Laboratory Ergonomics - Avoid Injuries and Accidents

Ergonomics is a workplace design science, which aims to make the job, the equipment and the work area fit the worker. Proper ergonomic design is necessary to avoid injury to workers which can lead to time off sick, or even to long term disability. This article explains some of the ways in which management and workers in a laboratory setting can benefit from provision of an online laboratory ergonomics course.

The costs to industry of illness such as back pain and repetitive strain injury are substantial. Costs may include payment of compensation to workers injured at work, the cost in sick pay for workers who have been injured, and the costs of hiring agency workers to cover for absences. There is also a demoralizing effect for workers whose employer does not take workplace safety seriously. This can lead to low productivity, high staff turnover and high absentee rates.

For the employees in a laboratory there are a number of risks to health which can be minimized by a proactive approach to laboratory ergonomics. Design of the work environment is important to minimize risks, as is comprehensive training for staff. Management should recognize that each worker knows his or her own abilities and limitations, and the training should ensure that workers know how to identify and implement improvements which could be made in their own workplace.

A laboratory ergonomics course is a good way to ensure that employees understand the risks of injury which they may face in the workplace. Courses of this nature can be delivered online.

A good course should introduce the worker to the concept of ergonomics. Although a lot of the science is in fact common sense it is something that employees and managers may not think about too much until an accident or injury actually occurs. Teaching the concept of ergonomics will help workers understand the need for identification of the repetitive and physically difficult parts of their jobs, and it will encourage them to make the changes which make the workplace safer.

The course should show workers how the work area has often been designed around the average person. It should emphasize how supervisors and workers need to adjust the workplace for each individual. For example for a tall (or a short) person the work surface may need to be raised (or lowered) slightly, chairs may need to be adjusted, tools may be rearranged so they can be reached more easily and any overstretching should be eliminated. The aim here is that the workers body should spend most time in the neutral position where it is under the least amount of stress.

Besides the work station itself there are items of equipment which can cause problems if not chosen or set up correctly. Surprisingly even a simple item like a pair of gloves can be a problem. Badly fitting gloves, and gloves which are much larger and thicker than they need to be, can put unnecessary stresses on the hands and wrist. The worker in badly fitting gloves may grip objects much more tightly than necessary, and may put his tendons under a lot of strain causing painful swelling. Also if gloves are too tight around the wrist they can cause injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome which is very painful.

A good introduction course to laboratory ergonomics will encourage staff and supervisors to understand the issues of workplace safety, and will empower them to make relevant improvements to the work area and work practices