Nuts & Bolts of Effective Ergonomics Programs

Ergonomics is a term that is heard and talked about frequently with organizations and among safety professionals, yet having an effective ergonomics program still remains a mystery to many. In the author's experience, it has become apparent that organizations continue to misunderstand ergonomics and struggle to implement effective programs.

Many companies implement an ergonomics program with the idea that it will solve their injury problems. However, they are often left frustrated and disappointed. Many factors determine why ergonomics programs feil to produce expected results. This article discusses two common reasons for such failure and describes five key elements for effective and sustainable ergonomics programs. These principles are applicable to all industries.

Common Mistakes in Ergonomics Programs

Two common mistakes organizations make in ergonomics program implementation are:

1) Having an incomplete understanding of ergonomics and human factors. In most cases, this involves using only the physical component of ergonomics while disregarding the other two components, cognitive and organizational. These components are equally important to understand and integrate into an ergonomics program. Without them, errors and injuries will likely continue at the same rate.

2) Including in the ergonomics program nonergonomic methods to control injuries that limit the scope and effectiveness of ergonomics programs. This involves common misconceptions of ergonomics that inhibit the program's effectiveness. Typical missteps or misconceptions include the location of ergonomics in nonoptimal departments, the mind-set that ergonomics is expensive, and the belief or preception that ergonomics only focuses on posture, body mechanics and stretching.

Five Keys for Effective & Sustainable Ergonomics Programs

The five key elements are not those given by NIOSH for ergonomics programs or noted in OSHA's ergonomics program guidelines. The five key elements view ergonomics programs from a business systems and organizational structure perspective. This view allows the ergonomist or safety professional to focus on building the program's foundation into the organization's culture and existing business systems. These essential elements are based on the author's experience working with organizations that have had successful and sustainable ergonomics programs.

Five key elements are common to all of them:

1) Use a systems approach to ergonomics throughout the organization.

2) Incorporate ergonomics into the organization's mission and strategic initiatives.

3) Develop an effective business case by identifying and including all key stakeholders.

4) Build ergonomics performance standards into job descriptions and/or performance reviews at all levels of the organization.

5) Continuously evaluate and improve the ergonomics program.

A Systems Approach to Ergonomics

The first element is the use of a systems approach to ergonomics throughout the organization. A systems approach views the ergonomics program as a system instead of a project. Thinking of the program with a project-based mentality implies that ergonomics has a beginning and an end. On the contrary, successful ergonomics programs never end, they only improve over time.

In addition, a systems approach is necessary to look at the whole system and avoid confining the ergonomics program and the issues tasked for resolution to one area or department. This will ensure that the program continually looks at issues from an organizational perspective as well as itself. Incorporate Ergonomics Into Key Initiatives & Mission

The second element is the incorporation of ergonomics into the organization's mission and strategic initiatives. It is unlikely that ergonomics is mentioned in the mission and value statements of organizations, although it might be listed as a strategic initiative. Addressing ergonomics typically does not make the top 10 list of things an organization wants to accomplish ina given year. However, many organizations have strategic initiatives that are focused on increasing employee engagement, reducing production time/ unit or improving quality. Those initiatives require some level of ergonomics to be successful.

For instance, a common company goal is to improve the bottom line (i.e., maximize revenues and minimize expenses). Ergonomics affects the bottom line by focusing on methods of improving workflow, human productivity and efficiency while reducing errors, defects and injuries. At times, those who lead the strategic initiatives are not aware of how useful and effective ergonomics can be. The challenge in implementing and sustaining ergonomics programs comes from changing the perception of ergonomics as just a cost or employee perk instead of a bottom-line benefit.

A Business Case for Ergonomics

The third element is the development of an effective business case by identifying and including all key stakeholders. The sustainable business case for ergonomics is not only built on safety numbers, but also on the return on investment to stakeholders.

Aside from SH&E personnel, the most common stakeholders are plant managers, engineering/operations managers, human resources managers, supervisors and employees. The business case must focus on how ergonomics will benefit each stakeholder.

Various examples include increased productivity and/or better quality for operations; improved employee engagement and satisfaction for human resources; increased profit margin for the plant manager; and reduced staffing issues such as less time needed for return-to-work practices and risk management.

Ergonomics Expecations

The fourth element is the inclusion of ergonomics performance standards built into job descriptions and/or performance expectations at all levels of the organization. Everyone within an organization has certain performance standards that they are expected to meet. Management positions are typically expected to meet or stay under budget, while frontline employees may be expected to meet a certain production rate and/or complete tasks within a specified time frame.

One way to establish ergonomics within an organization is to add specific ergonomics standards to each position. The statement, "what's important to my boss is important to me" is true. If employees are held accountable for their participation in ergonomics, they will devote time and attention to it. Not having a defined performance standard allows ergonomics to be lost in the ever-increasing and overflowing plate of tasks for employees.

Continuous Improvement

The fifth element is the continuous evaluation and improvement of the ergonomics program. This is one of the easiest elements to incorporate for organizations that already have continuous process improvement systems in place (e.g., six sigma). Ergonomics programs can fail or become irrelevant if the program is not consistently evaluated.

With any business system, the need to measure, monitor and continuously evaluate is vital to ensure that it is working as expected. By doing so, weaknesses or gaps in the process can be identified early and corrective actions taken to fix them before they become so large as to require a full reset.

In addition, constant monitoring allows improvement to occur for things that are going well. Having meaningful metrics is the key to this fifth element. A common question asked of metrics is how one knows they are the right ones or are meaningful. In the author's experience, the easiest way to test whether metrics are meaningful and timely is to ask the following question: How effective is our ergonomics program today? If the right metrics are in place, one can answer that question. If one cannot answer, then metrics must be revised.

Further Ergonomics Integration

A sixth element could be added to this list: The integration of ergonomics within the operational excellence/quality department and/or business systems of an organization. For example, ergonomics is being embedded into the organization's lean and six sigma program (or other similar continuous improvement methodology). This is because, by definition and design, ergonomics automatically brings added benefit and effectiveness to operational excellence programs.

Measuring Ergonomics Program Success

Once the ergonomics program is established, the next step is measuring outcomes. Metrics must be established for the program as a whole and for specific projects. They should include both safety and health metrics, and productivity and performance metrics. The metrics should align with the goals of the key stakeholders involved. Following are examples of measurements that would align with common stakeholders:

*reduction in injury incidence and/ or rate;

*time savings (reduced cycle time);

*reduction in errors and/or defects;

*reduction in employee turnover.

The ergonomics program that an organization implements today should not be the same 6 months, 1 year or 5 years from now. Organizations undergo changes on a continual basis; the same should occur in the ergonomics program. Using continuous improvement principles, the ergonomics programs should be measured, analyzed and improved upon on a regular basis.

Conclusion

The ideal foundations for ergonomics programs are the following:

*Acquire senior-level management sponsor.

*Manage as a business system (e.g., proactive improvement process);

*Place ergonomics leadership in engineering or operations;

*Define roles and responsibilities at all levels;

*Establish leading goals and measures that speak to your stakeholders' needs.

Ergonomics programs go through phases on their way to maturity, from reactive to proactive to advanced. New programs at the beginning tend to focus on incident investigation and complaints. As programs mature they look to reduce risk. The advanced-stage ergonomics programs focus on organizational systems and evaluate the processes and/or products during conceptual design phase (e.g., before they are made, purchased or implemented). Effective ergonomics programs depend on having a complete understanding of ergonomics, avoiding common pitfalls and continually advancing the knowledge and culture of ergonomics throughout the organization.

It has become apparent that organizations continue to misunderstand ergonomics and struggle to implement effective programs.

Jill Kelby, PT, CEA, is president and owner of Kelby Ergo Design LLC in Eden Prairie, MN. She has 20 years' experience working with organizations to develop, sustain and improve ergonomics programs. She is a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Board of Certified Professional Ergonomists, American Foundry Society and ASSE's Northwest Chapter. In addition, Kelby is chair of ASSE's Health and Wellness Branch.