Ergonomics

Ergonomics is an engineering science concerned with the psychological and physical relationship between workers and their work environment. Ergonomics evolved after World War II as production managers recognized the physiological impact of workers’ repetitive actions. The term ergonomics comes from the Greek words ergon, meaning work, and nomos, meaning laws. Initially ergonomics focused on improving productivity through developing a more worker-friendly environment, but in recent years with increased concern about repetitive stress syndrome, it has grown increasingly important in workplace health and safety. Ergonomics is most closely associated with repetitivestress syndrome, encompassing such injuries as carpaltunnel syndrome; lower back pain; and problems with tendons, nerves, ligaments, and joints from performing the same manual task over and over. In 2000 the OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION (OSHA) issued over 300 pages of new ergonomics regulations. The new rules detail which job categories, what activities are covered, and the minimum number of hours per day a worker can do a repetitive task before they are covered by the OSHA rules. For example, workers using a keyboard are covered if they work at that task for four or more hours per day. Workers who lift 55-pound objects over 10 times per day are also covered by the new regulations. OSHA justified the new ergonomics rules using benefitcost analysis, claiming it would cost U.S. businesses $4.5 billion to comply but result in over $9 billion saved annually from reductions in lost employee time due to injuries and lost productivity from long-term disabilities. Business managers differed with the OSHA analysis, claiming the cost of compliance would be significantly greater. Business managers complained they would have to frequently shift workers to different job activities, losing work time and the benefits of specialization.