CAB - Agricultural Safety Resource Guide: 5

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Agricultural Safety Resource Guide

5 - ERGONOMICS

Introduction

Ergonomics is the study of human characteristics for the appropriate design of the living and the work environment. Ergonomic researchers attempt to learn about human character-istics (capabilities, limitations) so that this knowledge can be used to adapt a human-made environment to the people involved. A key motto to this concept is to "fit the work to the worker, not the worker to the work." This knowledge can affect complex technical systems or work tasks, work stations and equipment, or the tools and utensils used at work.

Manual material handling: Lifting, lowering, pulling, pushing, carrying

Manual handling involves lifting light or heavy objects. Heavy loads pose an additional strain on the body due to their weight or bulk or lack of handles. But even lightweight objects can strain us because we have to move, bend, stretch, or straighten out body parts, using fingers, arms, trunk, and legs. The four keys of manual material handling have been described as follows:

Key #1: Layout - Initial layout of facilities contributes towards safe and efficient material transfer. This entails how the flow of materials is organized.

Key #2: Job design - The job determines the stress imposed on the worker by the work. This entails the kind of material-handling motions to be performed and the organization of the work-rest periods.

Key #3: Improvements - Selection, use, and improvement of equipment, tools, and machines strongly affect material handling requirements.

Key #4: People - This concerns people as material handlers, particularly with regard to body size, strength, and energy capacity. People are vital in the work of manual material handling. If people are not needed in the system, then the system should be automated. If they are needed, then the system should be designed for them.

Laws and regulations

In November 1996, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board approved the nation's first regulations governing ergonomics in the workplace. This highly controversial standard applies to any employer in the state with 10 or more employees. It applies in every industry. As of this writing, the state Office of Administrative Law has asked the standards board for clarification on several words used in the standard. Changes to the wording in the standard, or clarification of the terms, is expected around June 1997.

Ergonomic-related injuries are now one of the leading sources of work-related injury and workers' compensation claims. Ergonomic rating standards are now being implemented on many products such as tools, machinery, and work station posturing equipment. Many of these rating standards are already being used in the determination of insurance costs that can be used to the employer's benefit.

Federal OSHA is also starting to work on a national ergonomic standard. This will also be highly controversial and contested strongly by employer groups and associations. In the meantime, ergonomic related injuries continue to increase.

In California, the back is the most commonly injured part of the body, and back injuries account for the largest proportion of incurred losses in the workers' compensation system. An analysis of 1989 California WC claims showed that 75 percent of the most costly compensation claims were attributable to musculoskeletal disorders.

The NIOSH's 1981 Work Practices Guide for manual lifting describes specific weights that may or may not be lifted, and serves as a good reference for fitting the work load to the individual employee based on individual factors.

OSHA also has information on screening procedures for hiring employees in relation to the work at hand. These procedures are helpful in matching the job to the worker based on physical ability and conditioning of the prospective employee.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an excellent source for information regarding ergonomic factors surrounding a particular piece of equipment or product. There also is a substantial amount of information available on product safety through epidemiological studies, hospital records, and workers' compensation claims.

Drs. John Miles and Jim Meyers of UC Davis are conducting research on ergonomics issues in agricultural jobs. Their research is practical and useful to agricultural safety professionals. Contact AgSafe for more information about this issue.

Model programs

Many private and public firms have developed programs that employ ergonomic standards for particular forms of employment and industry. Most are designed to operate at minimal cost and offer improvements that can be implemented relatively easily. Two are listed here:

OSHA'S Ergonomic Safety Guide-Advisory Program.

Cal/OSHA Consultation Service, Education and Training Unit. An Employer's Guide to Ergonomics (to be released around July 1997).

Ergonomic guides

A Brief Guide To Practical Ergonomics. Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of California. Guide is distributed by AgSafe.

Articles on implementing an ergonomics program

Implementing an Ergonomics Program: Developing Procedures. By Jim Roughton of IT Corp. Industrial Engineering, September 1993.

Quick-Fix Solutions to Ergonomic Related Hazards - Watch Out! By David Mahone of Continental Insurance. Industrial Engineering, July 1993.

Ergonomic reference books and manuals

American Industrial Hygiene Association. A Guide to Product Health and Safety and the Right to Know.

Bureau of National Affairs. Stress in the Workplace: Costs, Liability, and Prevention.

Christensen, J.M. Ergonomics Source Book. A guide to human factors information.

Eastman Kodak Company. Ergonomic Design for People at Work. Vol.1, Lifetime Learning Publications.

Kornberg, J.P. The Work-place Walk-through. Ann Arbor: Lewis Publishers.

National Safety Council (NSC). Ergonomics: A Practical Guide.

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