Jan/Feb 2004

MIND SET MATCH

By Angela Stelmakowich

The ultimate goal of ergonomics may be to reach that state of mind, so to speak, where it is simply — naturally — part of all processes: from task design to work scheduling to equipment selection.

Achieving an “ergonomics mind set” is easily stated, although not necessarily easily achieved. Both employers and workers have to agree that it’s worth the time and effort, says John Towler, senior partner of Creative Organizational Design in Waterloo, Ontario. And achieving that buy-in, Towler says, starts with a very personal question: what does it mean to me? “There are really three things that are involved here: knowledge, need and drive. And they all have to go together,” he says.

Of course, all this demands first getting the attention of workers and employers. To illustrate, Towler tells the tale of a farmer who buys a mule. The seller says the mule will do everything asked as long as it is treated kindly and not abused. Upon arriving home, the farmer gently asks the mule to step out of the trailer. The mule will not budge. The farmer phones the seller to explain his predicament. The farmer is asked if he has abused the mule, to which he replies “No.” The seller comes to the farm, picks up a two- by-four, and hits the mule on the head. “Come out, please,” he says. The mule complies. Flabbergasted, the farmer argues that the seller clearly said earlier that the mule should not be abused. “Well, yes,” says the seller. “But you have to get his attention first.” No one is advocating use of two-by-fours, of course, but Towler says it is essential to get someone’s attention before need is established.

It is also necessary to consider the full reach of ergonomics. Poor practices can affect a business in ways that are not immediately clear, says Sue Pettit, an ergonomics specialist in Halifax. If there are problems from organizational, psychosocial and physical standpoints in a call centre, for example, “then the person is going to be either absent more, unhappy, maybe sore and tired. And that is going to likely reflect how they deal with clients.”

A fact sheet from Nova Scotia’s OH&S Division makes some recommendations about how stakeholders can build an ergonomics mind set. If you plan to purchase an item; modify an existing facility, work space, job, tool or piece of equipment; build a new work station or facility; or create a new work position, then you need to ask and answer a few questions.

• What are the job requirements? Determine what a worker must do, step by step, to perform the job, taking into account all physical actions and body positions. 

• What are the important employee characteristics? Consider if it’s necessary to bear in mind special limitations, including the sizes and capabilities of workers, as well as employee age, sex and experience. 
• What is the physical operating environment? Look at how factors such as cold or heat, noise, vibration, floor conditions and lighting levels may influence how well a person can do the work.
• What training/skills does the person need or have? This will determine required training and skills development. 
• What is the worst case scenario for the employee? The first four questions help identify if there is likely to be injury and/or other safety hazards linked to the job/task. 
• What are the consequences of human error? What will happen to people, product and place if the person makes a mistake or does not perform up to standard? Ergonomics, says Pettit, should be integrated into daily business activities. Firms that have adopted a “macroergonomics” approach, where ergonomics is integrated into work systems and decisions, have witnessed more pronounced improvements in soft-tissue injury abatement than companies that have focused on equipment concerns alone, she adds.

To be safe and not sorry, Carrie Taylor Van Velzer, principal ergonomist for Taylor’d Ergonomics in Cambridge, Ontario, recommends that ergonomics be considered as early as possible. An empty room — no paint, no carpet and no office equipment — can still present some ergonomics challenges, Taylor Van Velzer says. If a long, narrow building was meant to house a call centre, for example, the influence of large windows, work station configuration and noise levels would come into play, she says. It is also crucial to get input from employees. “Most employees know the way that’s best for them,” Taylor Van Velzer says, adding they will find a technique that either minimizes pain or minimizes energy output. “The human body is very smart at finding the easiest way to do things. So what we do in ergonomics is make sure that the easiest way is also the safest way,” she says.

It’s good to keep your mind open to certain options, such as left-handed mousing, Taylor Van Velzer says. But other things, like keyboards that are too high or chairs that don’t support the back, are never acceptable.

Taylor Van Velzer says the training offered by her company is very hands-on. But those first training sessions must “be supplemented with ongoing awareness and people need to have time to practice the skills they’re learning.” Companies, she says, “want you to come in, do it, have it done — and then it’s over. And that’s a hurdle, definitely.”

Adds Pettit, “If you’re wanting to obtain the gains you can achieve by an ergonomics approach, then you have to make the commitment to it being a long-term initiative.”

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