How To Do An Ergonomic Assessment At Work
What is an ergonomic assessment?
The workforce can pose many risks to the health of employees. Recently musculoskeletal disorder has been identified as just one disease many employees are developing at work, according to the CDC. Outside of symptoms of pain, this has led to many employees missing work and feeling unsafe. It’s important that employers are regularly assessing their workplace to ensure safety for all employees.
Conducting an ergonomic assessment can help identify what’s causing these ergonomic injuries at the workplace and help you create a much safer environment. By conducting one at your workplace you can maximize comfort and improve employee wellness.
Use an ergonomic assessment
When improving a workplace, it’s important to identify and address all the risks your employees might run into. When conducting an ergonomic assessment, there are many areas you need to cover. Such as your employee’s daily routines, equipment, workstation, and more. By doing so, you can easily assess the safety of the workplace and how your employees work in the environment.
Here are a few steps to do while conducting a thorough ergonomic assessment of your workplace:
- Gather Data
To improve your current workplace, it’s important to know the history. Gather the data on any past workplace injuries. That includes injury reports, first aid logs, worker’s compensation files, and more. Figure out which department at your workplace has repetitive injuries and complaints. This will help you identify the places that have the highest risk for injuries and therefore need the most improvement in ergonomics.
- Speak to employees
Schedule meetings with employees and ask them about any concerns they have regarding the workplace. Review their daily tasks and make note of the equipment they frequently use. While discussing their routines, ask them about body pain and stress levels they’ve been dealing with. By speaking to them, you can get more insider information about the impact the workplace has on their health. Ask employees questions like:
“Do you feel unsafe performing your job?”
“Does your workstation leave you feeling pain?”
“How can we improve your level of safety and comfort while working?”
- Use an ergonomic assessment checklist
For those conducting an ergonomic assessment, there are many resources you can use to guide you! An ergonomic assessment checklist helps you measure the risk of equipment your employees use and the workstation they work in. By answering the questions, you’ll receive a risk score. From this, you’ll get the data you need to make improvements. Some questions on a checklist might include:
“Do employees perform tasks with an awkward head or neck position?”
“Do employees routinely complete tasks that require heavy lifting?”
- Analyze the information and data
After gathering information and analyzing the other data, you now can evaluate the sources of ergonomic risk.
- Implement Change
This is the most important step of the ergonomic assessment. This is the time that you can drastically improve the work environment for your employees by implementing key changes. With the insight you have gathered, you can make long-term changes that ensure the workplace is ergonomic. You can also provide key training lessons on things like improving desk posture, and how to safely use work equipment, to improve their overall health and wellness.
At E3 Consulting, we have ergonomic programs that can help you make those changes. We can help you evaluate your workplace and identify your risk levels. We’re here to guide you through the necessary changes you need to make.
Want to learn more about how to implement an ergonomics assessment and program? Let E3 Consulting help get you started.
We can help your company reach its short-term and long-term goals. Our team is here to design personalized ergonomic recommendations for your company and help train employees to work safely in the office.
