October is National Ergonomics Month, making it an ideal time for employers to take a closer look at how everyday job tasks may be affecting employees’ health and safety.
Ergonomics is about more than choosing the right office chair or reminding employees to lift with their legs. Effective workplace ergonomics means designing tasks, tools, workstations, and processes around the people performing the work.
When those elements are not properly aligned, employees may face an increased risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) notes that ergonomic interventions can help prevent common workplace musculoskeletal injuries including back pain, sore muscles, and repetitive strain injuries. NIOSH also identifies industries involving manual material handling, including manufacturing, warehousing, delivery, and patient handling, as areas where overexertion can be a significant concern.
What Are Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders?
Musculoskeletal disorders are injuries or conditions affecting muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, and other soft tissues.
Workplace MSDs may develop gradually rather than resulting from a single incident. Common ergonomic risk factors include:
- Repetitive movements
- Heavy or frequent lifting
- Awkward body positions
- Excessive pushing or pulling
- Forceful exertion
- Working in the same position for extended periods
- Poor workstation or equipment design
An employee may initially experience soreness or fatigue. Over time, continued exposure can potentially contribute to more serious pain, reduced mobility, lost productivity, or time away from work.
That makes identifying ergonomic risks early an important part of a proactive workplace safety program.
Ergonomic Risks Exist in More Workplaces Than You Think
Ergonomic hazards aren’t limited to warehouses or manufacturing facilities.
A healthcare employee repositioning patients, an office worker spending hours at a poorly adjusted workstation, a construction employee repeatedly handling materials, and a warehouse employee picking products throughout a shift can all experience ergonomic exposures.
The specific risk varies by workplace, which is why a one-size-fits-all approach to ergonomics is rarely enough.
United Safety Professionals’ Ergonomic Assessments evaluate office, production, and field workstations while identifying factors such as posture, physical demands, repetition, and force. Assessments can also incorporate recognized tools including RULA, REBA, and NIOSH methodologies to help organizations better understand risk levels and prioritize corrective actions.
Look Beyond Employee Behavior
One common mistake is treating ergonomics primarily as an employee training issue.
Training is important, but telling an employee to “lift correctly” does little if the load is too heavy, the workstation requires an awkward reach, or a repetitive task is poorly designed.
An effective ergonomics program should examine whether the work itself can be improved.
Potential solutions might include adjusting workstation heights, changing material storage locations, using mechanical lifting equipment, modifying tools, rotating certain tasks, improving workflow, or changing how frequently physically demanding activities are performed.
The goal is to reduce exposure to the hazard wherever practical instead of relying entirely on the employee to compensate for poor job design.
Encourage Employees to Report Symptoms Early
Early reporting can also play an important role in preventing minor discomfort from becoming a more significant problem.
Supervisors should encourage employees to report recurring soreness, numbness, tingling, fatigue, loss of grip strength, or discomfort associated with specific job tasks.
Employees should understand that reporting discomfort is not complaining. It provides valuable information that can help an organization identify a potential workplace hazard.
Organizations can reinforce that message through ongoing workplace safety training for both employees and supervisors.
Make Ergonomics Part of Your Overall Safety Program
National Ergonomics Month is a useful reminder, but ergonomic safety should be considered throughout the year.
Ergonomic risks can change as new equipment is introduced, production increases, processes change, facilities expand, or employees take on different responsibilities.
Regular assessments can help organizations identify these risks before they contribute to injuries.
If your organization hasn’t evaluated its ergonomic exposures recently, October is an excellent time to start. United Safety Professionals can help evaluate your current workplace, identify ergonomic hazards, recommend corrective actions, and incorporate those improvements into a broader safety consulting and auditing program.
Better ergonomics isn’t simply about making work more comfortable. It’s about designing safer, more sustainable ways for people to do their jobs.