Having the ideal ergonomics program is not all about the number of ergonomic assessments completed although it’s a healthy sign that you are on the right track. Ergonomics is about prevention although it is sometimes used to prevent further exacerbation of repetitive motion injuries developing among workers. A successful program that aims to prevent the risks of musculoskeletal disorders will include information to each employee allowing them to understand the ergonomic risks present at their computer workstation including how to identify them and where to request help to mitigate these risks.
Some of the risks can be fixed through self-help. For instance, having available ergonomic equipment to help adjust such things as monitor height or various sized mice and ergonomic keyboards that offer a split design or other features to help employees maintain a neutral position. This is almost never enough unfortunately as you will eventually need an expert to help develop a sustaining program including picking out the best furniture such as chairs, desks, and monitor arms. Also, some employees will come aboard with pre-existing ergonomic conditions that are exacerbated over time.
An ergonomic consulting specialist is best to be available for performing high level ergonomic evaluations for employees. The reward over the cost is high as it improves employee retention and lowers worker’s compensation costs. Some employers utilize software programs that offer dictation and guides to help employees navigate fitting their workstation properly to themselves. This can be ideal to ensure proper fit, but it is impossible to understand the biomechanics and habits we employ while we work since we can see ourselves from a third person perspective. Not only that, we can see ourselves with an expert’s eye that can identify what the issues are with the way we work and what are the effective possibilities for improvement.
So at some point, having an ergonomics expert is going to be part of the equation to ensure that employees are working safely no matter how exhaustive your software or group training is. It is also a good idea to track the data you collect from ergonomic self-assessments and those performed by an in-house or consulting ergonomic specialist. This way you understand who and when follow-ups may be necessary. What equipment and solutions are most effective and thus how to spread the best practices.
So having an ergonomic specialist is a key part of the success of a company’s ergonomics program. Ergobility has ergonomic experts that can help you create, supplement, and sustain your company’s ergonomics program.
