Field Technicians Ergonomics: Instructor Guide

1
Field Technicians Ergonomics Instructor Guide
Department of Occupational Safety and
Health Executive Vice Presidents
Office Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO
2
Overview

• Purpose and overview of the course
• How to get the most of your presentation
• Job hazard analysis worksheets and examples
• Tool analysis worksheet and examples

3
Purpose and overview of the course

• This course consists of two half-hour modules,
  which may be presented separately or jointly in a
  safety meeting format.
• The first module teaches basic ergonomic tool
  design and use for workers whose job requires
  considerable use of hand tools. This includes
  central office personnel, field technicians,
  factory, and other craft workers.
• A second module allows you to apply these basic
  principles to specific tools and work tasks that
  your members actually use or experience.
• This notebook also includes job hazard analysis
  and tool design and use checklists for the
  instructor, as well as completed sample
  checklists and job hazard analyses for
  problem-solving in and outside the training
  environment.

4
More about this programand how to use it

• You can move forwards and backwards in this Power
  Point program simply by pressing the ltPageUpgt or
  ltPageDowngt keys on your keyboard or simply
  clicking the mouse to move forward. You can look
  at each slide as long as you want, and go back
  and forth as often as you like. Youll see
  tables, charts, words, and pictures on every
  slide. They are actual tools and real workers
  filmed in typical work places throughout the U.S.
  When youre done with the program, press the
  ltEscgt key and quit out of the Power Point
  program.
• This program is developed by the CWA Occupational
  Safety and Health Department for use by the
  Unions officers, staff, and members. We also
  welcome the employers we represent to use it as a
  training tool.
• Were deeply indebted to the CWA members who
  volunteered to participate in this program and
  those too numerous to mention in the credits who
  gave us their ideas and insights. This program
  is dedicated to all the field technician CWA
  members.

5
Getting the most out of your presentation

• Dont try to wing it! There is a CD-ROM disk
  and a set of overhead transparencies generated
  from the disk that you can use in each training
  module. Study these carefully in advance of the
  training session, give a practice presentation to
  co-workers or family members first, if necessary,
  and try to develop ownership of the materials.
• Get to the training site at least fifteen minutes
  early to set up, hand out materials, and greet
  your participants. It sets a very bad impression
  when you show up late!
• Make sure any audio-visual equipment youll be
  using, as well as sample tools or props, are
  readily available and operating correctly before
  you begin your training.

6
Getting the most out of your presentation

• Have your participants briefly introduce
  themselves and then introduce yourself, state the
  purpose of the meeting and ask the participants
  if they can read the material from the projector
  before you start.
• Maintain eye contact when you speak.
• Request the group turn off all cell phones and
  pagers before you start your presentation to
  reduce distractions.
• When a question is asked, restate the question
  before you answer. This way, you can make sure
  youre answering the question that is being
  asked. Look directly at the person who asked the
  question then repeat the question and answer it.

7
Getting the most out of your presentation

• Before you begin, familiarize your participants
  with emergency exits, rest rooms, etc.
• You can essentially read off the overheads, as
  you move through the presentation, but it vastly
  improves the learning experience if you can give
  examples that are appropriate to the group. It
  is best if you can jot these examples down on the
  materials before-hand.
• Encourage participation from your group by asking
  them for examples of the points on the CD-ROM,
  slides, or overheads
• If youre looking for a more generic worksite
  analysis checklist and you have access to the
  web, try the Washington state checklist at
  http//www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/regs/ergo2000/ergowac.
  htm29-62-5172.

8
Ergonomic Job Hazard Analysis (EJHA) Worksheet

• The purpose of this worksheet is to involve
  workers, supervisors, union, and employer safety
  representatives in developing a better
  understanding about the presence of ergonomic
  risk factors and potential corrective actions in
  specific job tasks. In the second module, well
  demonstrate a EJHA for a cable splicing bench
  tool.
• You can also use job hazard analysis outside the
  classroom environment to analyze any type of job
  for the presence of ergonomic risk factors.
• Always involve the worker in the analysis.
  Interview them, have them talk you through the
  job, review all drafts of the EJHA with them, and
  make certain that they feel the EJHA accurately
  represents what it is they do and the risks
  theyre exposed to.

9
Ergonomic Job Hazard Analysis Worksheet

• Developing an EJHA is an excellent educational
  experience for workers who do this job, because
  they are involved in learning about the ergonomic
  hazards associated with each step of their job
  task. It is also an excellent learning
  opportunity for the supervisor and the company
  safety representative.
• The EJHA form (next page) consists of three
  inter-related columns
• Job element this is a specific job task, like
  stripping wires, moving parts into position,
  carrying a tool box, etc.
• Ergonomic risk factor this is a particular risk
  factor(s) associated with each job element, such
  as posture, repetition, force, or contact
  stressor.
• Potential causes this is the potential cause of
  the risk factor. For example, if the risk factor
  identified is force, its important to identify
  if the cause is associated with the tool (e.g.,
  dull blade), the material being worked on (e.g.,
  thickness of sheath being cut), or other factors
  (e.g., gloves, poor hand/tool coupling, etc.).
• Corrective action this is a practical way to
  reduce or eliminate the risk factor identified in
  the second column.

10
Job Hazard Analysis Worksheet
Ergonomic
11
Hand tool design/selection checklist

• The hand tool design/selection checklist can be
  used both in a learning environment and by the
  instructor outside of the learning environment to
  determine what ergonomic risk factors are present
  in the design (not the actual use) of a specific
  hand tool.
• This design/selection checklist is developed from
  several key ergonomic handbooks and incorporates
  design criteria used by many employers and tool
  manufacturers.
• For each of the criteria listed in the checklist,
  there are specific recommendations for that
  criterion.
• For each of the criteria, you should measure or
  evaluate that particular feature of the tool and
  enter this information into the checklist, then
  compare that response with the recommended
  specification.

12
Hand Tool Design/Selection Checklist
13
Hand tool use checklist

• The hand tool use checklist is used to evaluate
  how the tool is actually used by a particular
  worker.
• It asks yes and no questions about muscle
  loading, posture, vibration, and contact
  stressors. If a Yes answer is checked, the
  user would provide a detailed explanation.
• The criteria in this checklist are also developed
  from several well-known ergonomic handbooks.
• This checklist can also be utilized inside and
  outside a classroom setting. The attached
  checklist follows together with an example of a
  checklist for a splicing tool.

14
Tool use checklist