Deanna RKT Unit III Assignment OSH3305 Industrial Ergonomics 09.26.23
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Unit III Assignment: OSH 3305 Industrial Ergonomics
Unit III Assignment
Deanna Ramos-Kia Tupua
September 26, 2023
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Unit III Assignment: OSH 3305 Industrial Ergonomics
As a safety specialist, my primary focus in ergonomics is to prevent soft tissue injuries and musculoskeletal disorders also known as MSDs. This is
caused by sudden or sustained force, vibrations, awkward positions, repetitive motions, temperatures, noise, and work stress. I'll be conducting a
7-step process for my assessment of Johns's workspace.
Step one, I like to do is review existing data and past assessments in the company. I want to understand the history of the past to create a baseline for all work-related injuries and incidents. Once I collect my data, I begin to review the logs, reports, training, and meetings. I can then identify the issues within John, the employees, the department, and the company. This allows me to establish or make adjustments towards improvements to our ergonomics program. Step Two, I will establish a standard ergonomic assessment method that measures progress and identify improvement opportunities. I implement checklists (Caution & Hazards) and a Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) for John. Step Three, I need to understand the environment John is working in. The questions that I have for myself for example, What does his workspace look like, Where is it located, Is his desk big or tall, What type of chair is he using, etc.? This is
where I can gather pictures and videos to help remind me of the specific details in John's workspace to provide preventatives or improvements. Step Four, I need to engage John and get his direct feedback and concerns that he may have in his workspace. Communication must be clear at this point, this is a good time for me to ask John some questions about how his body is feeling (aches, pains, etc.). This not only improves John's work life, but it strengthens our company's safety culture. As expressed in Step Three the questions, here is where I
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Unit III Assignment: OSH 3305 Industrial Ergonomics
can get my answers directly from the employee (John). I want to make sure John is comfortable, so I begin to share with him my goal, which is to prevent him from injuries and MSDs issues in the future but also to provide him with everything to make sure he has the knowledge to work safely. Once John is comfortable, I will break him into the more crucial questions, see below. 1.
What are your normal duties?
2.
How do you perform your duties?
3.
How long do you do this hour-wise?
4.
Who trained you?
5.
Do you know your training standards?
6.
How do you feel about the work environment?
7.
What would make you more comfortable in your position?
8.
Do you experience discomfort?
Step Five, Here is where I begin to gather all my objective data which is factual information that I have gathered during my observation and measurement process. In this case, feelings or opinions don't matter, straight-up facts only. In this
case, I can always use photos, videos, interviews, and questions. Step Six, I now can begin analyzing what I have learned of John's work space and begin to identify job hazards and begin mitigation opportunities. I like to create a prioritized list of task risks and mitigation opportunities to tackle in the short and long term. You always want to ask yourself.
1.
Are any of John's injuries associated with his job type?
2.
Is John likely to sustain an injury?
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Unit III Assignment: OSH 3305 Industrial Ergonomics
3.
Is Johns injury severe?
Lastly Step Seven, Action Time! After my thorough investigation, it's time to set up a meeting with the upper management and share my findings and present to them my implementation, updates, pros, and cons. I need to ask straightforward questions to the management to make sure my evaluation is taken into consideration and implemented in a timely matter. Let's begin with John from a personal standpoint. John is in his early 60ʻs, is 5ʻ11, and weighs about 280lbs, talking with John he is developing cataracts which is
a clouding of your lens in one or both eyes due to build-up of protein but for John it effects both, John has poor heart health, and weight due to long work hours and prolonged sitting. John is working off a laptop and noticed his font size is small (hazards include, eyestrain, increased blurred vision, and dry eyes). John extends his neck and head to a lower position which places a strain on his back and shoulder, John as also expressed his increase in headaches. SUGGESTION, John should be provided with a desktop computer and desk with the correct height as shown in Figure 4.1 Page 77 in the Occupational Ergonomics Course Book.
John assists with constant phone calls and the desk phone causes him with poor neck posture due to cradling the phone between his ears and shoulders. SUGGESTION, provide him with a headset as shown in Figure 4.5 Page 80 in the Occupational Ergonomics Course Book.
John was observed sitting for the whole 3-hour duration. OSHA recommends workers
take a 10-minute break for every hour spent on the computer. During this break, 4
Unit III Assignment: OSH 3305 Industrial Ergonomics
John can implement stretching exercises to help him reduce neck and back fatigue which can be found on the OSHA website. John expressed, that this was never advised to him during any ergonomics training that was given by the EHS team.
Lastly, John's chair is not fit for his structure, or height. Chairs are not one size fits all. Here are some indications that his chair is inadequate. I observed John sitting on
the edge, the sides of John were very tightly squeezed to his hips, and his chair was not adjustable which made his legs very uncomfortable considering his height. SUGGESTIONS, Order another chair for John, his feet should be comfortably resting on the floor, his thighs parallel with the floor, and his hips should be the same height or slightly higher than his knees.
As a company, I suggest implementing ergonomic training annually for all employees. Every other month send out an ergonomic safety fact, exercise, etc. for employees to perform on their own time to assist in preventing injuries in the workplace. Another plus is to even provide incentives as a company if there were no
ergonomic-related injuries for the year, something as simple as a pizza lunch. Considering more than 50% of the employees are working at their desks, every hour
sounds an alarm for everyone to take a quick 10-minute break by walking outside or
simply standing up by their desks and stretching. The company can provide consistent training so that employees will begin to implement the above automatically. As upper management, we set the tone for the company. In John's case, its basic adjustments with a big impact on his safety and health for both the short and long term. Let strengthen our safety culture even more. 5
Unit III Assignment: OSH 3305 Industrial Ergonomics
Reference
(OSHA, Identifying and Addressing Ergonomics Hazards Workbook)
Stack, T., Ostrom, L. T., & Wilhelmsen, C. A. (2016). Occupational Ergonomics: A Practical Approach. Wiley Professional Development (P&T). Pg.78 https://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781118814291
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