Ergonomics Report: Extended Work Hours and Employee Risks

This report analyzes the ergonomics of extended work hours in a warehouse setting. It identifies potential risks to both warehouse and administrative staff, including musculoskeletal disorders, sleep deprivation, and reduced cognitive performance. The report draws upon existing research to highlight the negative impacts of long work hours, such as increased injury rates and chronic diseases. It presents several assessment tools, including the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and cognitive testing methods, that can be used to evaluate employee well-being and inform recommendations for the board of directors. The report emphasizes the importance of balancing work schedules, occupational health, and stress management to enhance employee productivity and minimize risks. Finally, the report provides recommendations for the board of directors to improve work conditions and employee safety.

Running head: ERGONOMICS
Ergonomics
University Name
Student Name
Authors’ Note

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Presentation of the findings........................................................................................................3
Discussion of solutions as well as anticipated challenges.........................................................9
Conclusion and Recommendations..........................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
Ergonomics can be considered to be a scientific regulation concerned about the understanding
of diverse dealings with humans as well as other components of a particular system. In
essence, the ergonomics also indicates towards a profession that implements notions,
principles, mechanisms as well as data for designing in a bid to optimise the overall well-
being as well as performance of the system. The current study refers to ergonomics along
with human factors that is often utilized in association to diverse physical facets of the
environment. This includes workstations and control panels whilst human factors are often
utilized in relation to the extensive system in which different people operate. However, the
study incorporates knowledge acquired from different subjects namely anatomy, psychology,
statistics, engineering along with physiology. Then the same can make certain that designs
can complement the overall strength as well as capabilities of individuals and minimise
overall influence of the restrictions. The present study presents a general illustration of the
expected challenges for staffs as well as administration staff of the who continue to operate
between the time period 8 am to 8pm.
The current section helps in identification of the issues that reflects that shift workers might
face the risk of injury. Essentially, limited involvement with employees in schedule choice,
lengthy days of work and a surplus of successive work days are necessarily associated to
augmented ergonomics risk and associated injuries (Young et al. 2015). Analysis of the given
case reflects the fact that the shift work as well as long work hours enhances overall risk for
condensed performance on particular job, flabbiness, injuries, as well as an extensive range of
chronic diseases. Additionally, errors associated to fatigue can harm the employees and
overall productivity of company. However, fatigued employees can hereby endanger diverse
others specifically during their operations (Pheasant and Haslegrave 2016).

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Presentation of the findings
Ergonomics Investigations based on specific issues and problems
The present case helps in recognition of the pitiable work life state and sleep deprivation
might also direct the way towards injuries of ergonomics and lost workdays, particularly
among members of staff in extended hours (Carayon 2016). Again, there remains a link or
association between diverse work practices as well as ergonomics injuries namely
musculoskeletal disorders. As per the given case, Amazing Suppliers happens to be a large
corporation that operate as a supplier of a wide variety of goods to the public through online
shop. In addition to this, there are huge businesses along with demand that is high for their
products. In particular, at the Leeds warehouse, the management arrives at a specific decision
that aims to introduce 24 hours of working in certain areas (Carayon 2016). The given case
also replicates the fact that the warehouse has a specific range of roles and involves the ones
who will be operating throughout the entire 24 hours. Primarily, these employees mainly
include warehouse staff, whilst administration staff shall continue to operate between 8 am to
8 pm. In essence, the entire board of directors have the need to put forward suggestions
regarding the way the novel working hours can be rolled out together with details of diverse
concerns that might be faced. The current study helps in gaining deep insight and integrative
assessment of selected health as well as safety issues related to overtime as extended shifts of
work.
As rightly indicated by Xie and Carayon (2015), 30% of male workers as well as 41% of
female workers registered chronic or else “recurrent” back pain, whilst 16% of male members
and 27% of female members registered chronic or else recurrent wrist pain. The extended
work hours also lead to sleep deprivation that can possibly be damaging when considered
from the perspective of muscle, tendon injury else wise ligament. However, with the mean
extended hours, the members of the staff who sleep for merely 5 hours to around 5.5 hours

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each and every day at the time of functioning at night shift, they probably could encounter an
augmented risk of ergonomics damage (Jonker et al. 2015).
As correctly put forward by Thatcher (2013), there are exhaustive illustrations regarding
significant issues associated to long hours of work. There remains an integrative analysis of
52 currently published research reports that help in assessing the overall associations between
long hours of work and different illness, behaviours regarding health, performance and
diverse injuries. Analysis of outcomes shows around 16 out of 22 studies indicating towards
general health influences, overtime was related to poorer professed general health, augmented
rate of injury, increased illness or else augmented mortality. In addition to this, meta-analysis
of particularly longer hours of work advocated a possibly weak association with preterm
birth. Additionally, overtime was also related to detrimental gain in weight in two different
studies, enhanced intake of alcohol in two out of three diverse studies, amplified smoking in
one out of the two studies, and poorer neuropsychological test performance in one study.
However, there are also certain research works that do not support the present trend,
establishing no association between physical action and no association with abuse of drug.
Wilson (2014) asserts that an outline of deteriorating performance on diverse psycho
physiological tests along with injuries whilst longer hours of work was witnessed across
different findings of the study. In particular, with shifts of longer time period and shifts of 12
hours are assimilated with over and above 40 hours of work every week that subsequently
lead to injuries. The volume of legislative action observed nationwide reflects a sensitive
level of societal concern as well as appropriateness of the issue. Stanton et al. (2014)
mentions that there are performance measures that comprise of automobile crashes,
examination of specific of cognitive functioning, examination of subjective alertness as well
as executive functioning. The management of the firm can consider utilization of the

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following tools, dimensions and analysis for the purpose of providing suggestions to the
board of directors are issued (Young et al. 2015).
Multi latency test:-Multiple latency sleep test (MSLT) can be considered as the sleep disorder
diagnostic instrument that can measure the overall time that passed from the beginning of
daytime nap to the first indication of sleep known as sleep latency (Pheasant and Haslegrave
2016). The management of the firm Amazing Suppliers might take into consideration the
appointment of a sleep technologist who can analyse the MSLT data and maintain chart that
can reflect the time when workers fell asleep during the period of each and every nap study. It
is also important to observe sleep stages and at the same time determine the time when people
went into REM. Again, patients suffering from narcolepsy have two or more than two REM
particularly during MSLT. Particularly, the technologists can handover the outcomes of the
observations to the board approved sleep medicine doctor to analyse. Again, the doctor can
use this specific information for arriving at diagnosis. In case if the doctor requires more data,
the matter can be discussed with the technologist. In this case, the manager can arrange for a
test, study group of workers in segregated into different departments and carry out the test
(Carayon 2016).
Advice: Therefore, the board of directors of the corporation might consider results of diverse
multiple sleep latency tests that can be normally registered as 4-5 latencies. In this case, the
sleep onset along with the mean can be analysed for this purpose. The dimensions of MSLT
can help in enumerating day time sleep tendency (Jonker et al. 2015). Then the board of
directors of the company can accordingly design and develop system for the purpose of
organizing work and personal life. Essentially, board of directors of the company can develop
shift of the work, occupational disease, and occupational injury, lenience and tolerance as
regards work schedule, job stress, occupational exposure, overtime operation and extended
work shifts.

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Epworth Sleepiness scale: The manager can also make use of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale
that refers to a self-administered questionnaire having 8 questions. In this case, respondents
are requested to rate their usual possibilities of dozing off or falling asleep during the time
remaining engaged in 8 different actions on a 4 point scale that ranges between 0 to 3
(Thatcher 2013). However, majority of the individuals participate in these activities
occasionally, even though not every day. Essentially, the ESS score might possibly range
from necessarily 0 to 24. Analysis of ESS reveals that higher the ESS score, the greater is the
average propensity of sleep of an individual in everyday life (ASP), or else daytime
sleepiness. The management of the Amazing Suppliers therefore might utilize this specific
instrument for the purpose of analyzing effective work hours of the workers during which
they actively work. In essence, the ESS is not a checklist for recognizing situations in which
respondents can frequently dozes during a particular time of the day. Also, it also does not
measure the level of alertness or else drowsiness of an individual as Optalert technology does
(Stanton et al. 2014). Moreover, ESS helps in distinguishing accounts of dozing behaviour
from fatigue feelings as well as drowsiness. In addition to this, the ESS was selected on a
priori base to reflect actions with an extensive range of diverse of diverse somnificities.
However, their comparative somnificities can be later confirmed by analysis of variance and
by particularly by Rasch Analysis. The comparative somnificities of specifically ESS actions
are alike in diverse diagnostic groups as well as populations, regardless of the overall level of
average sleep propensity (ASP) and the subsistence else wise absence of disorders of sleep.
The management of the company Amazing Suppliers can utilize the usual format in which
item score of each ESS can be registered between the ranges 0 to 3. Then again, 4 different
boxes can be presented with labels between the ranges 0 to 3 might be presented to the
respondents for each questions. Thus, the total score of specifically ESS can provide an
approximation of particularly general features, individual’s average propensity of sleep and

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does not deal with subjective feelings of alertness. Essentially, the scores of ESS can be aptly
derived from interviews and that might be valid and that requires confirmation (Thatcher
2013).
Advice: The board of directors of the corporation can be recommended to develop work
schedule that can help in maintaining healthy work and leisure balance. The outcomes based
on the results of the Epworth Sleepiness scale can help in assessing probability of feeling
asleep that might be essential for delivering appropriate diagnosis. Accordingly specific
medical advices can be taken so that employees could become more productive and improve
effectiveness of operations (Jonker et al. 2015).
Cognitive testing methods: As rightly put forward by Xie and Carayon (2015), cognitive
testing methods refer to thorough evaluation of different cognitive abilities of humans along
with other animals. Essentially, this kind of study can be considered to be significant to
research concerned particularly the philosophy and psychology along with determination of
both human as well as animal intelligence. Determination of disability is founded on specific
signs as well as indication of disease, impairment as well as sickness. Psychological
examination might probably assist in the process of informing the analysis of functional
capability of an individual, specifically within the sphere of cognitive operation. In particular,
cognitive tests cam be administered for analysis of cognitive impairment. Present cognitive
testing mechanisms can help in presenting certain promising leads on diverse impacts of
stress on particularly human performance. Managers of this Amazing Suppliers can utilize
this instrument in this case for gaining comprehensive understanding regarding psychological
influence of stress (Jonker et al. 2015). Again, the measures fall into different categories that
mainly depends on neuro-physiological or else bodily alterations in the process of
understanding stress, self report and performance or else behavioural alterations. Dimensions

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of physiological responses can help in understanding the stressors that can head to diverse
decrements in performance and assessable physiological as well as affective reactions.
Thus, board of directors of the corporation can identify different stressors that have different
impacts and there exists considerable variations in the impacts of stress on different
individuals. Thus, this instrument can help the management of the organization to
comprehend the effect of the longer hours of work and fatigue on the overall performance of
the workers (Carayon 2016).
Discussion of solutions as well as anticipated challenges
Analysis of the given case study can help in presenting recommended solutions and
anticipated challenges. As per the findings of diverse studies, it can be hereby mentioned that
ergonomic risks associated to the case of longer work hours include reduced performance
level on job, decreases the entire capability of the employees to focus; lowers time of
reaction; and lessens the overall potential to memorize and learn diverse new facts as well as
skills. In addition to this, it can be said that this sleep deprivation can lead to diverse
anticipated challenges (Pheasant and Haslegrave 2016). The anticipated challenges direct the
way towards tetchiness, awful mood, condensed communication proficiency and capability to
deal with the emotional burden of the place of work. Furthermore, researchers also report that
potential of decision-making worsens and risk-assuming behaviour enhances. Significantly,
learners discovered that sleep-deprived workers failed to identify their poor performance. The
solutions for the identified problems involve designing strategies for promoting progress,
developing education and training programs for diverse managers that can assist in enhancing
appreciation as well as knowledge regarding demands of shift work, longer hours of work,
and associated sleep and fatigue concerns. Strategies for diverse managers as well as
employers involve improvement of design of work schedules, promotion of frequent breaks

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during shifts of operation, fostering different policies as well as systems that can lessen the
overall fatigue risk and related problems of health. Additionally, places of work can
necessarily undertake periodic evaluation to assess the influence of schedules of operation on
both factors on as well as factors off the particular job accountabilities. Particularly, no blame
system of reporting that is anonymous can help in acquiring pronouncements on certain
incidents and evaluate in case if fatigue was necessarily a contributing facet (Thatcher 2013).
Stratagems for workers comprise of permitting adequate time specifically for sleep and
adopting best business practices as well as behaviours for maximization of sleep as well as
consciousness. Workers having sleeping disorders due to longer working hours can ask for an
evaluation along with treatment for sleep disorder expert. Again, workers can also acquire
advantage from educating regarding their particular needs and reducing conflicts that arise
between work and home (Thatcher 2013).
Conclusion and Recommendations
The current study helps in identifying the extensive negative influences of longer working
hours and subsequent issues and ergonomic injuries. Essentially, the current section also
presents ergonomics investigations based on particular issues and problems. Furthermore, the
study also utilizes specific testing mechanisms such as multi-latency tests, cognitive testing
mechanisms as well as Epworth Sleepiness scale for identification of enumeration of fatigue
that might be caused by longer hours of work. The findings of the study also show the ill
effects that include flabbiness, injuries and extensive range of different chronic diseases. And
shows the way this also leads to fatigue associated errors. Thereafter the study illustratively
explains the way it harms employees and hampers level of efficiency of employees.
Thereafter, the study discusses the solutions to the identified problems that include
implementation of education as well as training programs for different managers along with

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staff members. This in turn can help in enhancements of knowledge regarding the demands of
work shift and appreciation and development of stratagems for reduction of the identified
risks.

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References
Carayon, P. ed., 2016. Handbook of human factors and ergonomics in health care and patient
safety. CRC Press.
Jonker, D., Gustafsson, E., Rolander, B., Arvidsson, I. and Nordander, C., 2015. Health
surveillance under adverse ergonomics conditions–validity of a screening method adapted for
the occupational health service. Ergonomics, 58(9), pp.1519-1528.
Pheasant, S. and Haslegrave, C.M., 2016. Bodyspace: Anthropometry, ergonomics and the
design of work. CRC Press.
Stanton, N.A., Young, M.S. and Harvey, C., 2014. Guide to methodology in ergonomics:
Designing for human use. CRC Press.
Thatcher, A., 2013. Green ergonomics: definition and scope. Ergonomics, 56(3), pp.389-398.
Wilson, J.R., 2014. Fundamentals of systems ergonomics/human factors. Applied
ergonomics, 45(1), pp.5-13.
Xie, A. and Carayon, P., 2015. A systematic review of human factors and ergonomics (HFE)-
based healthcare system redesign for quality of care and patient safety. Ergonomics, 58(1),
pp.33-49.
Young, M.S., Brookhuis, K.A., Wickens, C.D. and Hancock, P.A., 2015. State of science:
mental workload in ergonomics. Ergonomics, 58(1), pp.1-17.