Preventing Trauma Through Ergonomics

admin — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 16:06:51 -0500

According to the latest data available from leading insurance companies, workplace injuries due to repetitive motion cost employers an estimated 2.8 billion dollars annually. One of the most often overlooked aspects of an established safety program by companies is one of developing an ergonomics component to their program.

Trauma at the workplace is typically divided into two categories: acute and cumulative. Acute trauma refers to an injury sustained with an accident, while repetitive stress injuries fall into the cumulative category. Cumulative trauma involves the breaking down of the body's soft tissues as a result of many factors including excessive force, bad posture, and even temperature as well as personal traits such as diabetes and obesity. A senior consultant for Applied Safety and Ergonomics Inc. stated, "When you have a combination of these risk factors come together, that's when a person is most at risk for developing cumulative trauma disorders."