A Five Step Process for Finding WMSD* Hazards in Your Workplace (*Work-Related Musculo-Skeletal Disorders)

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A Five Step Process for Finding WMSD Hazards
in Your Workplace (Work-Related
Musculo-Skeletal Disorders)
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This slide show provides
a method and a set of tools to help you find
WMSD hazards in your workplace.
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This slide show will help you

• Apply a process to identify WMSD hazards your
  workplace

• Locate resources and
  contacts for more assistance

A link to a PowerPoint slide show showing simple
solutions to common WMSD hazards is in the
appendix at the end of this slide show
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WMSD Hazards
Some jobs include tasks which can produce
injuries from

• Lifting
• Awkward postures
• Forceful gripping or pinching
• Repetitive motions and intensive keying
• Hand-arm vibration

A link to information on recommended safe
exposure levels for these hazards is in the
appendix at the end of this presentation
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WMSDs

• WMSDs are occupational disorders of the soft
  tissues such as
• muscles
• tendons
• ligaments
• joints
• blood vessels
• nerves

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Five-step process

1. Identify jobs that may have hazards
2. Educate and involve employees
3. Evaluate jobs for hazards
4. Identify and implement solutions
5. Re-evaluate to make sure solutions are effective

A concern
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1. Identify jobs that may have hazards

•  Jobs with
• Injuries
• Employee/supervisor concerns
• Bottlenecks
• Quality problems
• Unnecessary steps
•  

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2. Educate and involve employees

• Use safety committees or ergonomics committees
• Provide employees with basic awareness of
  ergonomics principles.
• Have employees participate in finding and
  implementing solutions to hazards in their jobs.
  They are the most knowledgeable persons about
  their jobs. They may already know how to improve
  it.

A link to a basic ergonomics awareness
PowerPoint file is in the appendix at the end of
this presentation
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3. Evaluate jobs for hazards

• Tools
• Checklists
• Calculators for lifting tasks
• Employee interviews
• Also helpful
• Photos or videotape
• Symptom surveys
• Safety committee meeting minutes
• OSHA 300 or incident logs
• Claims history

Links to a checklist, various lifting
calculators, and a symptom survey are in the
appendix at the end of this presentation
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3. Evaluate jobs for hazards - checklists

• Checklists are quick ways to check jobs to see if
  more review is needed

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3. Evaluate jobs for hazards - Lifting
Calculator (WISHA)

• What you need to know
• Weight of item
• Lifting location (hand zone)
• Frequency of lifts
• Duration of lifting
• Does the person twist?

Links to this calculator and two others are in
the appendix at the end of this presentation
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3. Evaluate jobs for hazards - interviews
Ask employees

• How long does this job take?
• Why do you do this job this way?
• Do you get tired or feel any discomfort?
• Any ideas of ways to do it better?

Ask supervisors

• Are there jobs that people do not like to do?
• Any complaints or symptoms of injury?
• Any bottlenecks or quality problems?

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3. Evaluate jobs for hazards - photos or
videotape
A link to OSHAs videotaping guidelines is in the
Appendix at the end of this presentation.
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3. Evaluate jobs for hazards - symptom
surveys

• Symptom surveys are good ways to find problems
  before injuries occur

A link to a symptom survey form is in the
Appendix at the end of this presentation.
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4. Identify and implement solutions

• Solution Tools
• Ergonomics Ideas Bank
• Industry Association
• Vendors
• Catalogs
• Create them in-house

A link to this web page is in the appendix at the
end of this presentation
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5. Re-evaluate to see if solutions are
effective

• Use checklists and other tools to make sure you
  eliminated the hazards.
• Make sure you did not create new hazards.
• Ask workers if they feel better or notice
  positive differences.
• Review your ergonomics activities once a year.

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Appendix - Links
Ergonomics Analysis Tools Symptom
Survey Checklist OSHA Videotaping
Guidelines Lifting Calculators NIOSH Lifting
Equation calculator NIOSH LE
applications manual ACGIH TLV for
Back WISHA Lifting Equation Paper version
Common WMSD Hazards in Your Workplace and Some
Solution Ideas

• Ergonomics Awareness PowerPoint

Recommended exposure limits for preventing WMSDs
PowerPoint
WISHA Ergonomics Ideas Bank