Why You Should Go Ergonomic

Why You Should Go Ergonomic

According to 2005 statistics from the National Safety Council (NSC), the United States had 142,946,000 documented workers, work-related injuries and deaths cost the country $160.4 billion and the number of work days lost by U.S. employees was 80,000,000. Studies found that musculoskeletal disorders happened frequently in the manual material handling industry and that these injuries could largely be avoided with ergonomic interventions.

Ergonomics is the science of fitting a job to a person's body instead of forcing a person's body to fit a job. By adapting tools, work stations and tasks to an employee's body, an employer can reduce undue physical stress, strain and overexertion. Ergonomists, industrial engineers and occupational safety and health officials believe that reducing physical stress in the workplace could cut the amount of serious injuries of employees by half each year. According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), you need to especially be aware of ergonomics if you work in the manufacturing, construction, maritime and agricultural industries and your employees:

• Repeat the same motion throughout the work day
• Work in an awkward or stationary position
• Lift heavy or awkward items
• Use excessive force to perform tasks
• Are exposed to excessive vibration or extreme temperatures

• Lower injury rates
• Increase productivity by making jobs easier and more comfortable
• Improving product quality because a more comfortable worker will make less errors
• Reduce absences because workers will take less time off from muscle soreness and fatigue
• Reduce turnover
• Lower costs because worker compensation and payments for illness and replacement workers will be reduced
• Improve worker safety
• Improve worker morale

• Ergonomic adjustable work bench: raises material to an ergonomically correct working height, featuring a fold-away hand crank located directly under the platform for easy raising and lowering. The bench has a hydraulic system that raises the platform evenly
• Ergonomic matting: a comfortable cushion employees can stand on if they must stand for extended periods of time to do their work. Perfect for industrial settings, restaurants, retail and office settings
• Ergonomic scissor lift: raises materials to an ergonomically correct working height
• Ergonomic power pallet jack: aids the worker in transporting heavy loads set on pallets