Prepare now for OSHA's ergonomic standards

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 2/1/2001

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) standard to reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) went into effect last month. Will you be ready to begin receiving and responding to employee reports of MDS signs and symptoms as early as October?

Humantech, Inc.'s ergonomists offer five suggestions your company can follow to meet the new requirements:

Read the summary provided by OSHA.

The ergonomics program standard is over 25 pg and will require multiple readings to be fully understood. The best starting point is to read the 2 pg summary provided in Appendix B.

Review your MSD history to better understand the implications for your business.

The OSHA requirements begin with reports of MSD signs and symptoms. The impact of the standard on your business will depend on these reports.

Inform your management team of the implications.

You will need the support of your management team to put the mechanisms in place to comply with this new OSHA standard. Begin informing them early of the new requirements and how they will affect your business.

Identify the gaps in your current program and begin strategizing on how to close those gaps.

The new standard has very specific requirements for your ergonomics initiative, and these requirements must be met by October 2001. Now is the time to begin the planning process to ensure compliance by that date.

Train your supervisors and technical staff on ergonomics problem solving.

This is a key element of an effective ergonomics program, regardless of OSHA requirements. With the standard, you can anticipate an increase in employee reports related to MSD signs and symptoms.

For those companies that really want to take a proactive approach to dealing with the standard, a sixth step is recommended.

Perform a risk map to identify ergonomic risks, and control hazards in high-risk jobs before injuries occur.

Risk management is the key to an effective ergonomics process. By deploying the recognition-evaluation-control approach to ergonomics, you will ensure that the new requirements have a minimal effect on your business.