for failure! With sitting time increasing for most of us to 7 or more hours a day in the office, investing in comfortable, supportive ergonomic chairs as a capital asset is a must!

And, I don't mean tidy, orderly and clean at your desk. If you are not NEAT, you should be! NEAT is an acronym for "Nonexercise Activity Thermogenesis".

NEAT is the basic daily activity we should be doing, but we aren't because we are sitting too much. We have become chained to our computers, phones and iPads. We commute long hours to work in our cars then camp out on the couch at night watching the hi-def 54" TV! NEAT is the energy expenditure of all physical activities other than volitional sporting-like exercise. It ranges from the energy we expend walking in the grocery store, walking the hallways at work, typing, performing physical tasks and even fidgeting.

Oxford Dictionary defines a misfit as something that does not fit or that fits badly.

Recently, a good friend and colleague of mine posted a picture on Facebook of an old cassette from a conference we spoke at in 2001 (Figure 2). Our topic was ”Ergonomic Questions and Answers”. Seeing the cassette made me reflect on how far we have come with ergonomics since then.

Do you know what you’re sitting on these days at work? What if the chairs your organization provided could give you a boost in energy and productivity? Or on the flip side, contribute to your aching back or neck? How would you know and what would you do?

Have you noticed your coworkers sitting at their workstations on large round balls? I’m often asked what I think of using a ball at work. With recent attention to the active workplace, more and more people are seeking alternative postures to work. One such strategy some employees and employers are turning to is exercise balls in place of their ergonomic chairs.But is the stability ball really a good idea in the office?

Dr. David Rempel is a Professor of Medicine at the University of CA. He is one of the most important USA researchers in upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders (CTD) in our time. Dr. Rempel’s presentation at ERGOX 2015 focused on the latest research on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).

Dr. Rempel discussed “Big Ergo”, a large prospective study spanning from 2001-2011 focusing on the causation of distal upper extremity (UE) CTD including CTS, wrist tendonitis, elbow tendinitis and rotator cuff disorders in a production/manufacturing setting.

Dr. Marras presented his latest research on lower back disorders at ERGOX 2015. He is the Executive Director Scientific Director of the Spine Research Institute, and a Professor at Ohio State University. His research is centered on understanding the role of biomechanics in spine disorder causation and its role in the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of spine disorders.

Lower back disorders are the #1 disability worldwide, costing more than cancer with over 100 million lost time work days. Lower back is typically over-treated, with approximately 50% of all surgeries performed on the lower back unsuccessful, 80-90% lower back conditions are misdiagnosed, costing millions of dollars in failed surgeries.