10 Reasons to “Get Your Ergonomic On” at Work

E2 Industrial Height Adjustable Table - Industrial Ergonomics by LTW Ergonomic Solutions

Ergonomics is a popular workplace safety theme in today’s industrial era, especially in assembly and manufacturing.

Is ergonomics really worth all the hype it’s getting? Read on to learn some of its key benefits, and how those can affect your company.

1. Prevents Injuries

By decreasing the levels of repetition and awkward postures in the workplace with ergonomic solutions (such as the height adjustable E2 Workstation), risk factors that lead to unnecessary discomfort and major MSD (musculoskeletal disorder) injuries can be prevented.

We dive deeper into this topic in our Unique Health Benefits of Industrial Ergonomics article. Check that out if you want to learn some of the key characteristics to look for when purchasing industrial-grade ergonomic equipment for injury prevention (since office-grade ergonomic equipment likely won’t hold up to your industrial environment, and could do more harm than good).

2. Creates a Strong Safety Culture

Ergonomics is a statement of your company’s active commitment to safety and health as a core value.

Healthy and happy employees are your most valuable asset, leading to better individual and overall company performance.

3. Improves Employee Engagement & Boosts Morale

Employees notice when their company puts forth their best efforts to ensure their health and safety on the job.

If employees do not experience fatigue and discomfort during their workdays, a company can see reduced employee turnover, decreased absenteeism, improved morale, and increased employee involvement.

4. Prevents Fines & Penalties by Government-Regulated Health & Safety Inspections (including OSHA)

If OSHA paid your company a surprise visit tomorrow, do you think your ergonomics would pass their standards?

Even if there are no guidelines specific to your industry, employers are still obligated under the General Duty Clause, Section 5 (a)(1) to keep the workplace free from recognized serious hazards, including ergonomic hazards.

5. Prevents Lawsuits

Implementing proper ergonomics in your industrial workplace is a very good sign you’re doing everything possible to prevent such injuries from taking place.

Workplace injury lawsuits can be prevented when ergonomics is used to prevent those. We think of ergonomics as the vitamins a company can take to prevent much larger issues from ever happening.

6. Reduces Worker Compensation & Healthcare Costs

Statistics from OSHA reveal that workers’ compensation expenses cost businesses $15-$20 billion each year. To make matters more expensive, the Institute of Medicine estimates that the total annual economic burden resulting from workplace MSDs adds up to $45 to $54 billion. Is your company included in those paying billions of dollars for workplace MSDs?

7. Improves Productivity

Ergonomic improvements can reduce primary risk factors for MSDs, resulting in workers being more efficient, productive, and having greater job satisfaction.

8. Improves Product Quality

Poor ergonomics and low job satisfaction lead to frustrated and fatigued workers that can’t perform their best work.

When a task is too physically taxing on a worker, they may not perform their job like they were trained.

9. Reduces Costs & Increases Revenues

The average direct cost of a workers’ compensation claim for an MSD is $14,120, and the indirect costs involved bring the total average claim cost to well over $32,000. While implementing ergonomics might at first seem like an unnecessary cost, it has a great ROI.

Ironically, your company will never know just how many injuries your ergonomics prevents. However, you will be able to compare expenses from before and after ergonomics is implemented.

Unfortunately, one of the reasons that LTW sees companies investing in ergonomics is because injuries have already happened. Once the problem has a high dollar amount attached to it, companies tend to spring into action to make sure the same doesn’t happen again. We highly recommend against this methodology, as we believe that not one person should experience an injury that could have been prevented by ergonomics.

10. Attracts Top Talent

To attract the best employees to your company, you must show you care about their health and safety. Safety through ergonomics is one of the best ways to proactively display your care.

The old saying of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” accurately reflects the truth that proper implementation of ergonomics can increase workplace safety and prevent injury. The small initial investment in ergonomics yields great savings.

Thanks for reading!

LTW at the Advanced Manufacturing Expo 2019

What do you think? Is ergonomics important in your work? Here are a couple suggestions on what to do after learning about ergonomics:

Sources & Further Research: