Using Ergonomic Culture to Achieve Multiple Returns

On Jan. 15, 2014, Robert Pater, the managing director of SSA/MoveSMART, presented Leading a Concentric Ergonomic Culture to Achieve Multiple Returns, his 22^nd webinar for ASSE.

According to Pater, ergonomic principles of preventing cumulative trauma can be applied to overall safety and to organizational change. In terms of ergonomics, cumulative trauma is generally caused by a concentration of pressure on one part of the body during work activities and results in weakness of joints and muscles. For example, when one’s occupation involves continuous sitting, cumulative trauma can be prevented by periodically shifting positions during the day.

Cumulative trauma also applies to other areas of safety, such as hearing loss and eye injury. If one is exposed to loud noises without wearing the needed protective equipment only a few times, the hearing loss experienced will be less severe than if s/he is exposed to damaging noises on a regular basis. Similarly, workers often overlook the importance of eye protection based on the infrequency of severe eye injuries, yet even small particles of dust entering the eyes can cause serious damage if a worker’s eyes are exposed to dust often and over long periods of time.

To create a concentric ergonomic culture, Pater says an organization must focus on increasing leverage; using few actions to gain multiple results that will affect many people over long periods of time. He explains that there are four levels of ergonomic culture:

1. Forced. Safety is done to workers by top management with a minimal amount of effort exerted.
2. Protective. Safety is done for workers, and managers view safety as important but treat workers like children by underestimating worker competencies in regard to ergonomics and blaming workers for incorrect approaches.
3. Involved. Safety is done with workers and viewed as very important. 
4. Leadership. Everyone practices ergonomics and views himself or herself as an ergonomics expert. People are made responsible for their own actions and check in with themselves to ensure that they are carrying out tasks in the safest manner possible.

Achieving level four requires focusing on internalized ergonomics as well as training workers on how to become more aware of their own actions, reporting incidents and avoiding blaming individuals. Additionally, organizations must make use of the safest equipment possible. Many times, organizations invest in safer equipment but fail to take the time to implement its use.

Because strains and other ergonomic injuries often result from work objects being located too far away from the worker, engineering approaches to ergonomics often involve moving work objects closer to the worker. Another approach is to move the worker closer to his or her work and train workers on ergonomic skills regarding decision making. However, Pater suggests that the most effective approach is to simultaneously move work closer to the worker and the worker closer to his or her work while also encouraging workers to take responsibility for their own actions. This coordination approach yields the best results because it gives workers control over their own movements but also allows workers to gain comfort at work by controlling their work environments.