We’re All In This Together: Participation Is A Significant Driver Of Ergonomic Success

Ergonomic issues plague organizations across many high-risk industries. Repetitive movements and the manual handling of heavy objects can cause long-term injury, leading to increased absenteeism and a reduction in productivity. However, a recent study from the National Safety Council (NSC) revealed that nearly one-third of workers who experience ergonomic issues fail to report them – with 25% of respondents noting that they are either unaware of how to report the issue or whether such a process even exists. The silver lining? The survey also found that when firms create a positive safety culture that includes workers in the risk identification process, musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) prevention efforts improve significantly.

Ergonomics programmes can become ineffective for a number of reasons, such as a poor understanding of how job tasks can lead to MSDs, inadequate workplace tools, limited feedback with EHS leaders and a lack of trust in senior officials. Aside from these physical factors, workplace stress is also a significant contributor – as well as data privacy concerns and fear of job replacement.

Many of these reasons fall under the umbrella of safety culture. It is now widely acknowledged that in order to create a positive safety culture, firms must engage with workers across the entire organizational hierarchy, from frontline workers to senior leaders. This helps to create an environment where employees feel comfortable to speak out about hazards without fear of blame, as well as providing the opportunity for employees to learn about the importance of safety to both themselves and the wider organization. With a stronger understanding, workers across the firm are more likely to engage with safety best practices, ultimately leading to a reduction in incidents.

Aside from establishing safety culture programmes, organizations can also invest in EHS technologies to help identify ergonomic issues. By leveraging AI-driven tools – which leverage machine learning to process and analyse digital images and videos – firms can overcome cultural issues such as underreporting, as the systems will pick up on potential hazards regardless of any human intervention.

EHS software vendors are also using computer vision to conduct ergonomic risk assessments. Human pose estimation, for example, can analyse body movements and posture from video footage to identify behaviours that can lead to MSDs, such as poor lifting techniques and excessive bending or twisting. Although computer vision hasn’t been widely rolled out yet, results from our global corporate survey suggest that the technology is gaining traction, with 24% of respondents having partially rolled it out and looking to increase its usage, and a further 17% piloting it.

Both safety culture and EHS technologies are significant components for not only enhancing ergonomic programmes, but also improving broader EHS performance. In a world where technology is readily available, firms must articulate and execute a clear strategy that empowers employees to fully maximize digital capabilities. To read more about how safety culture and digital technologies can enhance ergonomics, visit our research portal, and for the chance to hear from and network with EHS professionals across industries, attend our upcoming Transform summit.