Ergonomic Tips (03/02)
Reducing exposure to stressful situations
by John R. Chait D.C., drchait@comcast.net
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.
One of the primary methods employed to reduce exposure to a hazardous work environment involves improving the workplace. The science of matching workers with their work environment is known as ergonomics. Properly defined, ergonomics is the scientific study of human work. A more practical definition states that ergonomics is "the science of matching the job to the worker and the product to the user," to everyday work situations. For instance, if workers encounter problems with their wrists because the counter they work on is too hard, a reasonable solution is to provide a padded wrist support. Or if a worker develops a tendonitis in the elbow because the forces required to tighten a machine part are too great, the solution involves providing mechanical assistance to reduce the forces.
The two primary objectives of ergonomic intervention are to enhance performance and control fatigue. Three primary areas, physical, psychological and psychosocial, can affect both performance and fatigue. Within each of these primary areas are a number of factors including:
Workers' physical fitness - How fit are the individuals for the job
they're performing?
Force - Does the job require the use of force? What type of force (static vs. dynamic)? How often is the force applied (seldom, frequently or constantly)? Is the force sustained for periods of time?
Position - Are any joints and muscles place in non-neutral postures for prolonged periods of time?
Repetition - How frequently is a task performed?
Duty cycle - How long does it take to perform a single task? How long the recovery time before the task is repeated?
Vibration - Is the worker exposed to vibration? Are anti-vibration devices used?
Friction - Is the worker exposed to slippery surfaces?
Work practices - Is training adequate? What are the policies regarding injury reports? Light duty? Return to work?
Environment - Is the work environment adequate (temperature, lighting, ventilation)?
Job satisfaction - What is the relationship between labor and management?
Operator control - How difficult is the task to perform?
The interaction of these factors has a cumulative effect. The process of improving workplace safety involves identifying the risk factors, investigating the actual causes of injuries or the triggering events, designing intervention, strategies, implementing necessary procedures, and tracking outcomes.
Chiropractors have helped large numbers of workers by improving the worker's ability to function and interact, hopefully in a less stressful environment. Enhancing performance and controlling fatigue should be one of the most important goals of employers to help employees deal with the stresses of the daily working atmosphere. :
Copyright 2002. This article is from the March 2002 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/
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