A Filtering Approach to Ergonomics Surveillance

Abstract

There is a need in industry for practical surveillance methods to identify ergonomics problems. Most conventional surveillance methods have the following characteristics:

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Require completion of a multi-page checklist for every job in the facility.

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Identify, in a “single-pass” survey, all jobs presenting a moderate to low level of ergonomic-related risk, resulting in an “unmanageable” list of problems.

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Provide job risk scores used to prioritize every ergonomics problem in the facility.

The author presents an alternative surveillance methodology which identifies and prioritizes high, moderate, and low risk jobs using a “filtering approach”. This filtering approach actually consists of three separate checklists, each identifying (or filtering) for jobs of different risk levels: High Risk Survey, Moderate Risk Survey, and Low Risk Survey. Each checklist utilizes data from three sources: ergonomic risk factors, loss information, and employee turnover/complaints.