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ErgoANSWERS^TM Productivity and Ergonomics

The primary reason to implement an ergonomics program is to improve company productivity. Of course a leading cause of lower productivity is injury due to poorly designed workstations and lack of proper training on how to use the workstation features.

Productivity enhancement will improve your company bottom line. Productivity loss can be linked to improper equipment/workstation selection, design or setup that hampers productivity and includes time lost due to ergonomics related injuries and time away from work. The impact from these maladies is much, much larger than most people realize. Typically, 50%-80% of all office employees are experiencing some type of discomfort or injury related to their work, equipment and/or workstation. Not sure if that is a realistic number? Click here to learn more.

Consider some of the components of working with a computer:

                           1. Mousing -
                                a. First the user must locate the mouse with their hand.
                                b. Then the user must locate the curser on the screen.
                                c. Next the curser must be moved to the desired point on the screen.
                                d. And then the mouse is clicked and the mouse is released.
                                e. Now relocate the mouse with the hand, etc.

                             2. Text entry - The typical computer user will hunt and peck on
                                 the keyboard. As a result, much time is spent moving the head up
                                 and down and looking for the correct keys and making corrections on
                                the screen. The up and down motion not only takes time but it also
                                lends itself to neck injuries.

                             3. Software - Most people like to blame only the equipment like the
                                keyboard, desk, monitor, mouse and chair for ergonomic issues.
                                 Upon closer study, however; it becomes evident that many issues
                                 and problems are caused by poor software design. Beyond the
                                 physical aspects of computer use, the cognitive demands of the
                                 software on the user are extremely important. Software should be
                                 designed for a particular group and based upon their expectations
                                 and knowledge base. This reduces bothe the mental demands on
                                 the user as well as the time spoend in training. If the software is
                                 built for a specific group in order to meet their specific needs it will
                                 be much more intuative to them and therefore easier for them to
                                use.

                                 There are also many other software related issues including the way
                                that onscreen help is provided (it should be in a manner that the
                                 users are used to - do not make them re-learn), the colors that are
                                 used (how many people in the population suffer from color blindness
                                 and which type is most commonly occurring?), and the actual
                                 "keyboard aerobics" required by the software. What types of key
                                 sequences are required in order to enter data? Are the sequences
                                 well thought out to fit the hands of the users? Are there any multiple
                                 key combinations that may be required repeatedly that cause the
                                 user to contort their hands in order to accomplish them? Are there
                                 keyboard equivelents that do not require use of the mouse? These
                                 are just some of the issues that are raised in relation to software
                                 that can slow work down and cause injury.

Let ErgoANSWERS^TM help you find and eliminate those productivity killing issues in your operations.

The chief economic priority for developed countries, therefore, must be to raise the productivity of knowledge and service work. The country that does this first will dominate the twenty-first century economically.”

Peter Drucker - 1991

New Studies Show Ergonomics Enhances Productivity Minneapolis, June 11, 2007 - Office workers are more productive as well as more comfortable and less likely to report injuries when they are provided well-designed ergonomic furniture and are trained to use it. A study reported at the Office Ergonomic Research Committee’s Marconi at Marigold conference found that an employer who provided employees with a combination of good ergonomic furniture and training in how to use it realized about $367 per day more income per employee (a 17.8 % productivity gain) than did a control group. Significantly, preliminary results from an independent replication of the study at a different company’s call center found that employees who received the same combination of furniture and training achieved a productivity gain of 8.3% in the number of calls handled per hour. A concurrent study in this employer’s claims-processing center found that the ergonomic improvements produced an increase in the quality of claims processed that was worth $6,563 per employee per year. Dr. Kelly DeRango, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, who led the productivity portion of the study, noted that the effect resulted from the combination of good ergonomic furniture and training: "In contrast," reported DeRango, "the training-only and the control groups did not show any significant increase in productivity." "This study was one of the most comprehensive scientific efforts to link an ergonomic product and training to health, employee productivity, and return on investment for a corporation," said Ben Amick, Ph.D., University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston. Amick and DeRango concluded that the benefit to cost ratio of an investment in the combination of good ergonomic furniture and training was very favorable in all the studies, ranging as high as 25 to 1 within a one-year time period. About the Office Ergonomics Research Committee (OERC) The Office Ergonomics Research Committee, Inc. (OERC) is a non-profit organization whose member companies are leaders in the insurance and computer, software, and furniture manufacturing sectors. Established in 1991, it has since played a leading role in funding innovative research in the field of office ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders. OERC Contact Information: Tom Albin, OERC Executive Director (612) 724-6978 director@oerc.org
The Proactive Approach-Is It Worthwhile? A Prospective Controlled Ergonomic Intervention Study in Office Workers Jasminka Goldoni Laestadius, MD, PhD Jian Ye, MD, PhD Xiaodong Cai, MD, PhD Sandra Ross, MT Lennart Dimberg, MD, PhD Meg Klekner, BSc Abstract Objective: Does proactive ergonomics program enhance office worker health and productivity? Method: The investigation was conducted in connection with the move of 1500 office staff to a building with improved ergonomics. It was focused on associations between workstation features, working postures, musculoskeletal pain symptoms, and eye strain before and 18 months after implementation of a proactive ergonomics program. The outcomes were compared between the intervention and a similar reference group. Results: Associations between improvement of postures and less musculoskeletal pain and eye strain were confirmed. A cross association between several features and postures and improved symptoms was noted, along with improved productivity. Conclusion: The study suggests that a proactive program adhearing to the OSHA recommendations needs to include an individual workstation assessment to be effective in reducing symptoms and increasing productivity. (J Occup Environ Med. 2009;51:1116-1124)