Industrial

ergonomics Ergonomics, also known as human factors or human factors engineering (HFE), is the application of Psychology, psychological and Physiology, physiological principles to the engineering and design of products, processes, and systems. Primary goa ...

programs seek to identify and correct factors that negatively impact the physical

health Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

of their workers. Participatory ergonomics programs seek to maximize the involvement of the workers in this process based on the simple fact that a worker is an expert on his or her job. The participatory approach to ergonomics relies on actively involving workers in implementing ergonomic knowledge, procedures and changes with the intention of improving

working conditions {{Short description, 1=Overview of and topical guide to working time and conditions The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to working time and conditions: Legislation * See :Labour law * Collective ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proce ...

quality Quality may refer to: Concepts *Quality (business), the ''non-inferiority'' or ''superiority'' of something *Quality (philosophy), an attribute or a property *Quality (physics), in response theory *Energy quality, used in various science discipli ...

morale Morale ( , ) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower, ...

and/or

comfort Comfort is a state of physical or psychological ease, often characterized by the absence of hardship. Individuals experiencing a lack of comfort are typically described as uncomfortable or in discomfort. A degree of psychological comfort can b ...

Implementing a participatory ergonomics program in the workplace

In order to determine if an

team/committee is right for a workplace, five factors need to be considered.

Resources and Support

A successful participatory

program requires initial and continuing resources and support from the top levels of

management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...

within the organization. The resources required include: * time for the program to develop * time to develop and implement solutions * financial resources to make meaningful changes in the workplace * management support for the individuals on the ergonomics team. (Cole, D., Theberge, N., Granzow, K., Frazer, M., Laing, A., Wells, R., & Norman, R. Participatory process in organizational interventions for injury prevention. ''Proceedings of the Fifth interdisciplinary conference on occupational stress and health.''de Looze, M. P., Urlings, I. J. M., Vink, P., van Rhijn, J. W., Miedema, M. C., Bronkhorst, R. E., & van der Grinten, M. P. (2001). Towards successful physical stress reducing products: an evaluation of seven cases. ''Applied Ergonomics, 32'', 525-534.Granzow, K., Theberge, N., Cole, D., Frazer, M., Laing, A., & Wells, R. (2002) Negotiating workplace participation: Notes on a collaborative effort among labour, management and university researches to implement a participatory ergonomics process. ''Proceedings of the Canadian Anthropology and Sociology Association.''St-Vincent, M., Chicoine, D., & Simoneau, S. (1998). ''Les Groupes Ergo: Un outil pour prévenir les LATR.'' St-Leonard, Quebec: Institut de recherche en sante et en securite du travail du Quebec.Theberge, N., Granzow, K., Cole, D., Laing, A., & Ergonomic Intervention Evaluation Research Group (2004). Negotiating participation: Understanding the 'how' in an ergonomic change team. ''Applied Ergonomics.''Wilson, J. R. (1995). Ergonomics and Participation. In J.R.Wilson & E. N. Cortlett (Eds.), ''Evaluation of Human Work: A practical ergonomics methodology'' (Second ed., pp. 1071-1096). London: Taylor & Francis.).

Ergo Team formation

The

committee should be composed of people with the right mix of skills including technical or

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

knowledge, worker knowledge and input from an

expert. Successful, sustainable participatory ergonomics programs have an individual on the committee who takes on a leadership or "ergonomics champion" role ().

Training needs

Training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

principles and methods are central to the success of the participatory ergonomics process. Three major aspects of training should be considered early in the process of implementing a participatory ergonomics program. Initial training in ergonomics for

committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

members should include ergonomics concepts and tools. Training on topics such as meeting and

project management Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...

may be beneficial, depending on the past experience of committee members with committee work and implementing change. Additionally, it is important for the workforce as a whole to gain an understanding of ergonomics to improve their support for the participatory ergonomics process (Wells, R., Norman, R., Frazer, M., Laing, A., Cole, D., & Kerr, M. (2003) ''Participative Ergonomic Blueprint''. (http://www.iwh.on.ca/system/files/documents/pe_blueprint_2003.pdf)).

Workplace organization factors

The research literature contains limited discussion of the effect of the organization’s characteristics (culture) on the success of a participatory ergonomics intervention. The organizational climate and the timing of the introduction of the program can affect the outcome. Integrating the participatory ergonomics program into existing

health and safety Occupational safety and health (OSH) or occupational health and safety (OHS) is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at work (i.e., while performing duties required by one's occupation). OSH is re ...

programs can increase the chances of success (Dixon, S. M., Theberge, N., & Cole, D. (2005) The ergonomist has left the building: Sustaining a participatory ergonomic program. ''Proceedings of the Association of Canadian Ergonomists Annual Meeting - Charting the Human Factor.'').

Involving the workforce in ergonomics

The

committee needs to respond to expectations about the ergonomics program. It is imperative to gain support or "buy in" from the workforce as most will not be directly involved with the ergonomics committee. The ergonomics program needs to be visible within the organization; this can be accomplished by ensuring that there is a focused effort to communicate with the workforce and by involving key stakeholders in all changes that are investigated and implemented ().

References

External links

Reducing MSD hazards in the workplace: A guide to successful participatory ergonomics programs
Institute for Work & Health (2009).
Ergonomic Handbook for the Clothing Industry
Institute for Work & Health, Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE), Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) (2001). {{Occupational safety and health Ergonomics Occupational safety and health Working conditions