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Ergonomics

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Overview

Ergonomics is the science of matching a job to a worker and the product to a user. The goal of ergonomics is eliminate injuries associated with the overuse of muscles and tendons, generally known as musculoskeletal disorders or MSDs. You may have also heard MSDs called overexertion injuries, cumulative traumas, repetitive motion injuries, or repetitive strain injuries.

MSDs account for more than half of all accepted workers’ compensation claims – a statistic that has not changed in decades. MSDs are also expensive to treat, and treatment costs rarely include indirect costs from increased employee turnover, absenteeism, and retraining.

Good ergonomic work practices prevent MSDs. Getting started with good ergonomics can be as simple as looking around the workplace, talking to employees, and asking the right questions.

To learn more about MSDs, see OSHA’s Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders in the Workplace.

  • Grant program
    • How to prevent musculoskeletal injuries
      This guide is your tool for teaching forest workers and their families about the risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries from forest work, and at the same time, teach them about the actions that the worker can take to prevent them. The training is provided in English and Spanish.
      Training program  English  12/30/2019
    • Como evitar enfermedades osteomusculares
       How to prevent musculoskeletal injuries
      Esta guía es su herramienta para enseñarles a los trabajadores forestales y a sus familias sobre el peligro de desarrollar enfermedades osteomusculares en el trabajo forestal, y de igual forma, enseñarles sobre las acciones que el trabajador puede tomar para evitarlas.
      Training program  Spanish  12/30/2019
  • Program Directives
    • Local Emphasis Program (LEP): Hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities
      Purpose: This instruction describes policies and procedures for enforcement efforts to reduce occupational illness and injury in hospitals and nursing and residential care facilities in NAICS 622 Hospitals, 6231 Nursing Care Facilities, 6232 Residential Mental Retardation, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities, 6233 Community Care Facilities for the Elderly, and 6239 Other Residential Care Facilities that are on the A or B tier of the Safety and Health scheduling lists.
      A-284  11/08/2022

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