A professionally tailored ergonomics program is critical to the success of your business. When done properly, an ergonomic partner will be regularly on site to interact with your workers and gather information that will lend itself to the development of an effective strategy. These information-gathering and strategy-development phases bring with them four key deliverables that help drive the process forward and provide tangible resources for execution. Here’s a look at what each of these deliverables entails and consists of in accomplishing this goal. Physical demands analysis A physical demands analysis is all about identifying the physical requirements of a role to help reduce injuries. These physical requirements consist of the manual material handling responsibilities, as well as the body positions and movements the employee will be in/perform and the environmental considerations, such as temperature, wet/dry, etc. By better understanding what a role entails regarding the body, employers are able to more accurately navigate the hiring process to bring aboard workers who will succeed in the short and long term This is the first half of the information-gathering phase aimed at highlighting issues within the working environment. Ergonomic risk assessment The second half is the ergonomic risk assessment , which carries the primary goal of decreasing the potential for and severity of work-related injury due to issues like static posture , task repetition, vibrations, and more. Risk assessments go beyond the simple use of ergonomic tools and look deeper to observe, document, and analyze the more intricate details of a job or process. This is most effective when analyzed by a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) , who can use this data together with that from the physical demands analysis to craft solutions within a process or the greater environment. Taking steps to pinpoint demands and risks and then implementing solutions expands the hiring pool by reducing the physical capability needed to perform in a role. Functional job descriptions CPEs take what is found during the information-gathering phase and put it into action, first in the form of functional job descriptions. These specifically outline the manual material handling aspects and body positions and movements necessary to perform the physical requirements of a job. In doing so, both your hiring decision-makers and potential applicants have a firm understanding of what’s needed and what will be asked of them. Job-specific test development Post-offer testing helps ensure prospective employees are physically capable of performing in a role before they are hired. Everything that comes before the development of post-offer tests is critical, as you first need to understand and communicate what a job specifically entails before you can test a candidate’s ability to perform within it. Testing works to mitigate the increased injury risk associated with new hires and fosters long-term contributors to your business. ROI The fifth “deliverable” of an ergonomics program can be found in the ROI it provides your organization . The four key deliverables before this all contribute to reducing soreness and injuries which in turn improve your employee morale and retention – and your bottom line. In addition to project-based consulting, Fit For Work provides a Subscription Ergonomic program that is typically 1/3 of the cost of a single ergonomic project. The on-demand support of a CPE and Ergo team is yours to utilize year-round for a fraction of the cost of a one-time solution. A 12-month ergonomic subscription from Fit For Work puts our experts at your disposal whenever an issue or question arises, and also ensures we’re on site regularly to continually optimize your strategy to suit your business. Contact Fit For Work today to see the difference an ergonomic subscription can make for the future of your company and your workers.
The Four Key Deliverables of an Ergonomics Program
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