High Safety Consulting Services can provide a wide range of ergonomic evaluation and organizational services. Professionals with backgrounds in medical and engineering principles can evaluate your workplace or your product for ergonomic hazards.
Risk factors for ergonomic disorders include:
- Repetition and/or vibration
- Awkward postures
- Forces that exceed safe ranges
- Cold work environments
OSHA's approach to ergonomic disorders was to pass a regulation that was administratively very cumbersome. This rule (29 CFR 1910.900) was dropped as a result of opposition by business and industry. OSHA has been issuing industry specific guidelines in lieu of regulations. Industries are expected to follow these guidelines and OSHA could use their general duty clause 5(a)(1) to cite employers that fail to comply or address ergonomics in their workplaces.
To date the following industries have specific guidelines:
Meatpacking Industry (Established in 1993) (.pdf file)
Nursing
Homes (Established in 2003 & Revised in 2009)
Poultry
Processing (Established in 2004)
Retail
Grocery Stores (Established in 2004)
Shipyards
(Established in 2008)
OSHA plans to develop
additional voluntary guidelines with the use of a standard
protocol.
Regardless as to whether OSHA requires your company to address these issues, many organizations recognize that ergonomics represents a solution to a significant component of workers' compensation costs. It is not uncommon to find 40% of the injury costs to be associated with ergonomic related disorders.
High Safety Consulting
Services, Ltd. can assist with all aspects of ergonomics control
including: ergonomics
evaluations of products or your workplace (including vibration
analysis), ergonomic
training, and program
development.
