Ergonomics

for the
"General Practitioner"
Cindy Burt, MS, OTR/L, CPE
Injury Prevention Program Manager
UCLA
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Learning Objectives
o Define ergonomics
o Identify high return
interventions
o Sell ergonomics

History of Ergonomics
o Industrial Revolution
o Steel industry (shovels)

o Henry Ford
o Assembly line design

o Frank and Lillian

Gilbreth
o Micro-motion studies (i.e.
todays surgical
techniques)

History of Ergonomics
o World Wars
o Aircraft, weapon
design

o Cold War
o Nuclear power
plants

o Today
o Industry, hospitals,
offices, product
design

Ergonomics Today
Matching the job, work tools, and workplace
to the worker.

Ergonomics
Employee Concerns

Comfort
Fatigue
Injuries
Job satisfaction
Decreased boredom
Decreased stress
Reasonable workloads

Employer Concerns

Workers comp costs

Productivity
Errors
Products
Profit

Results of Poor Ergonomic Design

o Discomfort and fatigue
o Injuries and accidents

Musculoskeletal Disorders
o
o
o
o

Necks
Backs
Arm and hand
Knee and foot

What Causes These Injuries?

Repetition

Force

Posture

Risk Factors

Personal

Environment
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Poor Ergonomics
o Decreased efficiency
o Decreased
productivity
o Errors

Poor Ergonomic Design

o Turnover
o Absenteeism
o Job avoidance

How Do I Get Started?

o Pick your fights
o Sell your service

What Should I Look For?

Awkward postures
Repetition
Force

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Where Should I Look?

Offices and Telecommuters

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Where Should I Look?

Laboratories

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Where Should I Look?

Hospitals

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Where Should I Look?

Facilities

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Where Should I Look?

Shops

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Where Should I Look?

Grounds

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Where Should I Look?

o
o
o
o

Housekeeping
Dining
Housing
Student stores

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What Can Ergonomics Do?

discomfort
accidents and injuries
accuracy
efficiency
satisfaction
job retention

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How Do I Start?
Identify problems
Complaints of discomfort
Symptom surveys
Near misses
Accidents
Injuries
Errors
High turnover
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What Tools Can I Use?

Anthropometry tables
Body discomfort maps
Hazard check lists
NIOSH Lifting Equation
Washington Ergonomics Lifting Calculator

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What is Anthropometry?
Measurement of people
o Match size and strength with work
environment and tools

Why Does Match Matter?

o Average is not good enough
o Need to consider reaches and clearances

Who Should We Match?

o Central 90 percent
o Disregard extreme body sizes
o Try to fit males/females from 20-65 yrs

What is the Golden Rule?

Design so the small
woman can reach, and
the large man can fit.
S. Konz

What Rule Would You Use Here?

Design so the small
woman can reach, and
the large man can fit.
S. Konz

What Rule Would You Use Here?

Design so the small woman can reach, and
the large man can fit.

Accommodating Reach

How low can we

place materials
these workers
have to reach?
How high can a
shelf be placed
holding work
materials?
Golden Rule: Place objects between knee and
shoulder height.

How Do I Make a Quick Impact?

Computer workstations
On-line training
Ergo evaluators

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How Do I Make a Quick Impact?

Reduce lifting
Lifting equipment
Job redesign

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Manual Materials Handling

o Golden rule
Eliminate lifts

o When you cant

Keep it off the floor
Reduce lifts
Conveyors, dollies
Adjust work flow

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Making a Difference
If they have to lift, teach
them how!
High risk groups first
Then campus-wide

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How Should You Lift?

Stoop

Squat

Semi-squat

Stoop
o Can get close to load
o Less effort and energy
than squatting
o Fast
.but it increases strain
on low back

Squat
Limits strain on low back
.but it is difficult to keep
load close
.requires increased
effort and energy
.and it is inefficient

Semi-Squat Lift
o Less work
o Preferred for
lifting heavy
objects on
occasional
basis

Squat and Semi-Squat Lifts

o More protective of back
o Preferred by injured workers

There are no right or

correct ways to sit, stand or
lift....
However, there are more
and less demanding ways!

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Keep It Simple
o Staggered stance

o Keep it close

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Keep It Simple
o Build a Bridge

o Feet first

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Build a Team
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o

Ergonomist
Safety professionals
Health care team
Risk management
Rehab counselors
Facilities/Design
Purchasing
Managers
Employees
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Its all about dollars

o Average cost /CTS
claim = $37,552 or

o Average cost /back

injury = $47,954 or

1,565 pizzas (1 pizza/week for 30

years)

WC Research Institute for CA Claims

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Prove Your Value!

For every direct dollar spent
OSHA estimates
$3-7 indirect dollars spent

Liberty Mutual estimates

$2-5 indirect dollars spent

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MSD Costs
Injury Type

Direct
Costs

Indirect Costs

Total Costs

CTS

$17,000

$350/lost day

$11-112,000

Neck/back
strain

$32,000

$350/lost day $38-225,000

UCLA statistics

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Cost Justification - Injuries

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Cost Justification

Benefits of
Ergonomics

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Cost Justification - Regulatory

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Its the Law!

CA Code of Regulations 5110 Repetitive Motion
Injuries
o Scope
2 injuries within 12 months
Identical work activity

o Response
Worksite evaluation
Exposure control and training

o Training requirements

Review ergonomics program

Exposures
Symptoms/injuries and reporting guidelines
Methods used to minimize repetitive motion injuries
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Useful References
o Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene, 3rd
Edition. National Safety Council Pgs.
283-334
o Industrial Hygiene Engineering, 2nd
Edition. National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health Pgs. 702-765

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Useful References
o The Occupational Environmental Its
Evaluation and Control, 2nd Edition, AIHA,
Section 4, The Human Environment at
Work.
o Kodaks Ergonomic Design for People at
Work, 2nd Edition, Chengalur, Rodgers and
Bernard, 2004.
o Fitting the Task to the Human, 5th Edition,
Kroemer & Grandjean, 1997.
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Useful Internet Sites

www.ergonomics.ucla.edu
www.me.berkeley.edu/ergo/
www.uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff/ergonomics/index.shtml
www.llnl.gov/ergo/welcome.html
www.busserv.ucsb.edu/irp/ergo/tsr.htm
ehs.ucsc.edu/safety/ergonomics.php
blink.ucsd.edu/Blink/External/Topics/Policy/0,1162,4008
,00.html

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Useful Internet Sites

http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/
www.3m.com/cws/selfhelp/index.html
www.pc.ibm.com/ww/healthycomputing
www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/REU/REU_WhatsNew.html
www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstation
s/index.html

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Useful Internet Sites

www.niehs.nih.gov/odhsb/ergoguid/home.htm
www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Topics/Ergonomics/default.asp
www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/
www.bcpe.org (Board of Certification in Professional
Ergonomics)
www.hfes.org (Human Factors Society)

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Thank you!
Cindy Burt, MS, OTR/L, CPE
UCLA Injury Prevention Program Manager
501 Westwood Plaza 4th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1605
burt@ehs.ucla.edu
www.ergonomics.ucla.edu
310-794-5329
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