There’s an old saying - to understand someone, you have to walk a mile in their shoes. This can (and should) be applied to any profession, including ergonomics. If your organization requires the services of an ergonomic consulting firm, would you not want someone who can relate to the needs of your company? Besides the right qualifications and experience, having an ergonomic consulting firm whose corporate mission, values and structure align with yours benefits both parties, leading to solutions that are almost always met with success.

Once you’ve narrowed down your list of qualified ergonomic consulting firms, here are a few points to consider to ensure there’s a perfect match:

Employees vs. Independent Contractors

 The majority of organizations in need of ergonomic services have a corporate structure with employed staff, not contractors. Therefore, who would most understand both your business and employees’ needs, a firm with independent contractors or one who also has employed staff?

• A consulting firm that utilizes contractors does not necessarily need to initiate their own workplace safety practices or hold insurance for their workers since they are independent contractors. Therefore, they would not understand the issues and costs of organizations that do.
• A consulting firm with employees has a dedicated work force to fully commit to a project. Independent contractors may have other clients with deadlines to be met. Therefore, a firm who relies on independent contractors also relies on their schedule.
• A consulting firm utilizing independent contractors has less supervision or control over a contractor’s work. Employees, on the other hand, generally have an office where their work can be monitored and resources or discussions with co-workers and peers are readily available.
• Firms with contractors are at risk of being investigated by government if they misrepresent employees as contractors. This can cause further disruption in client projects. Furthermore, if contractors are deemed employees, back taxes, interest and penalties are owed. In this case, bank accounts could be frozen and a firm’s operations could potentially cease altogether, along with the services they are providing for you.

The firm’s values regarding employees

• Does the consulting firm practice in-house what they preach offsite?
  • Does the firm genuinely care about the well-being of their staff?
  • Is this firm’s staff equipped with proper fitting ergonomic chairs and desks? Are their workstations set up properly?
• Employees who are treated with respect and have support from their employers tend to stay with their firm longer. They also care about the growth and reputation of the firm. Who would you rather deal with - several changing faces on your project or develop a long term relationship with a consultant?
  • Is there a high turn-over in staff?

Remember that there is more to selecting the right ergonomic firm than just professional qualifications and related experience. In order for a firm to deliver the ergonomic interventions you need, it needs to be walking on the same path as you!

Often we receive phone calls from clients who know they need an ergonomist to come in to look at an employee’s workstation because of issues involving discomfort or even a return to work after an injury. At this point, one of the consultants will try and determine exactly what the visit will entail based on answers to a few questions about the issue. Unfortunately, a client still isn’t always clear on what they need or are looking for - particularly when they are just calling to get a quote on what the cost would be to have an ergonomist come in. Hopefully the following will clear up what is involved in an ergonomic audit compared to an ergonomic assessment.

At the individual level, EWI Works offers an audit or full assessment, depending upon the complexity of the individual’s concern.  The Office Ergonomics Individual Audit is typically used in situations where an individual has access to the majority of equipment they require, but needs help to ensure it is set up correctly.  The person being assessed has questions on general setup, and may be experiencing low levels of discomfort that does not affect their overall function and ability to perform their work activities.  The time onsite is approximately 30 to 40 minutes.  The report format focuses on recommendations for both equipment and work practice changes.  Follow-up in the audit is conducted by telephone at no cost at three months.  If a follow-up is needed in person, it will be charged out at cost. 

The Office Ergonomics Individual Assessment is considered a more thorough evaluation of the employee’s workstation and tasks. The assessment is typically recommended for complex return to work situations as well as situations where an employee is experiencing regular discomfort that requires medical intervention or affects his/her ability to perform the job effectively. The purpose of the assessment is to identify and understand potential causes of discomfort, recommend solutions and follow up with the organization to minimize on-going concerns. The report does not include medical information. Assessments are typically 60 minutes in length onsite.  A detailed report is sent out that outlines:  furniture, equipment and work practice changes that are recommended for implementation.  A follow up visit is included in the cost of an assessment conducted by an EWI Works consultant and is completed once changes have been implemented to ensure these changes are effective.  An assessment provided by an EWI Works consultant also includes access to our online office ergonomics course to help the employee understand some of the causes of discomfort and what they can do at work or at home to help reduce this discomfort through stretches, breaks or adjusting their workstation properly.

If you feel discomfort at work or if you have a staff member that is working with discomfort, give EWI Works a call at 780-436-0024. We would be more than happy to help you define what it is that you need and some of the options that are available. We also offer courses in both industrial and office ergonomics for organizations or public courses to define and understand the basics of ergonomics. The courses, taught by EWI Works’ CCPE certified ergonomists, are offered through the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Education as well as the University of Calgary’s Continuing Education. Soon, EWI Works will be offering public courses in ergonomics on a periodic basis throughout the year based on interest and demand.

Four ergonomic audits were conducted for a client whose coordinator staff were feeling similar discomfort due to workstations that required awkward positions.

To provide some background, the position involves responding to and managing client requests for home collections. The computer and telephone were used frequently and simultaneously. As well, the Coordinator works with hard copy documents. While on the phone, hand written notes are recorded and referenced. This results in the Coordinator often switching between typing and using the mouse and using the desk surface.

The workstations are dedicated to specific employees so the set up can be customized for each individual. However, this may change in the future and workstations may become shared desks by all Home Collections employees.

Issue 1:

The keyboard platform consists of a separate mouse platform positioned below the keyboard level. This is too low, leading to awkward hand, wrist and shoulder postures when using the mouse. This concern is related to the design of the keyboard platform, not the height or position.

Short Term Solution:

During the assessment, a hard notebook of approximate 1.5cm thickness was placed on the mouse platform to raise the height of the mouse surface flush with the keyboard surface. As well, the overall height of the platform was raised to approximately elbow height to minimize awkward postures.

Long Term Solution:

The client should replace the keyboard and mouse platform with a single, rectangular surface that supports both the mouse and keyboard. A sample product is shown in the recommendations page. Note: the current mechanism and arm are appropriate; only the platform surface is recommended for replacement. The product that the Ergonomist suggested was the ISE Value Keyboard Package.

Issue 2:

Coordinators switch between using the desk surface and typing or using the mouse frequently. Because a keyboard platform is used for this task, the Coordinator is frequently pushing themselves in or out from the desk; or they tend to reach or lean over the keyboard platform, which is an awkward position.

Short Term Solution:

The client should consider purchasing a document holder that can extend over the keyboard platform. The purpose of this product is to enable the workers to remain in one position with the keyboard extended and instead move the work (i.e. documents in/out, closer to them, as needed). The Flex Desk, which can be found through Ergo Canada, was a recommendation.

These products should help alleviate some discomfort felt by the Coordinators. However, EWI always recommends that an organization conduct a trial of the recommended products and solutions to evaluate effectiveness.

Recently one of our ergonomists conducted an audit for a client’s employee who frequently alternated tasks from the computer, to handling documents, to using the phone. The employee found she was feeling discomfort, possibly affecting job performance. Here are the findings and suggestions.

The female employee uses the computer, telephone and accesses paper documents, either in combination or alternating from one task to the next. Her workstation is L-shaped but in this particular situation, a structural beam is inset into the work surface at the end of her workstation. As well, with her current work area set up, she has to lower and slide her keyboard tray beneath the desk and then roll over to the desk surface to the right of the computer. Occasionally she may reach for the telephone to make phone calls (she does have a telephone headset for receiving calls), which is raised above the desk surface, or documents. In general, the arrangement of the work area is not set up for an individual who alternates between computer and desk work. She is not able to reposition her computer to the left work surface due to the structural beam and privacy reasons (i.e. her back would face the door); similarly, performing desk work on this surface would lead to privacy concerns in addition to the lack of desk space due to the structural beam.

Here are recommendations made by the ergonomist:

Short term, the employee should lower her telephone from the stand on the workstation panel. The stand is too high and results in reaching to make telephone calls.

Long Term Solutions:

To allow for more efficient movement and flow between desk and computer work, and to minimize the potential for awkward postures, investigate the feasibility of installing a different work surface. Two options are proposed:

1. Remove the long work surface that extends to the workstation door and re-orient/install the surface perpendicular to its current position. In this set up, the employee could position her computer either on the middle surface or the surface facing the door.

2. Remove the long work surface that currently extends to the workstation door and replace with a standard corner work surface, including a height adjustable keyboard platform. In this set up, the computer would be positioned on the corner work surface and desk work would be performed on the middle surface.

Option 1

Option 2

 The long term solutions to this employee’s issue are not necessarily expensive options. In the end, investing in some work surface changes will help an employee work in comfort with reduced risk for injury and is suited for other employees occupying this workstation down the road.

We’ve posted several blogs on the dangers of texting as well as using the cell phone while driving. While the National Safety Council is working hard at encouraging a state wide ban on cell use while driving, there are several states in the US and Canadian municipalities that have not put this into effect. Many organizations have taken it upon themselves to ban or discourage use of a cell phone while driving among their employees. Unfortunately, it’s still an uphill battle.

For some, the cell phone has become an addiction because of the addiction that we now have to always being connected. This connectivity addiction can be a road block in the crusade against texting and talking on a cell while driving.  And if you think that using a hands free mobile is safe, think again. Despite what the cellular salesman might tell you, recent studies have shown that regardless of how a cell is used, it still distracts a driver. Events that a driver would normally be aware or cautious of go unnoticed - and reaction times to these events become impaired.

That’s where a new technology that has been developed by manufacturers such as Aegis Mobility in Canada or the American owned Accendo LC has stepped in. These companies have developed or licensed a new technology that recognizes when a cell phone is in motion in a vehicle and intercepts calls. The different technologies available utilize a cell phone’s GPS system or information received from cell towers or even employ a vehicle’s systems to intercept calls and inform the caller that the person they are trying to reach is driving. In the later, information is gathered from the vehicle itself in combination with a cell phone’s GPS system when in motion. In the case of the system called Key2SafeDriving (from the University of Utah), a cell phone is disabled as soon as the ignition key is inserted.

Now all of this might sound “Big Brother” but look at it this way - it’s a great solution for the prevention of injuries to workers or even your family.

To learn more about these cutting edge products, click on the following links:

DriveAssist

ZoomSafer

obdEdge

Happy New Year to everyone! Hope everybody had a safe and happy holiday season. Now that many of you are back at work, it’s time to start thinking about effective ways to deliver health and safety messages to your employees. In an effort to assist our clients in this process, EWI Works has developed Toolbox Minutes for both the office and industrial environment to hand out to your staff.

While ergonomic training sessions, audits and assessments may be an important aspect of your organization’s health and safety initiatives, it’s important to continue to deliver these messages to your staff through various means of communication. Our monthly Toolbox Minutes - available at no charge to our valued clients - are an excellent means of reinforcing what an employee has learned from a visit from an ergonomist or during a safety meeting. These one page reminders provide clear and concise information supported by colorful graphics to support the safety message.

Suggestions for use might be handouts at the actual safety meeting or a lunch and learn session; available for pick up in the lunch room display; as an insert in the corporate newsletter; or posted on the corporate intranet.

EWI’s current clients will receive their first sample of our Toolbox Minutes by email soon with the option to subscribe to receive others monthly. If you would like to subscribe to our Toolbox Minutes, please email us at info@ewiworks.com. Remember, this is a free service that we provide to help you with your safety initiatives for 2010.

To view other ergonomic reminder products of EWI Works, please see our product page at www.ewiworks.com!

Are you in the health care industry? Right now, our team is developing a manual handling course for workers in local hospitals. Here are some ideas from one of the modules to reduce reaching, which reduces the strain on the shoulders, upper back and neck:

Cleaning or changing beds

Let’s say you are assigned to clean beds or change sheets. You’re on your own in a room and typically, you may be inclined to reach across the bed. This can cause particular strain in the shoulders. What can you do to prevent this? Here are a few pointers:

•  Raise or lower the work height
  • For example, when cleaning beds, ensure that you raise or lower the height of the bed to your height.
• Work in pairs
  • By working in pairs, you may be able to cut the reach distance in half. For example, when cleaning beds, have your partner work on the opposite side of the bed.
  • If you need to work alone, move around the bed when cleaning or applying sheets to minimize reaching.

 Mopping floors

Often, we think it’s faster to stand in one place and mop a huge area in front of us, stretching out from our body as far as we can to the front and sides of our bodies to reach the floor area that needs to be cleaned. In this case, let’s say you are mopping a hospital hallway floor. You are using your arms and shoulders while keeping your feet planted in one location. This places greater demands on the upper body. What can you do differently?

•  Position yourself so the task is directly in front of you
  • Try to use your feet as much as possible to move close to your work. For example, when wiping walls or mopping, use your feet to position your body instead of overreaching with your shoulders and arms.
  • When mopping, try to use your feet to “walk with the mop” instead of reaching to cover the floor’s surface area. Also, try to hold the mop handle close to your body and near the midline.

 Dusting/cleaning shelves or windows

 Let’s say you have to dust a window sill high above your head. What many might do is grasp the handle of the duster/broom with one arm extended well above the shoulder. This is an awkward posture that can lead to a sore neck and shoulder. But there are a few techniques to minimize the extended reach.

•  Move closer to the task, object or equipment
  • To do this, you may need to move unnecessary equipment or furniture out of the way so you are able to stand close to the object you are reaching for.
•  Raise yourself
  • Use a stool or a ladder to raise yourself up when working at high levels.
•  Use equipment where possible to minimize reach
  • Lastly, utilize the equipment available to you to minimize reaching. Use ladders or stools when working at heights. Adjust the length of the handles if your mops or dusters are telescopic.

 These are just some of the pointers that help minimize reaching on the job. We have a treasure chest full of better techniques that you or your staff can learn to work in comfort and reduce the risk for injury. If you have any issues in your workplace that would be best addressed with an ergonomic training session, contact us at 780-436-0024 or by email at info@ewiworks.com. A list of some of our courses can also be found on our website at www.ewiworks.com. Stay safe!

Just as a workstation or assembly line needs to consider workers of different heights and statures, an office must also consider the individual lighting needs in an office that houses several desks or cubicles. The CSA Z-412 Guideline of Office Ergonomics indicates a target lighting level of 300 to 500lux based on the level of computer use, however variety individual needs and tasks being performed in an open office design require some flexibility.

To give a basic idea of the lighting changes, half of the overhead fixtures had the bulbs removed in a scattered pattern to attempt to distribute the light equally throughout the office while still allowing sufficient lighting at the individual workstations. The window coverings, task lighting and workstation locations did not change.

Light measures were taken on the desk surface between the keyboard and monitor (a primary work point) both before and after the overhead lighting changes with window shades fully open, shaded, or fully closed. Taking the measurements with just the overhead lighting showed a reduction to 290 to 370lux. With the blinds open, the light levels were very high, particularly at the workstations closest to the window. With the blinds shaded, the light levels were lover but not low enough to meet the recommended range.

A survey was also conducted, where the employees were asked some basic demographic information, visual information (use of glasses, light sensitivity) and their level of happiness with the lighting pre and post change. In general, the staff went from somewhat happy/happy to happy and very happy. Some of the concerns noted were 1) the brightness caused by reflection of snow on the ground, 2) brightness of the sunlight and 3) the task lighting is too focused when the overhead lights are off.

So what were the recommendations? Again, taking into consideration the light levels were different depending on the workstation location and individual needs, some of the short term suggestions were:

• Return some of the overhead bulbs to increase light levels at certain workstations.
• Utilize the window shades during periods of the day where it’s brightest or glare from the snow might be a concern.
• Ensure task lighting isn’t shone directly onto monitors or this might produce unwanted glare. When not needed, task lighting should be turned off.

Long term, the consultant recommended replacing the window shades with ones with better control over the amount of lighting entering the office area, but that are not a source of glare itself.

If varying light levels are an issue in your office, give us a call: 780-436-0024.

It’s the onslaught of flu season. In the past, employees with sniffles and coughs, yet still able to do their job, felt obligated to show up for work. Even management and supervisors felt it was their duty to come into the office despite aches and pains. Got a headache? Take a pill - you can still show up for work, but your co-workers will avoid any contact with you.

Today paints a very different picture. Pandemic illnesses that are highly contagious like the Avian Flu or Swine Flu (H1N1) has had a remarkable effect on businesses. It is very common to see hand sanitizers at not only office entrances and corporate washrooms, but also restaurants and grocery stores. It is also typical to see long line-ups for flu shots and the use of surgical masks. But there is also something else for organizations to prepare for - in many working environments, employees who have been diagnosed with a contagious flu such as H1N1 are now required to stay home.

Thankfully, this doesn’t always mean that an employee can’t get their job done (ie: lost production time). Technology and the internet have saved the day. Employees who are sick but still capable of writing or reviewing reports or other computer based work can join the ranks of temporary telecommute workers. Since most employees have a business or personal laptop or regular computer, internet access and cell phones to check in, organizations can breathe a sigh of relief. Or can they?

Risk for injury when working from home is just as great as in the office. Think about it. Organizations make sure that office workstations and equipment are suited for each user to decrease risks associated with injuries such as musculoskeletal disorders. If the employee is working from home, odds are they do not have that sophisticated workstation or ergonomically correct chair. The employee might be getting his or her job done, but is at risk for injuring themselves further by sitting on the couch, stooped over a laptop that sits on the coffee table. This is just one scenario. Now, not only is this employee away from work because of the flu, they might need more time off to see their doctor or physiotherapist for a sore back or neck.

H1N1 won’t be the only flu that will require your workers to do their jobs from home if they’re sick. It’s time to consider an action plan to ensure that your employees will be working in comfort and risk free from injury. If you need some guidance on where to start or if you are considering home assessments for employees who are currently working from home due to injury or illness, contact us at 780-436-0024 or by email at info@ewiworks.com.

It’s mid October and many teens are into the thick of things with school. With homework assignments comes research on the internet, creating PowerPoint presentations, and typing up essays - basically amounting to a lot of computer work. Couple that with playing video games and kids are just as at risk of developing overuse injuries as adults.

Telltale signs of overuse or repetitive stress injury in children include experiencing pain, tingling, hand and/or wrist numbness. Signs of aggravated vision problems from prolonged concentrated focus on the monitor include rubbing the eyes or complaints of headaches. You may also see the child tilting the head or closing/blocking an eye when trying to read the monitor screen. This might indicate a vision problem so they should get an eye exam.

Applying ergonomic principles to our younger ones at home will help reduce overuse injuries. Here are some tips on what to purchase for a good home workstation and how to set it up properly so everyone can work in comfort:

1.  Seating is key. Invest some money in an adjustable seat that provides comfort and proper posture support in the spine for all family members. An adjustable seat pan allows the child to sit back in the chair to support the back rather than sit at the edge of the seat.

2.  If the child or teen’s legs are dangling, get a footrest. The legs should be supported and the knees level with the hips.

3.  A monitor riser ensures that the monitor height can be adjusted to suit tall teens or little ones. Improvise - that old phone book you’ve been meaning to recycle makes a good monitor riser.

4.  The monitor should also be placed directly in front of the hard working student so he or she does not have to turn their head or twist the body to view the screen.

5.  Get a desk with enough room to place mouse and keyboard together at the same level as well as have writing tools and reference books close at hand.

6.  When keyboarding, the arms should be close to the body and the elbows bent at a 90 degree angle. It’s tempting to hang on to the mouse when reading documents or websites for information. Encourage your child/teenager to keep their hands in their laps when not needing to use the mouse.

7.  The desk should also have enough depth and width to hold the document holder. A document holder placed directly in between the monitor and keyboard is the best choice, followed by one that sits at eye level and as close to the monitor as possible.

8.  Make sure there is room for the legs under the work surface. Get rid of clutter.

9.  Set up Outlook to remind your kids to take a break - preferably an activity break to allow muscles to stretch and move.

10.  Finally, related to activity breaks is fitness. Physical activity not only assists in maintaining a good seating posture, it’s a good mental break. Set a good example - go for walks, take some time out for play, go to the museum. Remember to get them to learn that getting away from the computer work and games for just a little while is a good thing.