Ergonomics Management
(Compilation of articles and guidance by OSHA and NIOSH)


Work-related and non-work related conditions can either individually, or by interacting with each other, give rise to ergonomics related issues such as: musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s) cumulative trauma (CT), visual display terminal syndrome (VDT) and others. Ergonomics is the science of fitting the job to the worker. When there is a mismatch between the physical requirements of the job and the physical capacity of the worker, work-related ergonomic issues can result. The idea is to design equipment and work tasks to conform to the capability of the worker(s). This means adjusting the work environment and work practices to prevent injuries/illnesses before they occur.

OSHA recommends several approaches that may be used to determine whether conditions in the workplace might be contributing to employees developing ergonomic issues. These approaches can be used individually or in combination.

Review and analyze injury and illness records

Seek to determine whether there is a pattern of ergonomic-related injuries/illnesses in certain jobs or work tasks.

  • Step 1: Review Injury and Illness Records
    An easy and straightforward approach to assessing potential ergonomic-related problems is to conduct a review of various injury and illness records. The records can be different for every company but may include:
    o OSHA 200 forms for years prior to 2002,
    o OSHA 300 Log forms for years after 2002 (see the Recordkeeping Home Page for more information)
    o Workers’ Compensation claims
    o Group Health Insurance records
    o First Aid Logs
    o Absentee and Turnover Records
    o Records of employee complaints or grievances.
  • Step 2: Identify Potential Ergonomic Cases
    Using all these information sources, try to identify entries, which may indicate the presence of ergonomic related issues such as: Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD’s). Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s) are a term that refers collectively to a group of injuries and illnesses that affect the musculoskeletal system. While there is no single diagnosis for MSD’s, the conditions identified below are commonly included in the range of conditions that potentially constitute "MSD’s":
    o Tendonitis
    o Tenosynovitis
    o Epicondylitis
    o Carpal tunnel syndrome
    o Bursitis
    o DeQuervain’s disease
    o Ganglion cyst
    o Thoracic outlet syndrome
    o Less precise entries such as sprains, strains, tears, or even just pain
  • Step 3: Categorize
    Once all of the records have been examined, categorize MSD cases. Categories can be established by job, department, work task, shift, and so on, to determine whether patterns or trends exist. For example, look for instances where:
    o One unit (e.g., job, department) has a higher number of MSD’s
    than other units in the company.
    o One unit has more severe MSD’s than other units in the company.
    o One unit's rate of MSD’s has increased each year for several years.
    o One unit's rate of MSD’s is higher than other companies doing the same job.
    o MSD’s increase during a particular shift or time of the year.
    o MSD’s increase when producing a particular product or when performing
    a particular work task.


Analysis of Jobs or Work Tasks

Analyze the jobs or work tasks to identify potential ergonomic problems before employee injuries occur. Determine if jobs present ergonomic risks that may contribute to musculoskeletal disorders.

Not all MSD’s are related to work activities. Other factors such as personal characteristics and life style factors have also been associated with ergonomic related injuries and illnesses. When analyzing jobs or work tasks that may be associated with MSD’s, conditions to consider may include, but are not limited to:
Awkward Postures, which might include: prolonged work with hands above the head or with the elbows above the shoulders; prolonged work with the neck bent; squatting, kneeling, or lifting; handling objects with back bent or twisted; repeated or sustained bending or twisting of wrists, knees, hips or shoulders; forceful and repeated gripping or pinching.

Forceful Lifting, Pushing Or Pulling, which might include: handling heavy objects; moving bulky or slippery objects; assuming awkward postures while moving objects.

Prolonged Repetitive Motion, which might include: keying; using tools or knives; packaging, handling, or manipulating objects.

Contact Stress, which might include: repeated contact with hard or sharp objects, like desk or table edges.

Vibration, which might include: overuse of power hand tools.

Analysis tools may help in analyzing jobs. While there are no one size fits all approach, there are numerous voluntary analysis tools that may be used to learn more about potential ergonomic risks associated with jobs.

Applications Manual For the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation. PDF, 164 pages; also broken down into 8 smaller files for ease of viewing. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1994, January 1). This reference contains a complete description of all terms in the lifting equation with several samples.

Lifting Analysis Form. University of Southern Florida, 2002, 1 page

ACGIH Hand/Arm Vibration TLV Form. (2002), PDF, 2 pages. Analysis tools for assessing hand and arm vibration.

Rapid Entire Body Assessment. PDF, (2001) University of Southern Florida, 3 pages.

Hazard Zone Checklist. Washington State Department of Labor.

Working as a Team

Everyone in an organization should participate to control or eliminate ergonomic issues. Seek employee input about the existence of ergonomic problems related to particular jobs or work tasks. Employers and their employees are often able to identify conditions that may contribute to MSD’s, because they understand the physical demands of the jobs and work activities in their workplaces.

Some employers have chosen to conduct baseline screening surveys, sometimes referred to as symptom surveys. These surveys typically ask employees to identify those parts of the body that hurt while performing work and to characterize or rate the severity of the discomfort. Even in the absence of an OSHA recordable case on an OSHA 300 Log, the results of such surveys may be used to determine whether employees are experiencing discomfort while performing their work activities and the possible sources of the discomfort:

  • Speak with employees
  • Conduct symptom surveys
  • Use employee questionnaires

Be aware of common contributing conditions within your industry or job classifications. If other companies in the same industry have ergonomic-related problems, then it is possible these potential problems are also your concern. Obtain information from others in your industry. OSHA has developed specific tools to assist companies in industries that have routinely experienced ergonomic related issues. These tools establish guidelines that can be used to manage ergonomic issues according to the specific workplace areas that industries commonly manage:


Other References:

Easy Ergonomics. California OSHA (2001), 96 pages. Identifies possible solutions for potential contributing conditions.

NIOSH Ergonomics and Musculoskeletal Disorders guidance.


SMC 2003