How do you make a workplace Ergonomie program?

Workshop Ergonomic Consultants lead us through the important steps that every employer must consider when building a workplace Ergonomie program.

Since many of us have switched to working from home for the near future, there have been many positive changes in this interim work period, such as no shuttle time, more time with the family, more time to exercise and enjoy nature. However, there have also been some negatives, such as a lack of space or equipment to work well, interdependence of life at home and at work and loneliness.

Working from home is not a new concept, but the number of people who work at home and works all week has certainly increased in recent months. Most people are not used to working at home and will certainly not have the right equipment or know how to do this productively and without pain or discomfort.

In the office, people could have worked better with GOede ergonomic equipment (at least we hope so), more room to move around and better interaction with colleagues. Although we may not be able to check the space with everyone at home or in the physical interaction with people, we can certainly implement the same workplace solutions at home as at the office.


What you will notice is that it doesn't matter where you work, we can use ergonomic principles to guide you on the journey of training staff with the aim of optimizing the health and performance of people.

So what is ergonomics?

Ergonomics is all about improving your performance through a good design, while at the same time you stay safe and healthy.

It is derived from the Greek words Ergon means working and Nomos means natural laws.

Perhaps you are interested in knowing that the study of ergonomics started after the Second World War, when scientists realized that many aircraft crashes took place as a result of a bad design.

In the 1960s, the field expanded into computer equipment, followed by the study of computer software in the 1970s.

Today, the science of ergonomics is a combination of different disciplines; Including applied psychology, social psychology, technology, anatomy and physiology, biomechanics and inclusive design.

And it relates to everything and everyone you are dealing with in life.

What we try to achieve with ergonomics is to make you think about your environment and how you deal with it every day.

Unfortunately, poor design is present everywhere, but there are things that we can do to put our body in the best possible position for the task that awaits us.

Understanding what ergonomics is is an important part of the process when building a program. Ensure that everyone is on the same page and has the same goal in mind.

Ergonomics is literally a design in which people are central. This is a design that develops solutions to problems by involving the human perspective in all steps of the process. One person alone will not be able to realize a great ergonomic program.

Most people think that it is only the role of health and security persons, but in fact there are a lot of people who need to be involved and it is the only way you can make this a success.

So who should be the most important stakeholders?

Of course, the facility team must be involved, because they are responsible for ensuring that the buildings and services meet the needs of the people who work there. This team is still an essential part, even if many of us work from home, because they lead our safe return to the workplace in the right direction and support our home.

HR, because they are responsible for many people -related matters in an organization.

Your health and safety professional, because he/she is scientifically founded and reports on all risk evaluations performed.

IT, the people who purchase computers, mice and keyboards. They must understand which technical products they should buy for employees instead of just buying standard products that may not help them.

Creating a purchasing standard for all products can help to lower costs and increase efficiency.

Purchasing, they are those who will probably pay for this program, so that they have to be involved, so that they can understand the financial implications and benefits and then budget for each year.

All these people play an important role in the successful implementation of an ergonomics program. While everyone who has just discussed must be part of the process, a leader must be chosen to bring everyone together and ensure that everyone adheres to the objectives of the program.

I think it doesn't really matter who that person is, as long as they are passionate about the success of the program, respecting other team members and getting things done!

Now we have to list everything

If you currently have a kind of program, it is important to understand whether it is reactive or proactive.

For example, if I refer to a reactive program, I mean if an employee has a problem, then as a company you respond at that time. You can respond by delivering equipment, organizing an assessment or conducting further conversations.

A proactive program is taking measures so that you as a company can limit the health of your employees as much as possible and reduce costs. In fact, it is not just about minimizing problems, but about stimulating a program that enables people to thrive in their working day.

In reality you want a program that is both proactive and reactive, because although you can justify yourself for most things, problems can arise outside your power.

It would be a good first step to look in a nutshell and understand if there are holes in your program. A few questions you will have to ask are how you manage new starters on board, how you train the staff in the field of ergonomics, what size that has, how you have viewed the home work policy, to which employees are entitled at home from the Point of point of equipment and technology, and how to assess and document this process.

It is important to understand the law so that you stick to the rules. As it is in the United Kingdom (where I am located), you want to investigate the DSE regulations (Display Screen Equipment), which has been drawn up through the Health and Safety Act at work. These were published in 1992 and updated in 2002. Given the age of the regulations, these must be used to determine a minimum criterion for your program.

At the moment, the health and safety management has suggested that home workers do this on a temporary basis and that there are therefore no additional risks for home work. This means that no individual DSE reviews need to be performed.

This may not be the case in every country, so it is worth seeing the current mandates in your own region.

However, you still have a duty of care towards your staff, so it is crucial that you check in regularly And ensures some form of education and resources to help the staff while they are at home. You don't want them to get back to the office worse than when they left. I would certainly also provide an assessment process for those who needed specialized equipment, for those who are pregnant or are on maternity leave and for anyone who needs further support.

When it comes to training your staff and managing an ergonomic program, there are many ways you can do this.

You can integrate a management system that performs automatic self -evaluations.

Self-assessments are great because they enable you as a company to record a lot of data quickly. For example, let's say that you work 1000 people in your company. It would take two and a half years to personally complete all assessments and by the time you are ready, you should start again.

With software of the Self-Assessment type you can collect the same information within a few hours. You can then set priorities to the people who need extra support.

Although self-assessments are good, they do not offer your employees the ultimate advantage that they are personally assessed by an ergonomist. That is why, in addition to a management system for self -assessment, you must regularly include seminars or webinars and newsletters in your program that keep staff informed of the new trends. The design of the workplace is important, but that also applies to understanding the environment and the importance of movement.

In the modern world, the technology and our modern way of life have reduced the need for movement against gravity, which influences the human body in a similar way as the anatomy and physiology of the astronaut in micro -gravity.

A study conducted by former bio -scientist Joan Vernikos suggests that we have to interrupt at least 32 times a day sitting and standing to promote our health.

So, movement is the key.

As you have probably realized yourself, there is much to consider when implementing an ergonomic program, but hopefully this information has made you think about your program and any changes you have to make to improve it.

An ergonomics program is an annual obligation. You should keep workshops every quarter and regularly have newsletters go out to repeat the information.

It is possible that you want to do the self -evaluations annually. My personal thought is that if nothing has changed drastically, then every 2 years is probably enough.

There are 3 times that you have to do an assessment;

If there is a new starter
If someone is injured
When there is an important office relocation or change

And in case you ask yourself, according to the UK National Business Group on Health With the implementation of an ergonomics, you can achieve an efficiency of 3: 1 and up to 15: 1. There are also indirect benefits such as better health and wellness culture at work, higher productivity and happier employees.

There is usually a payback period of 6 months and I have often noticed that companies will reap the benefits much earlier.