Straighten Up Or Pay The Price

Straighten Up Or Pay The Price
Muscular-skeletal disorders account for 40% of workplace injuries, costing the economy $2-billion annually. But proper workplace ergonomics has proven repeatedly to repay itself in higher profits and less lost time due to entirely avoidable injuries.
- By Isaac Rudik

When business executives and owners hear someone mutter the word “ergonomics,” too often their eyes glaze over, their mind wanders, and they dismiss the whole notion as another buzzword dreamed up consultants who have no idea what’s really involved in running a business and turning a profit.

Unfortunately, in many cases they’d be correct – but only because the word has been co-opted by advertising to plug fuzzy features of everything from cars to shoe inserts.

That’s too bad because the fact is ergonomics has a direct bearing on profitability. In fact, ergonomics often affects everything from productivity to the rate of workplace injuries. And it’s not just because employees might get a sore back from sitting in a poorly designed chair or lifting a heavy box improperly. Correct workplace ergonomics extends across the shop floor, encompassing everything from tool design to the layout of factories and warehouses.

In short, investing in proper workplace ergonomics has proven repeatedly to repay itself in higher profits and less lost time due to entirely avoidable injuries.

Immediate Payback

Several years ago, a 200-year old manufacturer became alarmed at its injury rate for muscular-skeletal disorders (MSD), which was nearly three times the norm for all industries. To figure out what was wrong, it created a series of “ergonomic committees” that included employees from every department, an assessment of every task performed in the plant, an annual discomfort survey of workers and an enhanced training and communications plan.

Over a five year period, the company spent $2.5-million on its ergonomic programme. The company calculated that its annual return-on-investment was 40% – a whopping 40% per year. At the same time, it reduced workplace MSD injury rate by the 40% as well and, where workstation improvements were made and MSD factors reduced, productivity climbed by an astronomical 100%.

Another manufacturer, this one high tech, realised that most workplace injuries that resulted in lost time related to lifting, fastening and keyboarding. It conducted a study, led by an outside advisor, to determine where workstations and tasks created the greatest risk for MSD injuries. As a result, adjustments were made in both workplace design and employee training.

In the first year alone, the cost of worker compensation claims plummeted 75%, to $94,000 from more than $400,000. The following year, additional improvements were made and claims fell again to $12,000. The company estimates that it saved nearly $1.5-million over four years in direct costs alone; the programme cost $500,000.

Simple First Steps

A business doesn’t have to begin with a six-figure investment to improve ergonomically-driven productivity increases. New resources are available to workers and employers to help prevent ergonomic-related injuries, which accounts for 40% of time lost from injuries and cost the Canadian economy $19-billion over the 10 years from 1996 to 2006:

Conventional Ergonomic Chair: They provide optimal support to every part of the body. They are fully adjustable in many different directions, enabling workers to get the perfect seating position, offering excellent support for both the back and legs.

Saddle Seat: As its name suggests, the chair’s shape resembles a horse saddle. It keeps the pelvis in its natural position so that, when leaning forward, the user moves from the hips and not the waist.

Recliner Chair: Reclining is the most relaxing position for the back, especially for people who suffer spine-related problems such as lumber spinal stenosis. While not well-suited for tables or desks, these chairs usually feature detachable or swivel tables for holding a laptop and files.

Solid Solution

A high backed synchronized glider chair such as one designed with the Moller® back support system is a commonly-used, solid solution because it employs a physician-designed approach that is clinically proven to reduce back and neck pain, fatigue and headaches by encouraging proper back alignment.

The spinal column is fully supported and maintains a natural lower spine configuration. Compression on the veins is reduced and circulation improved while strain on the lower back muscles is decreased, reducing fatigue and discomfort. Moreover, such a chair allows for multiple adjustments for maximum, personal comfort.

Given the high cost to companies of entirely preventable workplace injuries from MSD’s, the relatively low cost – and almost immediate payback – of avoiding the problem makes total sense.

Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.

E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.