Human Resources benefits of Ergonomics in the workplace

Human Resources benefits of Ergonomics in the workplace
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Aim, objectives and research questions.....................................................................................2
Literature Review.......................................................................................................................2
Methods......................................................................................................................................5
Conclusions................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6
1

Human Resources benefits of Ergonomics in the workplace
Introduction
Ergonomics involves designing a job in such a way that the workplace is safer, more
comfortable to work and makes the employees more productive. Appropriate use of
ergonomics can protect employees from taking an awkward posture to work, reduce exposure
to an extreme environment, and reduce stress so that they do not feel discomfort, pain or
fatigue. Employees having stressful work conditions often suffer from Musculoskeletal
disorders (MSDs). As per OSHA 2007, Oregon companies paid an average compensation of
$14,120 to workers suffering from MSDs. Indirect costs lead to more claims that accounted
for $32,000. With the use of ergonomics, these costs are saved. It also has more benefits such
as enhanced productivity of employees, improved quality, better employee engagement, and a
safer work environment. This makes ergonomic an important area of study as it can widely
benefit modern workplaces.
Aim, objectives and research questions
The aim of this research is the explore how workplaces can get benefited from the application
of ergonomics. To achieve this aim, the following objectives can be formulated for the
research:
 Explore the problems faced by employees in modern workplaces
 Understand the application of ergonomics in the workplaces
 Explore the impact of ergonomics on employees
 Understand the benefits that organizations gain from the use of ergonomics
To achieve these objectives, the research would need to answer the following research
questions:
 What are the problems faced by employees at work that can be solved by using
ergonomics?
 How can ergonomics be used at workplace?
 What impact does ergonomics have on the employees?
 What benefits does the workforce gain from ergonomics and how this benefits an
organization?
Literature Review
Bad posture, physical trauma, exposure to extreme temperatures and vibrations, can all
influence the health of an individual making him or her fall prey to health issues like
2

Human Resources benefits of Ergonomics in the workplace
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). MSDs are most common in people working in modern
environments. Patients suffering from MSDs experience extreme pain in muscles, bones,
limbs, joints, and ligaments that affect their work potential. In America, 1.9 million people
are affected by such injuries every year and as per The U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics 2012
report, 34% of occupational injuries result from such disorders. Such illnesses have cost $20
billion to American companies that go into compensating the suffering employees. Common
problems resulting from MSDs are neck strain, eye strain, tennis elbow, back pain, hernia,
swelling, and carpal tunnel syndrome (Figley & Nash, 2006).
As per OSHA, ergonomic changes can reduce the physical demands from employees and
lower the rates of such injuries, also enhancing workplace efficiency and productivity.
Ergonomics is a study of human capabilities related to their work. It takes a holistic approach
to study the impact of occupations on humans by considering physical, organizational, social,
cognitive and other important factors of impact. An ergonomics program can contribute to an
organization by evaluating tasks, jobs, products, system and working environment and
redesigning them to make them more compatible with human needs, limitations, and
capabilities.
An ergonomics program is commonly designed to identify the signs of MSDs and the
workplace features that can result in such problems. Based on this, effective solutions are
implemented and employees are educated on ways to avoid such disorders. Certain tasks that
can be identified as the causes behind the occurrence of MSDs are repeated lifting of bulky
items, exposure to vibrating equipment, typing for a long duration, sitting or standing for an
extended period of time, awkward sitting position, and excessive forces used repeatedly
(Mattison, 2014).
MSDs can be of two types including disorders that are associated with manual material
handling and those leading to cumulative trauma disorders. Key issues faced could be related
to these two problems or anthropometry, workplace principles, and seat designs that can
cause problems of MSDs. Anthropometry is used for measuring humans and the
measurements can include their gender, age, ethnicity, social class, height, weight,
occupation, clothing, secular trend, growth, and personal equipment they use. This data can
be used for ergonomic designing for designing height adjustment in chairs, designing
doorpost heights, and designing shelves. These designs can be planned to accommodate
flexibility for different profiles of people as per the locational database of anthropometry.
3