Will the ergonomics process at your worksite stand the test of time? Ask yourself the following questions to observe and understand the current state of your ergonomics process.

The first step in getting to where you want to go is to observe where you currently are.

Once you know where you are, you can map out a strategy to make progress toward your ideal state.

In the previous article in this series on sustainable ergonomics, I asserted that the one thing you have to get right to sustain your ergonomics process is to align it with a continuous improvement process like the Shewhart cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act.)

In many versions of the Shewhart cycle, there is an additional step at the very beginning of the process: observe the current condition (Observe-Plan-Do-Check-Act).

Observe the current condition of your ergonomics process

Observing the current condition of your ergonomics process involves reviewing the core components of a best practice ergonomics process. To help, we’ve compiled a short list of questions you can use as you conduct your review. Each section is based on the elements of the ErgoPlus System of continuous ergonomics process improvement.

1. Leadership and Policy

Build a solid foundation for your ergonomics process.

• Does your worksite have a written ergonomics policy?
• Does the policy include musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) reduction goals?
• Does the policy include risk reduction goals?
• Have roles and responsibilities for the ergonomics process been established and communicated?
• Has leadership publicly endorsed the ergonomics policy?

2. Tools and Training

Give your ergonomics team the tools and training they need to be successful.

• Is there an active ergonomics team?
• Does the ergonomics team have multidisciplinary representation?
• Has each ergonomics team member received training appropriate to his/her role in the ergonomics process?
• Is an ergonomics data management system in place?
• Is ergonomics data visible to ergonomics team members as well as relevant corporate leadership?

3. Assess Risk

Evaluate your worksite for MSD risk factors.

• Is there a standardized set of ergonomic assessment tools?
• Do your ergonomic assessment tools quantify MSD risk factors, allowing for a data driven improvement process?
• Are industrial athletes and supervisors empowered to identify MSD risk factors and escalate them to the ergonomics team?
• Is there a prioritized list of jobs for risk assessment?
• Are risk assessments documented in the ergonomics data management system?

4. Plan and Make Improvements

Prioritize improvement opportunities, create improvement plans, and execute improvement projects.

• Is there a prioritized list of improvement opportunities?
• Do industrial athletes have input into ergonomic improvement projects?
• Do improvement projects have a due date and a directly responsible individual assigned to them?
• Are improvement projects completed on time?
• Do improvement projects get the necessary funding and resources required to be completed?

5. Manage Discomfort

Manage early signs of fatigue and discomfort.

• Have industrial athletes been trained in ergonomics, work technique, and proactive musculoskeletal self-care?
• Are industrial athletes encouraged to proactively report early signs of fatigue and discomfort?
• Is there a clearly defined and communicated way for industrial athletes to report early fatigue and discomfort?
• Are root causes of early musculoskeletal discomfort investigated?
• Is there a qualified healthcare provider onsite to respond to early reports of fatigue and discomfort?

6. Measure Progress

Track progress every step of the way to continuously improve your ergonomics process.

• Are follow-up assessments completed after improvements have been made to verify risk reduction?
• Are ergonomics metrics kept up-to-date and visible to the ergonomics team and relevant corporate leadership?
• Is the ergonomics process regularly reviewed by leadership?
• Are ergonomics team members held accountable for their performance?
• Do findings from ergonomics audits result in updates to the ergonomics policy and process?

7. Scale Solutions

Scale successful ergonomics solutions across your organization.

• Are new jobs and processes evaluated for MSD risk factors prior to being introduced?
• Do you have ergonomic design guidelines in place?
• Are successful ergonomics solutions shared with other worksites that have similar jobs?
• Does your ergonomics data management system allow for complete visibility into all worksites in your organization?
• Is ergonomics included in corporate safety audits?

Stay tuned for this series on sustainable ergonomics … 

Upcoming articles in this series on sustainable ergonomics are going to provide more detail and step-by-step guidance on how to implement and sustain an ergonomics process at your worksite, so stay tuned. 

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If you’d prefer more help than we can provide in a series of articles, we’d be happy to chat! We have over 30 years of institutional experience helping clients implement sustainable ergonomics programs. Just get in touch and we’ll schedule an introductory call to see if it makes sense to work together.