Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders in the WorkplaceMusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affect the muscles, nerves and tendons. Work related MSDs (including those of the neck, upper extremities and low back) are one of the leading causes of lost workday injury and illness. Workers in many different industries and occupations can be exposed to risk factors at work, such as lifting heavy items, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads, working in awkward body postures and performing the same or similar tasks repetitively. Exposure to these known risk factors for MSDs increases a worker's risk of injury.But work-related MSDs can be prevented. Ergonomics --- fitting a job to a person --- helps lessen muscle fatigue, increases productivity and reduces the number and severity of work-related MSDs.Impact of MSDs in the WorkplaceWork related MSDs are among the most frequently reported causes of lost or restricted work time. In 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that industries with the highest MSD* rates include health care, transportation and warehousing, retail and wholesale trade and construction. According to BLS, the 387,820 MSD cases accounted for 33% of all worker injury and illness cases in 2011.A Process for Protecting WorkersEmployers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their workers. In the workplace, the number and severity of MSDs resulting from physical overexertion, as well as their associated costs, can be substantially reduced by applying ergonomic principals.Implementing an ergonomic process has been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of developing MSDs in industries as diverse as construction, food processing, office jobs, healthcare, beverage delivery and warehousing. The following are important elements of an ergonomic process: Provide Management Support - A strong commitment by management is critical to the overall success of an ergonomic process. Management should define clear goals and objectives for the ergonomic process, discuss them with their workers, assign responsibilities to designated staff members, and communicate clearly with the workforce. Involve Workers - A participatory ergonomic approach, where workers are directly involved in worksite assessments, solution development and implementation is the essence of a successful ergonomic process. Workers can: Identify and provide important information about hazards in their workplaces. Assist in the ergonomic process by voicing their concerns and suggestions for reducing exposure to risk factors and by evaluating the changes made as a result of an ergonomic assessment. Provide Training - Training is an important element in the ergonomic process. It ensures that workers are aware of ergonomics and its benefits, become informed about ergonomics related concerns in the workplace, and understand the importance of reporting early symptoms of MSDs. Identify Problems - An important step in the ergonomic process is to identify and assess ergonomic problems in the workplace before they result in MSDs. Encourage Early Reporting of MSD Symptoms - Early reporting can accelerate the job assessment and improvement process, helping to prevent or reduce the progression of symptoms, the development of serious injuries, and subsequent lost-time claims. Implement Solutions to Control Hazards - There are many possible solutions that can be implemented to reduce, control or eliminate workplace MSDs. Evaluate Progress - Established evaluation and corrective action procedures need to be in place to periodically assess the effectiveness of the ergonomic process and to ensure its continuous improvement and long-term success. As an ergonomic process is first developing, assessments should include determining whether goals set for the ergonomic process have been met and determining the success of the implemented ergonomic solutions. Note: An ergonomic process uses the principles of an Injury and Illness Prevention Program to address MSD hazards. Such a process should be viewed as an ongoing function that is incorporated into the daily operations, rather than as an individual project.SUMBER : https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/Improving safety on board ships through better design of the bridge17 September 2014 by Admin Human factors is a key component of a revolutionary new bridge design currently being assessed in a ship that set sail from Spain in August. The Rolls-Royce Unified Bridge was fitted on the platform supply vessel Stril Luna, and its uncluttered interface has been designed to enable the ships operators to use it as efficiently and safely as possible.Maritime operations carried out for the oil industry are safety-critical. Operators must monitor multiple displays and at the same time, maintain constant awareness of the operating deck of the vessels. During these operations deckhands are often working on deck near dangerous equipment which is being controlled remotely from the bridge. The safety issues are of greatest concern when large equipment is being used. The increasing use of multiple computerised systems for different aspects of monitoring and control, often with different interfaces, introduces the risk that operators may focus too frequently and for too long on visual displays, compromising the safety of deckhands.Previously there has been no holistic focus (apart from class regulations) on where to place equipment on a ships bridge; it is either randomly placed in the consoles or placed according to the wish of the captain on duty that day. When asked about potential improvements, the crew often reply:Do we want any changes? Well, Im mostly happy but Im not sure its worth the mention Its probably just a minor detailWhen reflecting on this, it becomes clear that what is perceived to be a minor detail, becomes much more significant when other issues begin to show themselves. They can then turn into a real problem affecting the operators mental capacity.Investigations were carried out both on the extent of these problems and whether there were recognisable visual patterns (using eye-tracking equipment) during operations that gave pointers on how to better design the bridge environment to support the operator, both during standard work procedures and when reaching a critical point of operation. This enabled us to introduce changes to bring about a reduction in human error.A complete redesign of the ship bridge environment (consoles, levers and software interfaces) was implemented by incorporating human factors as the basic foundation of development, which also included user involvement throughout the process. Functional analysis was carried out to investigate operator interaction which enabled us to remove clutter on the bridge. We needed to identify which functions were vital and which could be removed or merged. Several different prototypes of bridge consoles were produced and assessed in parallel. Initially we used cardboard and sticky notes, then polystyrene and finally, we built a full-scale plastic model.The results from the experiments identified potential improvements from the traditional (and more cluttered) aft bridge set up currently being used and these led the way to the development of the new Rolls-Royce Unified Bridge set up. We moved the armrests from the operator chairs to the consoles (not increasing distance/angle from torso to elbow) which supported seated and standing work positions. We cleared equipment surfaces by using a touch panel that incorporated an auxiliary system containing further commands We moved all controllers (levers, button panels and monitors) closer to the user. This reduced the amount of monitors needed and it opened up the field of vision to the aft deck. This had the significant benefit of reducing the cognitive load on bridge personnel while they were carrying out both operational and critical tasks because it was easier to see the aft bridge and aft deck environment and easier to maintain situational awareness.The first installation of the Rolls-Royce Unified Bridge left port in August 2014 on board the Stril Luna, owned by Simon Mkster Shipping. The operators were given user experience assessment sheets to complete, so the Bridge designers can further develop and improve the model in response to any issues that arise.By Dr Fry Birte Bjrneseth, Maritime HMI & HF Specialist, Rolls-Royce Marine AS, Aalesund, NorwaySUMBER : http://www.ergonomics.org.uk/transport/improving-safety-on-board-ships-through-better-design-of-the-bridge/