Question
What are the principles of ergonomics?
Answer
It is a natural progression that OTs work with activity analysis. That is one of the foundations of our practice. We are comfortable with activity analysis, particularly within the industrial rehab area. It is natural for us to use a problem-based or client-centered approach in OT, because it looks at injury prevention, worker education and safety, and working with management to reduce injuries. My job as an ergonomic consultant is to do a job site analysis. It is a win-win situation for employers/employees. If you are able to identify the features of that job that are leading to injuries, we can decrease the risk with small or large scale types of interventions. Management will be happy because it reduces injuries and the worker is happy because they can carry on their work activities with less pain.
To refresh those who are not in the area of ergonomics, we as occupational therapists identify and reduce accident and injury risks by identifying different factors. These same factors can also affect gardeners. They are:
- Repetition
- The amount of force we apply
- Fixed or awkward postures
- Poorly designed tool handles
- Vibration, with some power equipment used
- Heavy loads
- Extreme temperatures, particularly for gardeners working in summer temps
In my role as an ergonomic consultant, I analyze job functions based on the particular job tasks. We can make suggestions and follow through with training once those interventions have been changed within the job area.
