The 30-Inch View

Continued Need for Compliance Audits?

In a recent blog post on the National Association of EHS Managers (NAEM) site (http://greentie.naem.org/2009/05/26/ehs-auditing-in-trying-times/) Frank Brandauer posed several view points about EHS audits and the future of the function.  One viewpoint struck home with me; “With the rise of EHS Management Systems and related System Audits, the actual need for Compliance Audits has been reduced”.  It is our experience that Safety/Environmental Management Systems and the subsequent audits/reviews strengthen and sustain compliance.  We’ve seen the results in both safety and ergonomics management systems.

Checking on progress toward improvement goals, and compliance to regulations, is a critical activity for any successful business.  William Claude Dukenfield* stated it simply, “There comes a time in the affairs of men when we must grab the bull by the tail and face the situation.”  Managing EHS is dynamic, changing daily with business issues, orders, technology and staffing changes.  To be successful in EHS one must “face the situation” frequently and objectively.    (*also known as W.C. Fields)

As industries and agencies move toward more similar or global standards, auditing for compliance to applicable requirements become one integrated step in the overall process/system for managing EHS. The System ensures compliance at each step rather than driving is by a single event (compliance audit).  Organizations that align their ergonomics improvement process with the EHS Management System or continuous improvement process are successful.  Successful is defined as effective, efficient, sustainable over time, and compliant.

So Frank, in response to the question you posed; “Given the maturity of many audit programs and the current economic and regulatory situation, is it time for a change?”.  The answer is yes.  Organizations that manage EHS/ergonomics as system proactively ensure compliance, but more importantly they anticipate and manage risk.

Contributed by Walt Rostykus  CPE, CIH, CSP

Incorporating Ergonomics into the Design of Medical Products

 

Click on the picture to the right for some exciting news from Humantech and NuStep!

Real World Ergonomics

I came across this story today (thanks to my brother-in-law for sharing), and realized its worthwhile to share.

A woman experiencing backpain worked with her doctor to determine the back pain was from sitting for extended hours at the computer.  Their solution:  a standing workstation.  She worked to find the optimal height for herself, ignored the $300 price tags for other 'standing workstations' and found her own solution for $20.  Ingenuity at its finest.

http://lifehacker.com/5220094/create-a-simple-standing-desk-for-20

A Novel Idea

Sixth graders in Minnesota may possibly be setting a new benchmark for classroom design and furniture.  Solely by word of mouth, districts between North Carolina and California area already following suit. 

 

Students in Ms. Brown's 6^th grade class at Marine Elementary are experimenting with adjustable workstations that will allow them to either stand or sit while they work.  These desks also come with swinging footrests and adjustable stools, making the switch even easier.    They were developed by Ms. Brown and a local ergonomic furniture manufacturer after Ms. Brown noticed the small fidgeting that, when accommodated for, improved their concentration. 

 

In an article found here in NYTimes.com, the author states "Teachers in Minnesota and Wisconsin say they know from experience that the desks help give children the flexibility they need to expend energy and, at the same time, focus better on their work rather than focusing on how to keep still."  Its just common sense, right?  We commend Ms. Brown and her innovative thinking outside the box to find a better solution to improve the optimization of her learning environment for her students.

 

Speaking of innovation thinking, a short browsing of the internet led me to these revolutionary backpacks called the BackTpack (www.backtpack.com).  They redistribute the weight to the sides of the student instead of all on the back.  There are a lot of supporting comments and claims on the internet and my initial thoughts are they seem to be very beneficial.

 

What are your thoughts on the new backpack?  And what about the adjustable desk?  Have you ever tried either of them?    

Using social networking sites to share ergo knowledge

The world continues to buzz about the power of social networking sites, blogs, online forums and other internet-based groups that promote communities of shared knowledge, ideas and opinions.  Would it surprise you to know that there is a Facebook™ group called "Ergonomists of the World"?  Created a few years ago, this group has more than 300 members and is comprised of Health, Safety, Human Factors and Ergonomics Professionals and Researchers from around the world. 

Also, the ever growing LinkedIn online community has excellent groups of Ergonomics, H&S, and Human Factors Professionals. If you are on LinkedIn, we suggest you check out the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society group.  You may find several Humantechers there as participants and contributors! 

In keeping with the theme of promoting communities of shared knowledge, we encourage everyone to take advantage of these resources - start by checking out these two groups. If you know of any other such groups, please feel free to share them.

Contributed by Kevin Perdeaux

Two More Ways to Become Recession-Proof

Alex Pollack recommended three actions that EHS Managers should take in his blog entitled "Becoming Recession Proof". He provides good guidance for EHS professionals and managers on survival in their current position during the recession. Not only do I agree with Alex, here are two more actions you can take:

• Use the language of business leaders
• Demonstrate your value  

Use the Language of Business Leaders

If you want to be heard and understood, communicate using the language, terms, and measures of your organization's leaders. If they are discussing cycle time reduction, reduction of waste, employee retention, ROI, and/or time to market, then align your programs and messages with these issues. Top leaders in companies care about, but don't really understand things like injury/illness rate, cost of non-compliance, names of regulations, or TLVs. However, astute EHS professionals know that when these technical issues and details can be presented in terms top management can understand, they are effective, understood, and essential. Listen to the topics and terms discussed at management meetings, read and think about the company metrics and initiatives, then align your technical program to support them using the common language. 

Ergonomic improvements reduce waste, improve cycle time, increase employee satisfaction, and oh... they also decreases the chance of injuries. Learn to speak like a business leader, not as a technical expert. This is easier than educating a plant manager on the details and requirements of a technical EHS issue.

Demonstrate Value

Gone are the days when EHS professionals were measured on compliance and injury/illness rate. As EHS programs have evolved, matured, and reduced losses in the workplace, we must demonstrate the value of our presence and contribution to the bottom-line of the organization. Value, in business, is typically measured in money. Specifically, if the results of your EHS program lead to savings or a monetary contribution greater than the cost of the program, you've added value. Return on Investment, or ROI, is business speak for calculating the value ($) of your program. This could be the value of the overall EHS program, the IH sampling program, ergonomic improvements, or emergency prevention and preparedness. Injury/illness rates are a poor reflection of value and savings. Cycle time savings, reduction in errors and scrap, reduction in new project lead time, and employee retention can all be translated into monetary values to demonstrate ROI. The trick is demonstrating the cause and effect of EHS contributions and calculating a realistic return.

When you can demonstrate how, and how much, your EHS contribution has enhanced the bottom line of an organization, then you are demonstrating value, leading to a higher level of respect and recognition throughout the organization.

Gerdau Ameristeel is a Two-Time Winner of Humantech Award

Good things are happening, ergonomically speaking, at Gerdau Ameristeel's Charlotte, North Carolina facility. For the second year in a row, the mill has won Humantech's Find It - Fix It Challenge, which recognizes and rewards simple and effective workplace solutions that result in increased productivity, improved worker morale, and fewer workplace injuries. 

 

 

(L to R, Casimiro Liborio, Vice President & General Manager and Monica Workman, Health & Safety Manager of Gerdau Ameristeel in Charlotte receive their award from Humantech Consultant Jeff Sanford)

 

 

This year's winning entry involved the company's in-house design and build of a new brick chute used to reline ladles. The fix not only eliminates heavy lifting, bending and twisting, but saves 12 man hours per week. "The device is saving backs, shoulders and time spent on this job," says Matt Moore, Corporate Safety Director. He added, "The device will not only benefit our company for many years to come, it also holds promise for many others in the steel industry." Gerdau Ameristeel has a patent pending on the device.

 

Congratulations to Gerdau Ameristeel and to all of the 72 entries!

Who is the Ergonomics Community?

David Brodie's comments in "Where is the Ergonomics Community" is spot on in calling the efforts to building this community a "fractured approach to pulling people together to learn and advance the field of ergonomics." Perhaps another question needs to be answered in order to lead to greater direction; Who is the Ergonomics Community?

In today's media, the term ergonomics has lost its meaning. It is used to sell keyboards, car seats, dog dishes, office chairs based on an inflated ball, and backpacks. In addition, a lot of people have assigned the term to their position description and offerings, without having the education, knowledge or understanding of the field. As a result of the marketplace being inundated by people offering "ergo" services and solutions (note that many do not even spell out the whole term), the value of ergonomics gets lost.

Unfortunately, not all "ergonomists" (qualified and self-proclaimed) work from the same definition of ergonomics. Some jump on the ergonomics band wagon and use the term to sell martial arts, body mechanics, stretching & exercise (wellness), and a wide array of gizmos (have you seen the treadmill office workstation). These are examples of the distractions and malpractice activities that give the wrong image and value to the field. Mr. Brodie referenced BCPE which is the recognized certification board for ergonomics/human factors professionals. Accept no substitutes.

Most professional ergonomists focus their efforts on the more specific field of "occupational ergonomics". NIOSH describes occupational  ergonomics as "designing the workplace and job demands to fit the capabilities of the working population." It is all about changing the workplace to fit people (engineering and workplace management) not having people change to fit the workplace (stretching, exercise, body mechanics). The former is the approach used by professional ergonomists. The latter is typically applied by therapists, exercise coaches, martial arts instructors, behaviorists, and the self-proclaimed "ergonomists".

The six sources listed in David Brodie's post offer some control and consistency of core science, methods, materials and content. However, until the public gets a clear understanding of what is ergonomics, and who is the ergonomics community, we will continue to clarify and defend ergonomics/human factors from the misuse of the science, term and practice.

Lewis Carroll once said, "if you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there." In this case, if we don't know who the ergonomics community is, what are the odds that we will know where they are?

EU Recognizes Importance of Ergonomics and Safety

Recently I was on the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work website and there was a post titled European Week aims at cutting workplace accidents and diseases, and it made me think of the differences between the approach of the EU to ergonomics and safety versus the US approach. What drew me to this article was the statement from the Director of EU-OSHA:

"Every three-and-a-half minutes somebody in the EU dies from work-related causes and every four-and-a-half seconds an EU worker is involved in an accident that forces them to stay at home for at least three working days. This is unacceptable! We need a change, and this change starts with assessing workplace risks. We have to make employers, workers, safety representatives and policy makers aware that proper risk assessment is the key to good workplace safety and health management."

Last year, I spent 20 weeks in Europe rolling out a corporate ergonomics process and it allowed me to see first hand cultural differences between sites. The attitude of a lot of the companies I've worked with in Europe is "let's plan early and do it right the first time". If they say that Ergonomics and Safety are their number one priority, it is. In the US, I see a lot of advertisements at facilities boasting the importance of safety and ergonomics and how it is the number one priority, but in practice, it is only number one until something more important comes along. In the blog post Leverage Internal Resources for Safety & Ergonomics Communication, Cindy touches on advertising within a facility. This is very important, but national advertising can also be very effective and gives support to companies. Such was the goal with European Week for Safety and Health at Work.

We recently posted A Prescription for Carpal Tunnel Vision: Thoughts on an Ergonomic Standard which was a response to the recent news of an ergonomics regulation potentially coming into effect with the change in the US Presidency. Although labor unions tend to support ergonomics regulations to reduce workplace injuries, businesses in the US often feel that supporting ergonomics will be too costly. They do not want to invest the time or energy into something that may not show an immediate return on investment. They do not understand the long term value of ergonomics. This is in part due to the approach that companies take with their ergonomics process. As many companies do with their Lean Manufacturing initiatives, ergonomic principles are applied in a non-systemic way. By not seeing the whole picture and understanding all of the aspects that need to be considered, they end up unsuccessful. Successful companies understand that if you invest resources, time, and money early, it will save much more in the long run in terms of injuries, rework, and productivity. Being proactive and systematic in your approach is the key.

The European Union recognizes that being proactive means looking at risk and not injuries. Risk reduction starts with assessments. In order to fix a problem or reduce risk, you first need to understand it. Only after you have identified risk can you move towards implementing countermeasures to reduce that risk. All of this data needs to be tracked so that you can ensure that your countermeasures are making a significant difference. When done well, this is a process that will yield a startling ROI in both the short-term and long-term.

 

Leverage Internal Resources for Safety & Ergonomics Communication

In a recent blog post from Blog 4 Safety (How do you communicate safety issues to your employees?), the use of posters to communicate safety issues was emphasized, along with techniques on selecting posters. I found the title of this topic to be a little misleading due to the lack of information presented.

Where we have found success in communication is incorporating safety messages into existing initiatives or meetings, such as reserving space on employee boards that are dedicated to ergonomics or reserving the first 15 minutes at an all-employees meeting to discuss new ergonomic improvements or safety initiatives.

Showing off the efforts of a continuous improvement team along a metrics board can help grab the attention of all levels of the organization. Always remember that aesthetics comes into play, so use lots of pictures and visuals. Consider the location of your messages as well, remembering where employees will be spending most of their time during breaks. Several companies I've worked with have incorporated media systems into their cafeterias, which have always been a favorite for displaying ergonomic projects. Convenience in the selected locations is also key.  For example, positioning safety observation comment boxes directly at employee ID swipe in/out areas makes it easier to attain input and acts as a daily reminder that employee feedback is valuable. Leveraging daily pre-shift meetings to notify employees about new safety procedures and ergonomic equipment can also help with extending the message to a large population.

So, although posters can help to communicate safety and ergonomics, keep in mind the internal methods that can also be utilized and never forget that there is no better alternative than face-to-face conversations.