Workplace Ergonomics - An Essential Ingredient for Employee Comfort and Health
Rationale
Global prevalence--Workplace Musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are painful injuries affecting muscles, joints, bones and, ligaments or other tissues in the limbs or back. Such injuries affect 1.9 million Americans every year, and over one-quarter of these injuries occur in the workplace. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2012, MSDs accounted for 34 percent of all work-related injuries and illnesses, costing employers more than $20 billion in workers’ compensation costs, medical expenses, missed workdays, decreased productivity, and hiring of replacement staff.
Indian Prevalence—
Prevalence in India-- 75-78% of professionals in India report Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders.
WHAT HAPPENS IF A WORKER CONTINUES WORKING IN SPITE OF BEING IN PAIN?
Published studies have shown a documented loss of up to US$ 50,000 per worker in terms of loss of productivity, absenteeism, and cost of hiring and training fresh recruits.
Employees working in organizations that do not provide effective on-site services to address WRMSD spend at least 2-3 hours daily to visit a hospital or clinic. This time usually comes out of the usual working hours since medical services are rarely available by the time the employee reaches home.
| |
Direct Cost |
Indirect Cost |
| 1 |
Workers compensation & Disability |
Loss of Goodwill & Lower Morale |
| 2 |
Lost work time |
The inefficiency cost of restricted work |
| 3 |
Medical claims |
Hiring & Training replacement |
| 4 |
Insurance Premiums |
Overtime to other employees because of injury |
| 5 |
Litigation & Fine |
Administrative costs |
| 6 |
|
Costs arising from violation/injury investigation/follow up |
For every $1 expended on Direct Costs and an additional $4 is expended on Indirect Costs*. OSHA estimates 100% return on investment for preventive ergonomics over a 20 month payback period for most solutions.
The common prevalence of work-related MSD reported during the last few years based on their body region were neck (29.56%), lower back (22.89%), shoulders (12.17%) and knees (9.56%). There was a statistically significant difference in terms of gender, regular exercise, more than 5 working days per week, more than eight hours of work per day and habit of taking lesser breaks during work hours at regular intervals. There were no statistically significant differences in terms of age, BMI and years of employment.
Ergonomic Interventions to Prevent Work related Musculoskeletal Disorders:
In this study, the authors Mahesh Desai, Jaspreet Chhabra and Arvind P. Ganpule have provided insights on the advantages of the use of Da Vinci system. They have quoted Sushrut as, ‘a surgeon, by his own experience and intelligence, may invent and add new instruments to facilitate the surgical procedures’. The earlier methods of open incision surgeries were considered gold standard in treatment of certain urological cases up until the advent of ‘laparascopy’. Laparoscopy marked the era of minimally invasive surgeries and soon became the norm and replaced open surgeries especially in urology. However, there are certain limitations of laparoscopic procedures. Some of them being:
- Onsite Detailed Ergonomic Evaluation – via
- Assessment Questionnaire
- Physical Examination by medical expert
- Conduct Ergonomic Awareness sessions & communication campaign around the same through lecture seminars, handouts, mailers, & videos
- Periodic Ergonomic education on workplace modifications, prevention of risk factor associated with WMSD and self-work Behaviour change
- On floor stretching exercises and good posture training
Outcomes/Benefits of Workplace Ergonomics
- Reduction in workplace injuries
- Reduction in workplace musculoskeletal disorders
- Increased productivity and profitability
- Improved quality of output
- Reduced liabilities
- Increased efficiency
- Recruiting and retaining quality workers from a shrinking talent pool
- Reduced on-site absenteeism
- Having healthier and happier workforce
- Positive employee engagement