DJ Products, Inc.

With the Democrats expected to control both the House and Senate come January, ergonomics is back on the Congressional table. In 2001, spurred by business lobbyists, a GOP-controlled Congress killed a Labor Department regulation aimed at reducing ergonomic-related injuries. Heavily supported by Democrats, the measure was, and still is, a top priority for union groups. According to political analysts, it was a stunning defeat for the Clinton White House. With the support of the Bush administration, Republicans have managed to keep the issue off the docket.  However, now that Democratic power is the rise, unions are again pushing for ergonomic regulations.

An internet article on The Hill, a Washington insiders tip sheet, said, “Sen. Barack Obama has promised to issue a new ergonomics regulation as president, and industry officials say they want to be ready for it.”

Chamber of Commerce leaders are mobilizing for a Congressional fight, stating in a recent announcement, “the threat of a new ergonomics regulation has been kept in check by the Republican congressional majorities and the Bush administration. But with the recent shift in power on Capitol Hill, and regardless of who wins the White House, issuing a new ergonomics regulation will once again become a hot issue.”

Naturally, no businessman looks forward to tighter regulations and the time-eating forms, procedures and training that usually accompany them. Particularly in the current economy, we’re all budget conscious and no one’s looking for ways to fritter away more money. But if you look at the statistics, embracing ergonomics makes good business sense.

Workplace injury and illness costs American businesses $171 billion annually. Workers’ compensation claims add another $60 billion to that annual price tag. More than a quarter of those claims are for back injuries from repetitive lifting, pulling, pushing and straining, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. OSHA reports that back injuries cost U.S. businesses $12 million in lost workdays and $1 billion in compensation costs each year. The time-lost cost of a single injury is estimated at $26,000.

Ergonomics has been repeatedly proven to significantly reduce back and other repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. Businesses that institute ergonomic practices and use ergonomically-designed equipment realize immediate and significant reductions in injury rates and associated medical, insurance, disability, workers compensation and lost man-hour costs. Proactive implementation of ergonomic policies improves worker morale and demonstrably increases operations efficiency and productivity. Contact the specialists at DJ Products to find out how ergonomics can improve your business.

We’ve been talking about the high cost of ignoring ergonomics in the workplace (see our Aug. 29 and Sept. 1 posts). Manual material handling tasks that are performed repeatedly or over long periods of time can lead to physical and mental fatigue and injury. So how do you tell if your workers are at risk from repetitive-stress injuries? The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends looking for the following risk factors:

• Repeated motions including frequent reaching, lifting or carrying
• Awkward postures such as bending, twisting or stretching to reach materials
• Static postures where the same position must be maintained for a long period of time
• Pressure points including handholds, footholds and any point where workers contact the load to grasp, push, pull or lean against a hard or sharp surface
• Forceful exertions such as carrying or lifting heavy loads

Over time, repeated exposure to any of these risk factors can cause fatigue, pain and eventual injury, particularly to the back, shoulders, hands and wrists. Muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and blood vessels can be damaged by repetitive-stress injuries. Continuing to perform the same tasks with such musculoskeletal disorders can cause permanent physical damage.

Reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs, in your workplace must involve both engineering and administrative improvements.

Engineering improvements. Work spaces and task procedures may need to be reordered, modified or redesigned. Environmental conditions such as heat, cold, noise and lighting which can contribute to worker duress may need to be addressed. Ergonomically designed equipment or tools may need to be purchased. For example, motorized carts can be used to carry loads and even move heavy machinery and equipment without physical strain. Scissors lifts can be used to elevate loads without physical effort. Adjustable cargo beds can be used to position loads at optimal lift heights for manual loading and unloading. Powered equipment can eliminate the push/pull forces that can lead to serious back and shoulder injuries.

Administrative improvements. Workers come in all shapes and sizes. Repetitive-stress injuries often occur when workers are forced to use equipment or perform tasks that are not tailored to their individual physique. They must engage in injury-risking bending, stretching and pushing to do their job. Ergonomics strives to mold the task or equipment to the worker to avoid such overexertion. Administrative initiatives can also reduce worker exposure to risk factors. For example, repetitive-stress injury risk can be reduced by rotating workers through jobs that use different muscle groups, alternating heavy and light tasks, providing task variety, adjusting work schedules and pace, and providing rest breaks.  

For help in finding ergonomic solutions to your material handling needs, visit the DJ Products website.

In our last post, we noted that Michigan has proposed regulations that would mandate ergonomic training and penalize employers for ignoring repetitive-stress injuries. While cognizant of the health and safety benefits to their workers, employers are understandably concerned about the cost. What they may fail to realize is that the cost of implementing and maintaining an ergonomic program pales in comparison to the exorbitant costs of ignoring ergonomics.

The annual price tag for workplace injury and illness is estimated at $171 billion. Back injuries, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive-stress injuries result in decreased productivity, poor product quality, increased medical costs, higher insurance payments, inflated workers’ compensation costs, low morale and high absenteeism. According to an American Medical Association study, 6,500 people die from workplace injuries each year and non-fatal injuries afflict another 13.2 million. The total cost of workplace injuries is nearly equal to the combined annual profits of America’s 20 largest companies.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Workers’ compensation claims cost U.S. businesses $60 billion annually, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. More than 25% of those claims are for back injuries from repetitive lifting, pulling, pushing and straining, reports the National Council on Compensation Insurance. Back injuries, which involve lengthy and costly treatment, affect more than 1.75 million workers each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. OSHA estimates that 1 in 5 disabling worker injuries is a back injury. Back injuries alone cost American businesses more than $12 million in lost workdays and $1 billion in compensation costs each year. The estimated time-lost cost for a single injury is $26,000.

Numerous studies have proved that ergonomically-designed equipment and systems can significantly decrease worker injury. Many manual tasks necessary during the handling of materials require repetitive motions — pushing, pulling, bending, lifting and carrying — that place undue strain on the human body. These actions can result in sprains, strains, back pain and other musculoskeletal injuries.

Installing ergonomically designed pushers, pullers and carts can save thousands of dollars a year in decreased medical, insurance and disability costs resulting from repetitive-stress musculoskeletal injuries. Implementing ergonomic practices in the workplace can improve worker morale considerably while increasing efficiency and productivity significantly. Retraining staff to utilize recognized ergonomic practices generally produces an immediate savings in reduced worker injuries and associated medical costs.

DJ Products specializes in providing affordable ergonomic solutions to material handling applications. Our highly trained staff can assist you in assessing your material handling needs and design ergonomic solutions tailored to the specific needs of your business.  For more information, visit the DJ Products website.