The word “hazard” can be nerve wracking for anyone, especially as a business owner. While there are some hazards to the safety of both customers and employees, such as spills that aren’t properly cleaned or exposure to chemicals, there’s another important type of hazard that requires your attention: hazards that relate to ergonomics.
Ergonomics plays a large role in the health and wellness of your employees. It refers to the process of designing a workplace environment that encourages productivity and efficiency using the right practices and equipment. An ergonomic hazard is anything that can impact an employee’s ability to carry out their job responsibilities in a timely and efficient manner. These types of workplace hazards tend to lead to musculoskeletal injuries that interfere with an employee’s ability to complete their work, potentially leading them to take time off.
We’re here to give you the rundown on everything you need to know about ergonomic hazards. We’ll talk about examples of ergonomic hazards and what they can lead to if they’re not addressed. We’ll also discuss how you can prevent them and how Work-Fit can help you take steps to create an ergonomic workplace.
Examples of ergonomic hazards
Ergonomic hazards can pose a risk in every type of industry; however, the exact kind of hazard can vary based on the requirements of the workplace. For example, an office that primarily involves computer tasks will have different hazards than a warehouse. Hazards are essentially anything that puts a strain on an employee’s physical health. By learning about the most common ergonomic hazards, you can understand the risks they pose to your employees.
Here are examples of ergonomic hazards:
- Lack of breaks or inadequate amount of rest time.
- Repetitive motions, such as typing, pushing a machine button, or performing assembly line tasks.
- Frequent lifting of equipment or inventory.
- Unsupportive and unadjusted desks or chairs.
- Awkward posture.
- Extremely high or low temperatures.
- Excessive noise.
- Overwhelming mental, emotional and physical stress.
What ergonomic hazards can lead to
The thing about ergonomic hazards is that they don’t often pose an immediate threat like other types of hazards. Instead of a one-time fall, an ergonomic hazard gradually puts wear and tear on an employee’s health over time. In the U.S., more than 30% of worker injuries and illnesses are caused by ergonomic injuries.
Depending on the requirements of the job and the workplace environment, here are a few common injuries that employees can develop if ergonomic hazards aren’t addressed:
- Muscle strains — For any job that requires repetitive movements or frequent lifting, it’s possible for employees to strain a muscle, leading to pain and reduced range of motion. A strained muscle is a musculoskeletal injury that means the muscle tissue has become overstretched or torn. Common areas of muscle strain include the back muscles and rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome — One of the most common repetitive motion injuries is carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects a person’s hand and fingers. The median nerve, which passes through the wrist, can become pinched from repetitive hand and wrist movements, such as typing on a keyboard, gripping or bending the wrists. This can cause numbness, pain and tingling in the fingers, and weakened grip.
- Tendinitis — For workplaces that involve repetitive movements, such as lifting things onto shelves, pushing equipment, using hand tools, or squatting, etc., it’s possible for an employee to develop tendinitis. This condition refers to inflammation of the tendon, which attaches a muscle to a bone. Common areas of tendinitis include the elbow (known as epicondylitis), patellar tendon of the knee and rotator cuff of the shoulder.
- Postural stress — There are a number of ergonomic hazards that can lead to pain, even without a specific injury like a muscle strain. Poor posture at the desk, unsupportive chairs, improper lifting techniques, and long standing and sustained positions & postures can lead to pain in the neck, back, hips and shoulders that can interfere with an employee’s comfort and productivity.
When it comes to musculoskeletal injuries, every degree of severity should be taken seriously. While it might seem like an ache in your employee’s neck isn’t a big deal at the moment, it may worsen if it’s not properly addressed and corrected with the right ergonomic measures.
How business owners can address and prevent ergonomic hazards
You want your employees to feel as comfortable and healthy as possible when they’re doing their job. The right ergonomics can boost focus, reduce turnover and increase engagement. Not only can the right ergonomics improve the quality of your employees’ work as well as the workplace culture, but it also reduces the risk of them taking sick time for an injury, which may impact the workload of the rest of your employees.
When you think about hazards as a business owner, the first question you should ask yourself is, “How can I prevent them?”
The first thing you need to do is determine which hazards are actually present in your particular workspace. Perform an assessment for potential risks. This includes everything from taking an inventory of the equipment to the specific physical requirements of each role in the company.
You can also ask your employees to be open about any concerns they may have about the ergonomics of the environment. It’s often beneficial to suggest that employees send anonymous recommendations for issues. This opens an honest line of communication and showcases your priority of employee satisfaction, which can go a long way in improving employee attitude.
Once you finish your assessment, it’s time to take action. Here are common prevention methods used by business owners to reduce the risk of ergonomic hazards:
- Invest in ergonomic chairs, computer equipment and standing desks.
- Invest in tooling that has ergonomically designed grips, extra padding and is lighter weight.
- Hold training for improving body mechanics like proper lifting techniques, wrist and arm positions, avoiding twisting, etc.
- Provide information on reducing and reversing stressful postures, adding prework warm-ups, and recovery stretching.
- Encourage adequate breaks throughout the day.
- Upgrade protective gear for physical tasks, such as handling a manufacturing machine.
Ergonomic hazards don’t just simply go away after just one round of improvements. It’s important that you’re regularly assessing the ergonomics of your business to check for any hazards that have become more prevalent or escaped your notice. You should have procedures that are updated on a quarterly or annual basis.
Work-Fit can help you address ergonomic hazards for a healthier workplace
While your employees’ health and wellness should always be your top priority, you might not recognize when there’s an issue until someone reports it or claims an injury that was sustained on the job. That’s why it’s important to be proactive about ergonomic hazards: By learning about them now, you can make sure that they don’t slip through the cracks in the future.
Ergonomics in the workplace goes beyond a change of keyboards. However, if you are an office worker, you can start off by taking our ergonomic self-assessment. (Enter code WF1 when prompted.) We can be by your side as you take every step to keep your team comfortable, productive and healthy.
For every business — from manufacturing, transportation, landscaping, warehousing, food service and more — optimizing your ergonomics requires a multistep process through a comprehensive plan. Work-Fit is a nationwide expert and resource! We can provide you with ergonomic analyses of your workstations, deliver coaching in proper body mechanics, and create custom programming for musculoskeletal injury prevention.
By integrating ergonomic and injury prevention services into your business practice, you can reduce the risk of employees developing musculoskeletal issues and increase productivity.
Contact our team today for more information about our comprehensive services and all the benefits we can bring to your workplace.
