30.3 What You Can Do to Reduce Your Risk Potential
30.2 What is Ergonomics? #
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) defines ergonomics as the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the working population. In other words, it is the relationship between people, the work they do and their work environment. It is about adapting the workplace to fit the worker. Modifications to the work, work tasks, and how people perform their work can help to improve comfort, safety and productivity.
Disorders of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, joints, cartilage and spinal discs are known as musculoskeletal disorders. You may know these disorders by other names:
- Tendonitis
- Carpet Layers’ Knee
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Trigger Finger
- De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis
- Epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
- Low Back Pain
- Herniated Spinal Disc
- Shoulder Strain
- Stiff Neck
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Raynaud’s Syndrome
- Ulnar Neuropathy
These disorders occur when you have overused or strained muscles. You can develop MSDs when a major part of the job you perform includes reaching, bending, lifting heavy objects, using excessive force, working in awkward postures over long periods of time, working with tools that don’t fit you, performing repetitive motions or when a body part presses against a hard or sharp surface.
The good news is that MSDs are preventable and reversible in the early stages! All you need is an understanding of MSDs, how to prevent them and a commitment to making changes. Being receptive to making changes is critical and lays the groundwork for correcting unsafe conditions and work behaviors. Correcting workstation layouts, work habits, job design and taking good care of your body will reduce the risk of injury while increasing your comfort and productivity. See a physician if you experience discomfort.
Workplace MSDs are caused by frequent and prolonged exposure to the following risk factors:
- Repetition: Doing the same motions over and over again places stress on the muscles and tendons. The severity of risk depends on how often the action is repeated, the speed of the movement, the number of muscles involved and the force required.
- Forceful Exertions: Force is the amount of physical effort required to perform a task, such as heavy lifting or maintaining control of equipment or tools. The amount of force depends on the type of grip, the weight of an object, body postures, the types of activity and the duration of the task.
- Awkward Postures: Posture is the position your body assumes for a specific purpose. Awkward postures include repeated or prolonged reaching, twisting, bending, Kneeling, squatting, working overhead with your hands or arms, or holding fixed positions.
- Contact Stress: Pressing the body against a hard or sharp surface or edge can result in placing too much pressure on nerves, tendons and blood vessels. For example, using your hand as a hammer can increase your risk of MSD.
- Vibration: Operating vibrating tools such as sanders, grinders, chippers, routers, drills and saws can lead to nerve damage. Special padding or anti-vibration gloves can help. If possible, reduce the amount of time you spend working with vibration tools.
- Heavy Lifting and Carrying: Unassisted, frequent or heavy lifting and carrying items.
- Psychological Stressors: Pressure on the body and mind resulting from deadlines, rush jobs, high production expectations, and strict accuracy requirements.
- Lack of Recovery Time: Job tasks performed repetitively with little variation and without a break. Recovery time is needed to rest, rejuvenate and relieve muscle strain.
MSDs may cause diminished strength for gripping, limited range of motion, loss of muscle function, and difficulty or an inability to do everyday tasks. Common symptoms include:
- Pain in the neck, shoulders, elbows, forearms, wrists, fingers, back, knees.
- Fingers or toes turning white.
- Painful joints.
- Pain, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet.
- Shooting or stabbing pains in the arms or legs.
- Stiffness.
- Swelling or inflammation.
- Burning sensation.
30.3 What You Can Do to Reduce Your Risk Potential #
- Change Postures Frequently: Muscle strain and tension can build up when you remain in the same position for long periods of time. Take mini-breaks to help relax muscles. A break from your work to rest, stretch or move around for two or three minutes every 30 minutes can make a big difference in reducing fatigue, stiffness and discomfort. Find another position to work in such as changing your chair height or seat angle, standing rather than sitting, or repositioning your armrests. It doesn’t really matter as long as you change positions throughout the day! This not only allows muscles to recover, but keeps blood circulating and provides oxygen to muscle tissues.
- Organize Your Workstation: Keep those items that you use frequently within easy reach to avoid stressful postures. How you organize your workstation supplies, tools and equipment determines how you use your body. For example, when you have to reach overhead for a manual or across the desk for the phone or the mouse, or when you are too far away from the monitor to see clearly, the action of leaning forward, reaching, bending the wrists or neck and squinting to see your work can contribute to physical strain if you do it repeatedly throughout the day.
- Alternate Job Tasks: When you perform the same tasks over and over, it places increasing strain on the muscles and tendons that are doing the work. To reduce the risk of strain that may result from repetitive work, it is important to alternate the tasks that you do. This will allow certain muscle groups to rest while other muscle groups are working. For example, if you spend a lot of time typing on the keyboard, break up this repetitive pattern by making necessary phone calls, copying documents or delivering a package.
- Avoid Eyestrain: Eyestrain is a common problem in the workplace. If you perform visually demanding tasks such as using a microscope or a computer, your eyes may become dry, irritated or strained. If you experience eyestrain, see your eye care specialist. A new optical prescription or special computer glasses may be helpful in reducing eyestrain. For computer work, the position, distance and height of the monitor are important. Glare on the screen and light that is too bright or too dim can contribute to eyestrain. Resting your eyes throughout the day and practicing eye exercises can make a difference. One helpful exercise is to look far up to the right corner of the eye, look down to the left, look up to the left corner, then down to the right. This will work most muscles of the eye. Change focal distance by looking away from close-up work to as far away as you can see (e.g. across the parking lot, down the hallway, out the window). And blink often to keep the eyes lubricated.
- Protect Your Back! Lifting incorrectly can put you at risk for back injury. Be alert when you need to lift something. Plan how you will lift before you begin. Keep your body properly aligned when lifting and moving heavy or bulky objects. Bring the object close to you. Pick up the object by bending your knees and keeping your back in its natural “S” curve, then lift and carry it. If you have to move the object a long distance, use wheels, a cart, a hand truck or request help from another person.
- Avoid Bending and twisting: Bending and twisting can cause back strain, too. Avoid bending forward to reach for an object. Even if the object weighs very little, bending forward places a lot of strain on your back. Bending and twisting to reach for something, such as files, the phone, a manual, or objects you need to work with to complete a task, can be dangerous. Move closer to the object and turn your whole body rather than twist.
- Lifting: To avoid physical injury, the following procedure shall be followed when lifting:
- Stand close to the load. Position feet to avoid twisting the trunk of the body.
- Place one foot alongside of the object to be lifted and the other foot slightly behind the object keeping the heels flat.
- Bend your knees and squat down while keeping the back erect. Keeping the chin up will help in keeping you straight.
- Take a firm grip form underneath the object. Arms should be kept straight.
- Gradually straighten legs in order to avoid a jerking motion.
- Carry the load close to the body while keeping the back erect.
- Avoid twisting motions; turn the whole body if necessary.
- When setting the load down reverse the above process.
- If lifting at or above shoulder height rest the load at waist height, re-position hands and finish the lift.
- If the load is too heavy or awkward, obtain help.
30.4 Help with Ergonomics #
Refer to the EHS web page for additional ergonomic information at www.ehs.umich.edu. If you have attempted to make corrections to your work area and are still uncertain or have questions, contact EHS at 647-1143 for assistance
