Work-Related
Musculoskeletal Disorders Prevention in Washington State, Rick Goggins,
Ergonomist
In the State of Washington, one of the Department of Labor and Industries'
(L&I) responsibilities is workplace safety and health. Washington,
like California, has a state-plan version of the federal Occupational
Safety and Health Act, known as WISHA—the Washington Industry Safety and
Health Act. The department has recently focused on ergonomics and the
prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), which are
the most common and costly injuries in Washington workplaces.
Arguments
for a National Ergonomic Standard, Ann B. Pudoff,
Do we really need a national ergonomic standard? I think so. The health
and safety of employees should be a primary concern of all employers and
managers. Their challenge is to provide a work environment free from
ergonomic hazards, through awareness and prevention: raising everyone's
awareness of the risk factors and providing resources and guidance toward
preventing repetitive motion injuries (RMIs). It seems to me that a
national ergonomic standard is necessary to accomplish this effectively.
Employers tend to pay attention when the Occupational Health and Safety
Administration (OSHA) develops a standard and makes compliance mandatory.
Return to Table of Contents
Fed OSHA’s Proposed Ergonomics Standard
http://www.osha-slc.gov/ergonomics-standard
State of California Ergonomics Standard
http://www.dir.ca.gov/oshsb/ergo_stand_status.html.
http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/5110.html
Washington State’s Ergonomic's Rule
http://www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/ergo/
http://www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/ergo/rule_dev/ergoprop.htm.
North Carolina’s Ergonomic's Proposal
http://www.dol.state.nc.us/ergo/erg_main.htm.
Management of Work-Related Musculoskeletal
Disorders (Z365)
http://www.nsc.org/news/nr011501.htm
The National Safety Council (NSC)
The Accredited Standards Committee on Control of Cumulative Trauma Disorders
(Z365)
This proposed ANSI standard, unlike the ergonomics standard published recently by the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA), is a voluntary standard. Ten years in the making, the proposed standard was developed by seeking consensus among those
most affected, with committee representatives from business, labor, academia
and professional societies. It is intended as a guide for managers and occupational safety and health professionals to voluntarily keep workers
safe from work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The National Safety Council voluntarily administers the Z365 committee.
A copy of the new proposed American National Standard is available from the National
Safety Council. Call 1-800-621-7619, or visit http://www.nsc.org.
CSA
Z412 - Guideline On Office Ergonomics
http://www.csa-international.org
CSA International's new 2000 edition of Guideline on Office Ergonomics
provides a step-by-step process for the optimal design of office systems,
including the design of jobs and work organization, layout of the office,
environmental conditions, and workstation design.
Ergonomics Guideline for VDT
Furniture Used in Office Work Spaces
The Business and Institutional Manufacturers Association
Grand Rapids, Michigan. For further information, contact Brad Miller
at bmiller@bifma.org or 616-285-3963.
How can you determine if computer
furniture fits you or your employees? By using the Ultimate Test For Fit
for Individual Users, which is part of the Ergonomics Guideline for VDT
Furniture Used in Office Work Spaces just released by BIFMA International
(Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association). The
guideline shows how to apply the principles set forth in ISO 9241 (the
international standard for computer workstations) to office workplaces in
the US and Canada.
A provisional version of the guideline has been released for a six
month public comment period. It may be ordered at: http://www.bifma.org/secure/orderform.html.
Return to Table of Contents
[ Prev ] [ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ]
Return to Ergonomics &
Human Factors FAQ
|
