Ergonomics safety is important for all workers in all industries

What do you think of when you hear the term ‘Ergonomic Safety’? Likely it conjures images of office workers sitting at their desks, in various states of correctness. However, ergonomic safety is important for workers in ALL industries!

Ergonomics Outside the Office

Section 25(2)(h), known as the ‘General Duty’ clause in the Occupational Health and Safety Act (the Act) makes it mandatory for employers to take reasonable precautions for work safety. This includes recognizing, assessing, and controlling ergonomic hazards.

There are ergonomic hazards in every industry, not just within the office industry. These hazards must be controlled to minimize the impact to work health and safety.

There are many ergonomic hazards to be aware of in warehouse and manufacturing settings

The Manufacturing Industry

Most manufacturing work, by its nature, is very repetitive. For example, assembly line work can be repetitive. As well, placing or removing products from an assembly line may result in awkward postures. Manufacturing employees are at risk for repetitive strain injuries.

The Warehousing Industry

There are many ergonomic hazards to be aware of in a warehouse setting. When assessing hazards, employers and Joint Health and Safety Committee members will want to look out for manual material handling hazards. These include ensuring that employers are using the proper ergonomic form for lifting, pushing, and pulling products.

Many warehouses require the use of lift trucks to move product around. Lift truck operators are also at risk for ergonomic injury if they no sit properly on their machine, or if the machine is not in good working condition. Machines that are not in good condition may cause an operator to be at risk due to increased vibrations or improper posture.

The Construction Industry

There are several ergonomic risk factors in the construction industry, such as:

Repetitive motions
Awkward and/or heavy lifting
Overexertion
Improper tool grip or using the wrong tools for the job
Frequent exposure to vibration via vibrating hand tools and/or jackhammers
Poorly maintained lifting equipment/machinery

Ergonomic hazards get overlooked sometimes in the contrition industry, usually because there is so much focus on other safety hazards associated with the use of tools, heavy machinery, and working at heights. However, the employer must recognize and asses the risk for ergonomic injury even in the construction industry because construction work can be very hard on the body and may result in injuries with lifelong effects.

Ergonomics safety training is the best best defense against manual material handling injuries

Preventing Ergonomic Injury through Training

When it comes to preventing ergonomic injuries in non-office settings, there are many strategies. For example:

Keeping all tools and machinery in good working order
Providing the right tool for the job
Encouraging or mandating job rotation, so that no one is repeating the same task for an entire day
Using lifting assist devices or aids to reduce the exertion required to lift
Providing dollies, trollies, or carts to reduce unnecessary exertion when moving products
Keeping required tools within easy reach
Giving workers who need to work at lower levels knee pads or stools to reduce the need to squat for extended periods

When it comes to manual material handling and reducing ergonomic hazards, the absolute best defense against injury is ergonomic safety training. No matter the industry, all workers should receive ergonomic and manual material handling training that is relevant to their role. This training should include:

Basic information about the human body
Lists and descriptions of ergonomic hazards
Definitions and descriptions of the various MDSs (Musculoskeletal Disorders) and RSIs (Repetitive Strain Injuries)
How to recognize, assess, and control ergonomic hazards
How to assess the controls put in place
Ergonomic best practices specific to the industry
Signs and symptoms of various ergonomic injuries

Training is the first line of defense against ergonomic injury in any industry.

Trust MidSouthWest Training and Consulting

MidSouthWest Training and Consulting offers courses in Manual Material Handling and Ergonomic Safety.

We also offer an Ergonomic Assessment Train-the-Trainer!

You can trust MidSouthWest Training and Consulting to provide you with cost-effective training solutions tailored to meet your organization’s unique health and safety needs.

To ask questions about ergonomic hazards in non-office (or office!) settings, contact us online or call 289.309.1143. Visit us 24/7 on the web at midsouthwest.ca.

Last updated June 11, 2020