You care about keeping your employees safe and healthy at work, right? Of course you’re interested in their welfare, but you’re also concerned about how their safety and fitness for work affects your bottom line. An employee’s work-related injury can hurt your organization with lost productivity, extra paperwork, increased worker’s compensation costs, and more. So whether you know it or not, you’re interested in ergonomics.
No matter what industry you’re in, making small ergonomically-correct changes to your workplace can help to reduce your employment costs. And while ergonomics can affect many aspects of your work environment, the key idea is to “fit the task to the person.” Look for ways to fit each task to the employee performing it. Areas to consider include:
Workstations – Chairs should be adjustable to fit different employees, and monitors should be at the correct height to reduce neck strain. Check out the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) recommendations for computer workstations. Because workspaces and tasks vary so dramatically, OSHA makes recommendations for improving ergonomics in a variety of job settings.
Temperature – Studies indicate that comfortably warm temperatures may improve productivity. But “solutions” like space heaters can cause problems including power outages and fire. Consider how you can balance energy efficiency (and safety!) with productivity.
Stretching and Strength – A twist on “fitting the task to the person,” you can also encourage your employees to stay fit for their tasks. For example, if your employees perform physically demanding tasks, like lifting or carrying loads, encourage them to stretch before their shifts. Learn what employers like UPS and the United States Postal Service do to keep their employees fit for their demanding jobs in “‘Industrial Athletes’: Men with the Goods”.
Because ergonomics and workplace injury prevention go hand-in-hand, consider reviewing the State of California’s Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) suggestions for developing an illness and injury prevention program. But safety isn’t the only reason to consider improving ergonomics at your workplace. Improved employee comfort can boost morale and send the message that you’re a caring employer, not a heartless tyrant. And efforts to improve ergonomics fit right into your organization’s culture of health and wellness (which you do have, right?).
ADP TotalSource can help you learn more about ergonomics in our training course, offered through TotalSource University. Or, for questions about ergonomics and workplace safety, contact your ADP TotalSource Risk Management and Safety Specialist.
