Solutions to Ergonomic Hazards
Ergonomic improvements are changes made to improve the "fit" between a job and the capabilities of the employees performing it.Making ergonomic improvements reduce physical demands, eliminate unnecessary movements, lower injury rates and their associated workers' compensation costs, and reduce employee turnover.
Traditionally, a prioritized "Hierarchy of Controls" (HOC) has been used to implement feasible and effective exposure controls to protect workers. We encourage the use of the HOC as described within the ANSI/ASSP Z10, Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems, to control hazards. The six strategies are discussed below.
The first three strategies focus on doing something with the hazard.The last three strategies focus on doing something with behaviors to reduce exposure to the hazard.
- Elimination: The best solution is to totally eliminate the need to lift, lower, push, pull, or carry heavy loads. It may also be impossible to complete projects without placing workers in unusual postures, overreaching, or overexertion.
- Substitution: Substitution is the next-best solution. For instance, the employer might replace large heavy containers with smaller containers.
- Engineering Controls: Redesign or modify equipment and processes. For instance, processes that require heavy lifting, lowering, or carrying heavy objects might be revised.
- Warnings: Warnings may be visual, audible, or both. They may also be tactile. Visual warnings include signs, labels, tags, and lights. Audible warnings include alarms, bells, beepers, sirens, horns and announcement systems. Tactile warnings may include vibration devices or air fans.
- Work Practice Controls: The primary focus is to develop and incorporate safer behaviors and work practices through written safety policies and rules, supervision, and training. This strategy is a challenge because supervisors must regularly monitor their employees as they perform tasks. Bottom line, these controls work only so long as employees "behave" properly.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): The use of PPE is probably the most common strategy use for all hazards. PPE forms a barrier between workers and hazards. For instance, knee pads might be used to protect the knees when laying carpet.
Interim Measures
Using a lower priority hazard control method over another higher priority control strategy may be appropriate for providing interim (temporary) protection until the hazard is abated permanently. If you can't eliminate the hazard entirely, the interim control measures will likely be a combination of control methods used together. OSHA believes that feasible interim measures are always available if higher-level control methods are not possible.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-1. Which of the following hazard control strategies focuses on equipment design or redesign?
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