The Business Case for Ergonomics

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The Business Case for Ergonomics

• TM 655
• Ergonomics for Managers
• Carter J. Kerk, PhD, PE, CSP, CPE
• Industrial Engineering Department
• South Dakota School of Mines

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Textbook Reading Assignment

• Textbook Introduction
• Chapter 1

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(No Transcript)
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Are you experienced . . .

• Working with your arms overhead while looking
  upward for a period of time
• Where would you hurt?
• How would you like to work in this posture for
  long periods?
• What kind of losses in efficiency would occur?

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Are you experienced . . . Cont.

• Working with your arms overhead while looking
  upward for a period of time
• In your workplace do people ever work in awkward
  postures?
• With products or services you provide, do your
  customers experience these types of problems?
• Would you customers look elsewhere?
• What is the cost to your business for failing to
  take these issues into account?

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Programming the VCR

• We have not stepped into modern television
  technology with TiVo and rely on the old VCR. My
  husband hates the VCR. The frustration he gets
  when he finds out that a show didn't record is
  just unbearable. You never know whether you have
  to set it to Channel 3 or you need it on the
  actual Channel to record, or you set the timer
  for AM instead of PM, or what we've been
  experiencing lately - the tape running out before
  the end of the show finishes recording. Agony!
• Racemuggles Blog

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Are you experienced . . . Cont.

• Trying to understand how to operate a piece of
  equipment (e.g., VCR)
• How frustrated do you feel?
• How would you like to operate equipment like this
  regularly?
• How much wasted time and how many mistakes would
  you make because of this?

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Are you experienced . . . Cont.

• Trying to understand how to operate a piece of
  equipment (e.g., VCR)
• In your workplace do people ever work with
  confusing equipment, instructions, or directions
  equivalent to the VCR example?
• Your customers?
• Would they look elsewhere?
• What are the costs for failing to address these
  issues?

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A Business Strategy Goal

• Every business strategy should include improving
  the user-friendliness of both the workplace and
  the end product.

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The Ergonomics Dilemma

• Much of what businesses know about ergonomics is
  because of regulations and litigation, so many
  think ergonomics means more costs and problems.
• See Beverly Case on website.
• Instead, ergonomics should be part of a
  successful business strategy.

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The History of the OSHAErgonomics Standard

• 1992 President Clinton and Barbara Silverstein
• 1994 Contract with America
• Dick Armey, Newt Gingrich, Tom DeLay
• 11/14/2000 Following years of field research
  and weighing opinions on the problem, OSHA issues
  a Final Ergonomics Program Rule
• 1/14/2001 OSHAs Ergonomics Program Rule takes
  effect, four days before President Clinton left
  office.
• 3/7/2001 The Senate, acting on Congress' never-
  before-used authority to repeal executive branch
  regulations expeditiously, voted 56-44 to
  eliminate the Final Ergonomics Rule.
• April 2002 OSHA issued a Four-Pronged Approach
  for Ergonomics.
• Guidelines, Enforcement, Outreach/Assistance, NACE

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What is Ergonomics / Human Factors?

• Fit the task to the person
• The rules of work (literally)
• Making tasks user-friendly
• Human-Machine interface
• The science of adapting the work environment to
  the human to prevent injuries and boost
  productivity.
• Design tools and tasks to be compatible with
  human capabilities and limitations.

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Fitting the task to the person

• Ergonomics incorporates concepts from anatomy,
  physiology, psychology, engineering, medicine,
  anthropometry, statistics, and more
• Ergonomics is an interdisciplinary field

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Design Problems

• Physical Issues
• Awkward postures
• Excessive exertion
• Excessive repetition
• Long reaches
• Uncomfortable heights
• Static postures
• Contact stress

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Design Problems

• Cognitive Issues
• Confusing displays and controls
• Unclear presentation of information
• Lack of standardization
• Nonconformance to expectations
• Inappropriate detail of information
• Overloading mental capacities

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Applications

• Tool grips to fit the contours of the hands
• Furniture to fit our various heights
• Tasks that do not exceed our mental or physical
  capabilities
• Instructions and signs that are understandable
• Switches and control panels that are intuitively
  understood
• Production systems that are compatible with humans

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Making Changes

• People naturally do not want to change
• Why are tasks done the way they are?
• Because weve always done it this way
• Get employees and managers involved
• Communications!!!!!!!!!!

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Ergonomics in Japan

• A Japanese ergonomist made a study of employee
  suggestions that won special recognition in a
  large steel mill. His conclusion
• One-third can be classified as ergonomic
  suggestions!!

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Ergonomics in Business Strategy

• 12 ways that ergonomics can provide your business
  with a competitive edge.

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Twelve Edges for your Business

1. People as assets
2. Employee well-being
3. Empowerment / Involvement
4. Improved Morale / Employee Relations
5. Union Relations
6. International Competition

1. Safety
2. Meeting Human Resource Trends
3. Rapidly Changing Technology
4. Speed of Learning
5. Customer Appeal
6. Productivity