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GE Ergonomics

Ergonomics Awareness Training

 

n      Donald McKay, copywriter

This copy was written for a PowerPoint presentation to be converted to Flash.

 

 


Slide 1 –

 

Narration:

 

Welcome to our presentation on Ergonomics Awareness Training. You are about to receive very important information you need to know to help ensure that while working at GE, you will not be exposed to unnecessary job-related injuries. In the next few minutes, you’ll learn about “Ergonomics” and why it’s so important to work-related injury prevention.

 

 


Slide 2 –

 

Narration:

 


In the course of discussing our Training Objectives, by the end of this presentation you’re going to know what “ergonomics” means, and you’ll know more about what “Musculoskeletal Disorders – or ‘MSDs’ – are.

 

You will be able to identify both the risk factors and the early warning signs of potential work-related problems. This will allow you to prevent serious injuries and avoid medical complications that could arise later on during your working career at GE. You’ll also see why it’s important to report problems as early as possible and you’ll learn how problems can be identified and corrected.

 

It’s our goal at GE to have our workers become ‘Ergonomically Smart’ when they’re on the job.

 

 


Slide 3 –

 

Narration:

 

Let’s begin by asking, “What is “ergonomics”?

 

(Bullet) “Designing jobs to fit human capabilities.”

 

The key word here is, “designed” A comfortable worker is a productive worker. Ergonomics is no mystery – it simply means understanding what ordinary people can physically do and then using that information, along with common sense, when setting up or altering a work area.

 

(Bullet) That’s called, “Job design with the worker in mind.”

 

(Bullet) “Improving comfort for the worker”.

 

Of course, people come in all shapes and sizes. The goal is to accommodate most of our workers. This can often be done by using adjustable height tables, chairs or floor matting for example.

 

Also, tools and the workplace environment can be designed to adjust to individual differences in how people use their hands, or how they stand, sit, bend and lift.

 

The idea is to plan the job and the workspace for real people who will be working… and not just expecting each worker to adjust to the physical environment.

 

(Bullet) That’s what we call, “Fitting the job to the worker instead of fitting the worker to the job”.

 

 


Slide 4 –

 

Narration:

 

(Bullet) What are Musculoskeletal Disorders, or, as they are often referred to, ‘MSD’s’?

 

The word “musculoskeletal” is the joining of two words: muscle plus skeleton. It means a combination of not only the muscles and the skeleton of the body, but also the tendons, ligaments and nerves.

 

They all work together as you move your body in everyday activities such as walking or moving around in any way – even the simple act of just waving your hand or turning your head requires a great deal of coordination between all of the body’s motion components.

 

We include more than just the muscles because the tendons and ligaments – like your Achilles tendon at the heel of your foot, or the patellar ligament that holds your kneecap in place --  are part of the system, and, of course your skeleton is  made up of your bones.

 

(Bullet) “Disorder” means that something is wrong. It’s not the way it should normally be. With a car, bicycle or watch, for example, if a part is worn or broken, the result is that it’s not working properly and it may eventually stop working at all. Well, the same thing can apply to a human being.

 

(Bullet) “Musculoskeletal Disorders” are injuries that may happen quickly – or, over time, cause wear and tear on the body.

Frequently, bodily wear and tear happens from repeated overuse or misuse. For example, “tennis elbow” happens because tennis players either play too long at one time or they hold the tennis racquet in an incorrect manner, thus inflaming the tendon and making the arm move incorrectly due to motion pain.

 

 


Slide 5 –

 

Narration:

 

How can you tell if you are suffering from a Musculoskeletal Disorder… an ‘MSD’?

 

(Bullets pop on as narration rolls)

 

Here are some of the signs you may notice. They are referred to as ‘symptoms’.

 

A decreased range of motion. You may not be able to move your arm, leg, head – or any part, even a finger – as much as you could before.

 

Deformity. You may see a thickening or a thinning compared to what had been the normal size of your arm, leg, hand and fingers. Or, the member may have become bent out of shape.

 

Decreased strength. You may not have the strength you used to have in either your hand, wrist, arm or leg and ankle. They begin feeling weak when you work.

 

Swelling or inflammation. There might be swelling and redness present in the shoulder, elbow, fingers, wrist, ankle and even in the toes.

 

Another sign is numbness, especially in the fingers. This could be a sign of tendonitis or even a pinched nerve in the neck.

 

Pain is a sure sign that something’s wrong – as are burning, tingling and muscle cramping.

 

If you have an ‘MSD’, and because of the discomfort, you hold back from performing natural bodily movements in an effort to avoid pain, you tend to ‘guard’ the injury.

 

This ‘guarding’ leads, again, to increased stiffness and soreness. So, a worker with sore muscles may move awkwardly in an attempt to ease pain and discomfort. Unfortunately, this produces more muscle aches and pains because the muscles involved aren’t being used the way they were designed to be used.

 

For example, someone with an MSD of the shoulder may lean to ‘guard’ it but the leaning places the back in an unnatural curve. This leads to back pain and, if the injury is severe enough, the worker can be crippled and possibly disabled.

 

 


Slide 6 –

 

Narration:

 

(Bullet) What are the Risk Factors for MSDs?

 

There are 3 main risk factors that contribute to Musculoskeletal Disorders. They are –

 

n      Excessive force,

n      Awkward postures, and

n      Repetition of movement.

 

Excessive force is best described as unwise lifting, pushing and pulling practices.

 

Awkward postures can be observed when workers slouch in chairs or are continually bent over a work bench. Also, when bent over lifting.

 

Repetition of movement quickly shows up with an ailment called Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Computer operators and small-parts assembly line workers often come down with RMI – Repetitive Motion Injury.

 

A combination of all three factors places the worker at a much higher risk than just one or two of the factors alone. Add to the mix the element of ‘fatigue’, and from there on it’s only a short time before the worker sustains an MSD injury.

 

 


Slide 7 –

 

Narration:

 

(Bullet) Let’s look closer at the risk factors for MSDs.

 

Think of the three risk factors, Force, Duration and Frequency, arranged in a triangle.

 

Suppose, for example, you have to move a heavy piece of equipment into your work area. To do this will require force and very likely, an awkward posture. Fortunately, you are required to do this task once each shift. Now suppose you have to do the task four or eight times per shift – or, even that many times per hour. How much would that repetitive task increase the risk of injury to you?

 

In order to reduce the risk, we look for ways to rearrange things so the need for an awkward position on the part of the worker is eliminated. And, there may be in place mechanical devices to help you perform forceful tasks.

 

Talk to your supervisor about this. Also, if there’s heavy lifting to be done, ask a co-worker to help you. This is one ‘Ergonomically Smart’ way of saving your back from injury.

 

So you see, at GE, we are trying to decrease workplace MSD risk factors.

 

Ergonomics is a “war of inches” Although it is impossible to eliminate all risk factors totally, even minor changes can make major improvements.

 

 


Slide 8 –

 

Narration: What are other Risk Factors for MSDs?

 

Other factors leading to MSDs may be revealed during a search for the causes of pain.

 

Two of these causes are Vibration and Contact Stress.

 

Vibration can force you to increase the tightness of your grip on a tool, or machine, and that can lead to reduced circulation of blood to your arm and hand. Numbness occurs.

 

Contact Stress – or hitting something with your hand or arm, whether accidentally or on purpose – may compress both blood vessels and nerves, damage the skin and muscles, tendons or ligaments – all leading to increased “wear and tear” of your body.

 

 


Slide 9 –

 

Narration: Why is it so important to report problems right away?

 

Your body has an early warning system with its signals of pain and discomfort.

 

Early intervention – doing something constructive right away by reporting a problem – prevents complications for you later on.

 

Your GE Occupational Health Nurse can help you discover the problems contributing to your discomfort or pain and can offer suggestions to decrease those risk factors by applying the ergonomic principles you are learning about today.

 

Usually the process of MSDs is a slow one. So, before anything gets out of hand and develops into a serious condition, steps can be taken to prevent further injury which often leads to long-term medical complications.

 

This saves you – and others who may be in the same situation – from having to put up with unnecessary trips to the doctor and possible surgical and rehabilitation procedures.

 

 


Slide 10 –

 

Narration:

 

Why is ergonomics so important to GE? Because you are important to GE.

 

With poor ergonomic conditions, as we see in these examples, one thing leads to another. Having parts, especially heavy ones, stored on the floor means that workers have to bend over – usually incorrectly – to pick them up. The improper lifting puts a stain on the back, which when done repeatedly, will lead to a injury and possible disability.

 

So, the first step is to recognize the activity that puts you at risk. Remember, GE wants its workers to become ‘Ergonomically Smart”. The second step, of course, is to correct the problem.

 

Again, talk to your supervisor about any such problem tasks or work areas. And, again it bears repeating, if there’s heavy lifting to be done, get someone to help you.

 

 


Slide 11 –

 

Narration:

 

How does GE Zenith Controls identify and correct ergonomic issues?

 

It is GE’s policy – and every employee’s responsibility – to report personal on-the-job injuries or illnesses as soon as possible. This first step in early intervention provides you with the best chance for your own recovery and helps everyone else as well.

 

Job Safety Analysis – JSAs – are reminders of potential hazards that may be associated with any particular work area.

 

As an ‘Ergonomically Smart’ GE worker, you need to refresh your memory at least once each month by reviewing the JSAs associated with your job.

 

You need to do this not just because GE policy says you should, but primarily because it is your health and welfare at stake.

 

You may be assured that new workstations are now planned ergonomically. That does not, however, relieve you of the responsibility being watchful and reporting to your supervisor anything irregular and unusual that you find.

The engineers who plan these new workstations are not the people who will be working at them. It’s you who will be working there, and as the person best qualified to observe and test something that’s not working right, it will be your job to report it. Your primary goal is to always work safely!

 

 


Slide 12 –

 

Narration: 

 

Beyond the work environment…

 

What you do physically outside of the workplace is every much as important as what you do on the job.

 

Whether you engage in sports, ride recreational vehicles, work around the house or work out in the gym, you have to be alert to always protect your body from repetitive stress injuries or contract stress injury.

 

As these different lifestyle examples show, in our everyday lives, we meet up with physical stress. Whether we take out the garbage, play golf or garden – we are subject to awkward postures, exertion and repetitive movement injury.

 

Think about it. How many of you are sitting in a poor posture right now as you watch this presentation?

 

When you are kneeling to plant in your garden, do you use knee protectors or a kneeling mat?

 

If you are a golfer, have you ever taken note of how many swings you take during 18 holes of play? An awful lot, depending on how good you are. Protect your back, neck and shoulders from muscle pulls.

 

Lifting weights in the gym and distance running have something in common: they place heavy stress and strain on muscles, tendons, ligaments and bone joints. Care must be exercised so as not to cause an ‘off-the-job’ injury.

 

It’s up to each and every GE worker to look out for his or her safety and well being. Musculoskeletal Disorders are serious business and can have a profound effect on the way a person does their work and enjoys their life away from the job.

 

Understanding how we at GE can do our work and do it effectively and safely, then working within our human limitations all goes to make ergonomics one of the most important factors in injury prevention – both on and off the job.

 

Protect yourself. Become an ‘Ergonomically Smart’ GE worker.

 

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