European Month of Ergonomics

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• European Month of Ergonomics
• 2008
• Risk Assessment and Ergonomics

FEES disseminate information for Healthy
Workplaces - Good for you. Good for business. - A
European campaign on Risk Assessment http//osha.e
uropa.eu/en/campaigns/hw2008/
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• Are You Ready to Act?
• Every three-and-a-half minutes, somebody in the
  EU dies from work-related causes.
• Every four-and-a-half seconds, a worker in the EU
  is involved in an accident that forces him/her to
  stay at home for at least three working days.

You Can Do Something - Time to Risk Assessment!
Source http//osha.europa.eu/en/campaigns/hw2008/
why/index_html
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What is Risk?

• Risk relates to personal circumstances, society
  and business
• Risk has two characteristics it is related to
  uncertainty and it has consequences
• Risk is uncertainty that matters or
• An uncertainty that could have a positive or
  negative effect on one or more objectives
• Risk includes both threats and opportunities
• ( Hillson, D. Murray-Webster, R.,2007)

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• Risk assessment in occupational health and safety
  is traditionally a process of evaluation to
  estimate the risk that can be caused by a hazard
  at work for the health or safety of the employees
• Risk Probability x Consequences
• Risk assessment can also be a process of
  evaluation to estimate the opportunities for
  health and well being
• Risk assessment is equally important in home and
  leisure time environment

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CHARACTERISTICS OF A PERSON
CIRCUMSTANCES
HAZARDS
PROBABLE UNWANTED EVENTS
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• Risk assessment is to find out the hazards,
• to evaluate the probability of an unwanted event
• and the severity of the harm that such an event
• could cause for a person.

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But risk assessment can also offer valuable
information of issues that have a positive effect
for health, safety, usability, quality and/or
productivity
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Phases of Risk Assessment
Plan the assessment process
Identify the hazards
Determine seriousness
Follow up and feed back
Consequences
Probability
Determine tolerability
Select the action plan and implementation
Phases of risk assessment process can be used
also for identifying positive features
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Ergonomics in Risk Assessment
THE DEMANDS CAUSED BY MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP
PRACTICES, WORK METHODS AND EQUIPMENT, PRACTICES
OF THE WORKING GROUP AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

WORKERS PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, MOTIVATION, AND
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS
ERGONOMICS
Balance produces health, safety, quality and
productivity
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The Ergonomics Approach Stress-Strain Model

• STRESSORS
• Task
• Organization
• Environment
• physical
• biomechanical

Implementation
Workload

• STRAIN FACTORS
• Objective factors
• Physiological
• Functional
• Psycho-mental
• Behavioral
• Subjective factors
• SWI experiences (SWIsubjective workload index)

Proposals
Human capacity
Thresholds
Vanvonterghem, K., 2008
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Expertise Area of Ergonomics
The work environment is examined from several
points of view simultaneously work environment
and circumstances, usability of the equipment,
work organization, share of work, leadership and
management, co-operation and communication.
Solutions, that respect human characteristics
opportunities and constraints and that utilize
human capability comprehensively, can stimulate
the worker to improve continuously her or his own
work and can be identified through ergonomics.

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• Challenges for Risk Assessment
• Willingness to recognize dangers and be aware of
  the events dangerous/harmful for health and
  safety
• Capability to evaluate the events at workplaces,
  at work that is done in clients homes and at own
  home and in leisure time activities.
• Combine the workers knowledge and external
  expertise of the hazards in the best possible
  way.
• The principles of safety management are included.
  Risk assessment is a part of safety and quality
  management system.
• Risk assessments in transformation situations and
  in unusual conditions require a versatile point
  of view and expertise.

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• Professional ergonomist
• Combines different points of view
• Interprets pre-indicators and is able to
  anticipate and act before problems arise
• The best results can be reached by appropriate
  timing of risk
• assessments - in the planning and design phases.
• Ergonomics risk assessment processes cover the
  whole
• activity chain and represent sustainable progress
  and development.

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• Good practices for co-operation
• Analyse many methods are available
• Use discussion groups encourage more
  information and useful solutions
• Use available information and knowledge at
  least basic information on safety and health
  situations are needed
• Teach and use practical demonstrations people
  gain a better understanding for the usability of
  the results
• Publish and market ergonomics solutions
  workplaces get information of services and other
  specialists acquire a better understanding of the
  area of ergonomics