The federal agency is choosing collaboration over confrontation when it comes to improving warehouse ergonomics.
If you mention "OSHA" to a warehouse manager, you're likely to get a frown in response. That's because relations between warehouse operators and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the government's watchdog on industrial safety issues, haven't always been friendly.
In the 1990s, OSHA began to crack down on violations, and in 2000 the agency developed a controversial set of ergonomics standards that met with strong objections from many industries, including warehousing. Congress repealed those standards in 2001, just weeks before they were to take effect. Without standards in place, it became harder for OSHA to issue violation notices—and for warehouse operators to know when they'd done something wrong.
That lack of certainty has prompted OSHA to change the way it works with business, an approach that promises to improve safety and reduce warehouse operating costs.
OSHA's new approach is based on four activities: best practices guidelines, enforcement, outreach and assistance, and a national advisory committee. As part of this initiative, OSHA has been forming cooperative partnerships, or "voluntary protection programs," with companies and has been soliciting advice from industry associations.
OSHA also has targeted warehousing and other industries with above-average rates of ergonomic injuries for participation in its initiative, says Rich Fairfax, director of the agency's enforcement program. One industry group that was very interested in working with OSHA is the International Warehouse Logistics Association (IWLA), an organization for warehouse-based third-party logistics providers. "For most warehouse operators, OSHA is a four-letter word. But we didn't want that to be the case," says Nathan Noy, IWLA director of government and legal services.
Last year the IWLA formed an alliance with OSHA. The alliance's goals are to collaborate on improving warehouse safety, reducing regulatory violations, and developing training and information programs.
Participants quickly decided that they should focus on ergonomics because the majority of warehouse safety incidents are ergonomics-related. IWLA members say they welcome OSHA's assistance in improving ergonomic practices. "What we applaud is that they are really trying to find a practical way to do that," says Ernie Harban, manager for training and loss prevention at third-party logistics provider Saddle Creek Corp.
Concrete Benefits
OSHA's outreach programs aim to produce concrete benefits for participants. Noy, for one, expects the alliance will help his group spread information on ergonomics to its members, which will reduce the likelihood of OSHA inspectors showing up on their doorsteps.
The agency has indeed issued fewer ergonomics citations in recent years than it did in the 1980s and early 1990s, says Prof. Donald Bloswick, an industrial ergonomics and safety specialist at the University of Utah. That's a good thing, he says. "I'd much rather see companies spending their dollars abating hazards than paying OSHA citations."
According to OSHA's Fairfax, participants in voluntary protection programs can indeed expect some breaks. If they do appear on OSHA's inspection list, the agency will defer an inspection and give the company time to develop and implement an improvement program.
It would be foolhardy, though, to put ergonomics on the back burner because OSHA is focusing more on outreach than on enforcement these days. "I think this would be a mistake for two reasons," says Dave Alexander, president of consultants Auburn Engineers. "First, you're still responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace. And second, if you're having enough injuries to be worried about OSHA, you should really be worrying about your pocketbook. You're probably paying a lot more money than you have to for workers' comp."
Four-Step Program
What type of ergonomics program should you have to make sure that you don't hurt your employees' backs—or your wallet? "The worst level of program is to be completely reactive, to only do something when someone gets hurt," says Tom Albin, an ergonomics specialist at Auburn Engineers.
Instead, many industry experts recommend that warehouse managers adopt the following four-step program for preventing ergonomics problems.
Step 1: Identify existing and potential problems.
Look at injury and illness records. If those costs average a few hundred dollars per person, per year, you probably have a pretty good ergonomics program, says Alexander. If you're spending several thousand dollars, you need to improve your program, he says.
Zack Koustandreas, vice president of consulting firm Ergoworks, recommends asking employees questions such as: Are you tired at the end of the day? Why are you tired? Which muscles are sore? "Is this a comprehensive and thorough analysis? No, but it will give you a hotspot—or two or three—that's a great place to start," he says.
Walk through a facility to see what the risk factors are. How far are people reaching? How much do boxes weigh? How many times are they performing a specific task? You can do this yourself, bring in a consultant or insurance company, or use OSHA's consultation service. Under the OSHA program, inspectors will conduct an inspection at no cost. If they find a hazard, however, you will be obligated to correct it.
Step 2: Train and educate correctly.
Good training is specific to each warehouse's unique operation. If it isn't, employees are likely to respond to recommendations with "yes, buts," according to Kim Monroe, president of Emmons Ergonomics Consulting.
Make sure training is practical and instructions make sense. "I can tell you to lift with your knees bent and your back straight, but if you've got to bend over to go into a slot, how are you going to do that?" says Albin. "If I train you to do something you cannot do, I've wasted your time and my money."
Step 3: Establish an effective injury-response program.
Encourage employees to report injuries and soreness early so you can identify problems before they become serious. It's helpful to work with a medical professional who is certified in occupational medicine and is familiar with your operation. If you don't have someone on staff, find someone who can visit your facility periodically.
Step 4: Earn continuing support for compliance.
Both employee involvement and management buy-in are critical to the success of any ergonomics program. "You really have to make sure that you have all your ducks in a row before you roll out the program, that you have management support and a certain amount of funding. That's the only way you can overcome resistance and skepticism," says Monroe.
And have patience. "You're not going to immediately see an effect on your injury and illness rates," Monroe warns. "In fact, when you first put in an ergonomics program, you might see your numbers go up because you have increased awareness and more people are reporting injuries early."
But stick with the program and you'll see improvements not only in the number of reportable injuries, but also in employee satisfaction.
Tips and Tricks for better warehouse ergonomics
Looking for ways to improve ergonomic practices in your warehouse? Here are some suggestions from warehousing experts:
- When building a mixed pallet on a forklift, leave the forks at waist height to avoid having to stoop to put a case down.
- Use a spring-loaded pallet holder. As boxes are unloaded and the pallet becomes lighter, the spring will raise the load; as boxes are added to the pallet, the load will be lowered. This will always keep the pallet at waist height.
- Design conveyors so they can be adjusted for people of different heights to minimize bending, reaching, and twisting.
- Use cushioned mats to relieve pressure on the back, legs, and feet from standing.
- Make employees take frequent breaks. "We don't allow people to stay on the job when a break comes. We really want them to leave the job and walk to the break room so that they can change their body posture," says Ernie Harban of warehouse operator Saddle Creek Corp.
- Rotate employees through different positions so they're not doing the same job all day long.
- Design pallet bays so items can be accessed from more than one side. This reduces reaching and stress on the body, recommends ergonomics expert Donald Bloswick of the University of Utah. This will effectively reduce storage space and thus will raise costs to some degree, but it won't require a lot of mechanization cost, he says.
- Educate your employees about workers' compensation rules so they understand how it affects their pay and employment conditions.
- Involve employees in improving working conditions. At Ford Motor Co., for example, United Auto Workers members are the plant ergonomists.
- If you don't have an ergonomist on staff, train your occupational health nurse, hygienist, or safety manager.
- Make containers easier to handle. This could, for example, involve switching to smaller packages or using boxes with handholds.
- Link your ergonomics program to other workplace initiatives, such as a Six Sigma quality program, to give ergonomics more visibility (and perhaps encourage more funding).
Ergonomics: Where Can I Turn For Help?
There's no shortage of information about ergonomics best practices, and much of it can be found online. Here are just a few examples:
OSHA's websitecontains excellent resources, including analytical tools, case studies, and operating guidelines. www.osha.gov
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) website contains information about musculoskeletal disorders and a downloadable version of the institute's Elements of Ergonomics Programs. http://www.niosh.gov
Stone Wheel Works provides free, downloadable ergonomics-analysis tools that can help quantify and abate risk. http://hsc.usf.edu/~tbernard/tebstonewheels.html
Washington State's Department of Labor and Industry includes helpful advice and case studies on its website. http://www.lni.wa.gov/Safety/Topics/Ergonomics/default.asp