BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : FEBRUARY 5, 2001 ISSUE
FRONTIER -- WHAT WORKS ONLINE EXTRA: No Need to Pop an Artery over Ergonomic Rules Here are some simple measures you can take to meet OSHA's new regulations OSHA's new ergonomics standards go into effect this October. And a surefire way to avoid the regulation's most onerous portions is to not have an ergonomics problem in your office in the first place. The first step towards prevention is to get acquainted with the new regulations. Go to OSHA's ergonomics home page: http://www.osha-slc.gov/ergonomics-standard/index.html. You can court eye strain and download the entire set of rules here. (But you'd better have a fast modem -- it's nearly 8MB of zipped data.) A better bet: Go to http://www.osha-slc.gov/ergonomics-standard/informationkit/standardfactsheet.pdf and read the four-page overview. Next, you'll want to peruse some of OSHA's fact sheets, publications, and special reports that discuss ergonomic injury prevention in depth. For instance, if your employees are parked in front of a computer all day, here's what the agency advises in a pair of ergonomics publications, Options in Ergonomics and Ergonomics: Real People. Real Problems. Real Solutions for Under $100. Their suggestions include: * Train employees to make proper use of the adjustment features built into their office furniture and computer systems. * Encourage employees to take microbreaks to rest overused body parts. * Add a footrest for standing-posture workstations to ease leg and back pain. * Provide adjustable-height chairs, so employees can rest their feet comfortably on the floor. Chairs should support the lower back and have arm rests, so occupants' elbows can remain near the waist. * Adjust workstations so employees' elbows can be near the body and arms nearly perpendicular to the floor. * Add a wrist pad to make sure that employee's wrists are nearly straight when working at a computer, without furniture edges digging into wrists or forearms. * Arrange the monitor so the top line of typing is at eye level, and the employee can see the screen clearly without leaning forward. (A few telephone books can do the trick.) * Provide headsets for employees who answer phones and type at the same time. * Install adjustable-height keyboard and mouse trays. If computer-bound employees aren't your problem, check out specific solutions for particular industries, listed by SIC code at http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/index.html. Additional information is available at http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/additional_references.html By Alison Stein Wellner _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS A Real Pain ONLINE EXTRA: No Need to Pop an Artery over Ergonomic Rules INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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