Ergonomic

Interventions
Ergonomic interventions(physical
and organisational) are methods used
to prevent or reduce low back pain
(LBP) and neck pain among workers.

 The design of tools and workspaces can have a

profound effect on the posture of the body.
Points of interest of the postures: Shoulder
Elbow
Wrist
One of the most fundamental problems in hand tool
design is to optimize the dimensions of the tool in
relation to the hand anthropometry

Handle Design
Pheasant and ONeill (1975) investigated handle design
in a gripping and turning task.
Strength deteriorated when handles greater than 5 cm
in diameter were used
Knurled Cylinders had higher friction than smooth
cylinders
For forceful activities, the size of a handle rather than its
shape was most important.

Handle Design Thumb Rule

The handle should be of such a size that it permits slight
overlap of the thumb and fingers of a worker with small
hands.

 Cylindrical handles are better than handles with finger

grooves because it prevents blistering of the skin.
Handle lengths should be at least 11.5 cm plus
clearance for large hands.

Keyboard design
In old-fashioned mechanical typewriters, the typist
had to stop to manually return the carriage after
each line.
These secondary tasks provided changes of posture
and broke up the continuity of the typing task.
With word processors, the secondary tasks are
carried out automatically or via special keys on the
keyboard, so the work is intrinsically less varied

 Zipp et al. (1983) investigated the posture of the hands and

wrists, noting marked ulnar variation and fatigue.
He concluded that keyboards should be designed with separate
banks of keys (one for each hand) each bank being inclined and
contoured.

Gerard et al. (2002) provide evidence that conventional

computer keyboards can be improved by enhancing the
auditory feedback when keys are depressed.

Work design, education and training and job design

Disorders associated with repetitive work have existed both in and out
of industry for many years (ex: fruit wrapping, biscuit packing)
Task rotation and scheduling of workrest cycles to minimize
overexposure to the repetitive elements of a task are examples of
prevention.
Workspaces must be designed to allow flexibility in carrying out a task
by means of a wider repertoire of postural behaviors.
Training programs to increase a workers capacity
Self-preparation immediately before any arduous activity is
undertaken.

Simple measures for preventing work-related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limbs