Ergonomics

Create an ergonomically positive workplace for your older workers

If you think you are seeing a lot of gray in your organization’s workforce, it isn’t just your imagination. Workers over the age of 55 comprise a sizable and vital portion of the American labor force, and their influence is expanding. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, one quarter of all workers in the country will be 55 or older by 2030.When evaluating how to manage an older workforce, matching job demands to worker capabilities is more critical than ever. Promoting health, safety, and well-being is crucial if organizations are to fully engage older workers and capitalize on their expertise, experience and know-how.While older workers generally have fewer occupational injuries than their younger counterparts, possibly because of their experience and decreased willingness to accept risks, when they are injured, older workers’ healthcare costs are higher, and their recovery time is longer. One way to reduce these risks is to incorporate ergonomic principles into the workplace, both for in-person workers and those working from home. Ergonomics is the science of creating the workplace while keeping the worker's capabilities and limitations in mind. It is the process of adapting the task to the worker. The goal is to create roles and activities that eliminate incompatibilities between the work and the worker that impede safe work performance. This enables them to avoid illness, injuries and blunders, and improve their overall health, which helps your organizational success. Repetitive actions and challenging postures, such as bending, stooping, overreaching, and wrist deviation, are examples of ergonomic risk factors. An aging workforce cannot continue to maintain production levels while being exposed to risk factors that increase the body's natural degeneration without eventually incurring major musculoskeletal problems. Musculoskeletal pain is a key productivity and morale bottleneck, frequently resulting in higher organizational and personal costs, such as absenteeism and even prescription medicine abuse. A business culture that does not actively adapt to older individuals can unintentionally introduce new hazards and issues with employee relations.A positive ergonomic work environment might be viewed as a workers' compensation solution for an aging workforce. It should be regarded as an investment that provides a return on investment in the form of lower losses.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, musculoskeletal cases accounted for 33% of all worker injury and illness cases.

Five ergonomic aspects

There are five aspects of ergonomics in order to improve design or "fit" for how workers work.

Safety: Have tools, equipment, chairs, workstations, and even assembly lines that reduce the stress of the worker performing their duties.
Comfort: It is critical that employees who do repetitive activities or lift or carry goods do not overexert themselves. Temperatures cannot be in the extreme. Employees require adequate support, which may include footwear, standing mats, lifting belts, gloves, and other such items.
Ease of Use: Workers must be able to complete their activities without making unnatural movements that strain their necks, backs, knees and eyes. Perhaps they can be seated to perform their tasks. Tools and equipment should be easily accessible. Essentially, this is creating simpler ways for the employee to work.
Performance: Productivity can be increased if performance is assessed and improved through the use of ergonomic design. To increase productivity, unnecessary movement is restricted. You can increase worker performance by eliminating needless standing, sitting, reaching, and lifting, as well as the requirement to refill work items.
Aesthetics: Ergonomic aesthetics are concerned with the worker's protective gear, tools, other equipment, and workstations being simple to use. If any of these are improperly constructed or labeled, they might cause unnecessary fatigue, stress, and injury.

Ergonomics when working from home

As work shifts away from the office and into the home, it is more vital than ever for organizations to identify possible health concerns and assist employees in creating safer workplaces. Communicating ergonomic principles and safety guidelines to home workers can be challenging. Here are some creative ways to get the message across:Checklists. A typical home office ergonomics checklist, created in cooperation with an ergonomist, may provide each employee with a list of steps to take to ensure their workstation is set up in a healthy way. Software. Employers can provide telecommuters with an interactive and detailed electronic guide to office ergonomics. This might be tutorial software, a PowerPoint presentation, or a web page. This option also provides the chance for interactivity and could allow an employee to input stats like height, weight, and age, and then make personalized recommendations.Consultations. One simple technique is to ask an employee to photograph their desk and send it to an ergonomist. The ergonomist can then review the photographs and contact the employee with ideas for improving the workplace.

Ergonomic strategies for your organization

Provide and develop ergonomically sound work spaces for workers of all ages, but pay particular attention to your older workers. Better lighting, glare-free screens and surfaces, and ergonomic sit/stand desks are a few examples. Also, consider using ergonomically developed equipment for high-frequency tasks.To reduce performance reductions caused by age-related difficulties (including physical, cognitive, and sensory issues), preemptive disability management and proactive ergonomic strategies must be implemented. These include:

Contacting ergonomists and/or risk management experts for advice on how to control and limit the risks of ergonomic-related claims. Involve ergonomists in the design of work environments where appropriate. Do this as early in the pre-construction planning stages as possible.

Use the information provided by your workers' compensation claims data. Analyze employee reports of pain to prioritize which specific job areas to evaluate for ergonomics concerns and, if possible, implement work redesign and other interventions.

Set clear guidelines for both footwear and body mechanics. Footwear expectations should be in line with reducing dangers associated with walking, standing, or climbing work surfaces.

Establish body mechanics procedures per job description to help educate employees on how they can manually handle objects with the least damage to susceptible areas of the body.

Set up an ergonomics steering committee comprised of stakeholders who can help develop a safety culture. To be effective, ergonomic interventions must be inclusive and accepted by the workforce, regardless of the means of control.

Create a 'Stretch and Flex' program that incorporates regular stretching and strengthening of the muscles involved with sprains, strains, and other ergonomic ailments.

How well does your organization accommodate its older employees? The steps you take to recognize and satisfy the changing demands of workers as they age will help your company meet its productivity goals and achieve its mission.If you would like more information on how to create an ergonomically positive environment for your employees, Christian Brothers Risk Management Service is here to help. Contact us at 800.807.0300, customerservice@cbservices.org.
For more information on ergonomics, explore our Home Computer Workstation Self-Assessment Checklist and watch our on-demand webinar “Don’t be Haunted by Ergonomic Injuries.”