What about Child and Elder Care? Wellness Programs?

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12.3a Ergonomics

One way to help eliminate health hazards in the workplace is via ergonomics. Recall that we discussed ergonomics in Chapter 4 when we looked at job design. Ergonomics focuses on ensuring that jobs are designed for safe and efficient work while improving the safety, comfort, and performance of users. Ergonomics can be as simple as rearranging a workstation so fewer steps are needed to gather items or organizing items so they are within easier reach. Part of ergonomics involves looking at the design of equipment and the physical abilities of the operators who use it. There is substantial variation in the way people move depending on their physical sizes, genders, ages, and other factors. Designing equipment controls to be compatible with both the physical characteristics and the reaction capabilities of the people who must operate them and the environment in which they work is critically important. Ergonomics also considers the requirements of a diverse workforce, accommodating, for example, women who may lack the strength to operate equipment requiring intense physical force or Asian Americans who may lack the stature to reach equipment controls.

An ergonomically designed computer workstation like this will reduce the strain on the worker’s eyes, neck and shoulders, wrists, and back.

Phanie RGB Ventures/SuperStock/Alamy

Ergonomics has proven cost-effective at organizations such as Compaq Computer, 3M, Pratt and Whitney, and the U.S. Postal Service and has eliminated, or at least reduced, many repetitive motion injuries, particularly those related to the back and wrist. At Cessna

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Aircraft, factory employees use specially designed hand tools to reduce hand and arm tension. Rockwell Automation reduced shoulder injuries to punch-press operators by purchasing hydraulic fork trucks to lift metal dies, a process formerly done manually, and Maple Landmark Woodcraft employed ergonomic education to reduce repetitive motion injuries caused by hammering. The key elements of successful ergonomic programs are shown in Figure 12.6.

Figure 12.6

Key Elements for a Successful Ergonomics Program

Companies with award-winning ergonomics programs list the following as common elements of success:

Provide notice and training for employees. Implement a well-publicized ergonomics policy or present ergonomic information in safety policies or training programs. Train employees, supervisors, and managers in basic workplace ergonomics.

Conduct preinjury hazard assessment. Survey the workplace and work processes for potential hazards and adopt measures to lessen the exposure to ergonomic risk factors. Answer the question: “Are certain work areas more prone to ergonomic hazards than others?”

Involve employees. Include employees in risk assessment, recognition of MSD symptoms, design of work-specific equipment or tools, and the setting of work performance rules and guidelines.

Plan and execute. Integrate ergonomic responsibilities into the performance plans for all personnel. Demand accountability for program success.

File injury reports. Encourage early reporting of MSD symptoms or injuries. Refer employees to the company’s medical facilities or to the employee’s personal physician for treatment.

Evaluate and assess the ergonomics program. Periodically review the effectiveness of the ergonomics program. If the program appears to be ineffective, determine the underlying causes for failure and propose corrective changes.

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Highlights in HRM 4

Job Safety and Health Protection Poster

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