Archives for June 2021

National Safety Month continues throughout June, and while the idea of safety in the workplace often conjures up images of sudden accidents and injuries, employers and workers alike also need to guard against conditions that develop over time.

Any work environment, whether a factory, jobsite or office, can be the source of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) ranging from general soreness and stiffness to more serious conditions including carpal tunnel syndrome. There’s no sure way to prevent RSI completely – for example, some people are simply more prone to developing carpal tunnel syndrome than others – but the best way to reduce their frequency and severity is with proper workplace ergonomics.

A proper workplace ergonomics process reduces or removes the risk factors that lead to musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) and creates an environment conducive to better performance and productivity.  The way to achieve improved ergonomics will vary greatly depending upon the workplace, but for our purposes we’ll look at general best practices for an office environment.

Training: An important first step in preventing stress injuries is to make employees aware of good ergonomic practices, and of the potential consequences of poor ergonomics. Risk factors here include force (moving or lifting), posture and repetition. Even with a desk job, the latter two especially can present issues. Get employees thinking preventatively to head off issues before they occur.

Design: Proper workplace design is critical to good ergonomics. In an office setting one effective way to address the issue of repetition is with adjustable workstations, allowing employees to work sitting down or standing so they’re not in the same position for prolonged periods of time. The avoidance of excessive stretching and reaching to complete tasks is important also. Standing employees should be able to access what they need between waist and shoulder height, and should be provided with anti-fatigue mats.

Pay careful attention to seating as well. Chairs or stools should be adjustable, should swivel to accommodate motion and should offer substantial lumbar support. You may need to make individual arrangements for employees who are especially short or tall, as best practices include a seating position with feet flat on the floor or on an appropriate footrest, and knees no higher than the hips. The height of computer monitors is also critical to prevention of neck issues.

Communicate. One of the best ways to identify shortfalls in your ergonomic design is to ask detailed questions of your team members. How do they feel at the end of a workday? Are there recurring issues with soreness in certain parts of their bodies, or certain tasks where they notice discomfort? The answers will offer a road map to areas for improvement.

Questions about designing your workplace with proper ergonomics? Contact Douron.

June is National Safety Month, the perfect time for a little refresher on best practices for a safe jobsite. In 2019, the most recent year for which statistics are available, more than 5,000 workers suffered fatal accidents on the job, or nearly 15 per day. Of those, one in five were related to the construction industry. So while jobsites in general have made safety improvements over the years, there’s clearly still a great deal of room for improvement.

Let’s take a look at the top ways to keep work sites safer:

Plan ahead: Jobsite safety begins with a plan for what will happen that day and making sure the appropriate tools, equipment and safety gear are ready to go. Many workplace accidents result from using inappropriate equipment for a particular task, or from the absence of proper safety apparatus.

Train: The right tools and safety equipment are just the start. Workers must be trained on safe operation of any equipment, and on the proper use of safety gear. Safety training is not a one-and-done event either … plan for regular refresher sessions so all team members are always up to date. From the importance of using the appropriate tool for the job at hand to proper techniques for lifting to avoid injury, there’s no shortage of safety training topics.

Communicate: Employees will tend to take safety about as seriously as management does. Company leadership needs to make it clear that jobsite safety is a high priority, and to communicate that message consistently. From regular meetings to jobsite signage, keeping the safety message from and center is vital.

Inspect: “Inspect what you expect,” goes the saying. For jobsite safety this means regular checks of tools and equipment for signs of wear or breakage, as well as ensuring that equipment like scaffolding or fall protection gear is properly set up. And the work site itself should be inspected daily to make sure proper “housekeeping” related to safety is maintained. Regular inspection will identify safety issues before they have tragic results.

Review: The final step in a solid safety plan is a regular review of results. Were there accidents or injuries? How could they have been prevented, and what policy changes need to be put in place to keep them from happening again? This process should involve all levels of management, especially those who are actually on the jobsite.

While we highlight workplace safety in June, jobsite safety is vital every day of the year. Begin with proper planning, and finish with a regular review of results to keep jobsites safer.