July 19, 2011
Office Ergonomics/Computer Workstation Health & Comfort
by Jo-Anne Audette-Arruda, MPH, ARM
Can office employees really have a work place injury while working at their computers?
Absolutely! Over the last two decades the office environment has become a very sedentary work place. Many office tasks used to require employees to get up and move around, such as making copies, filing, processing mail, etc. Nowadays, many of those tasks have been replaced by various computer applications. The result: The computer workstation is our main work environment and we stay here for 8 hours a day (in addition to computer use at home)! The issue is that if employees are working in awkward positions or have contact stress with various workstation components, they may be placing excessive stress on those body parts. This constant exposure for a full-time employee increases the risk of a muscular skeletal disorder (MSD). Other common attributes that increase the risk of developing an MSD are gender; females tend to experience a greater percentage of injuries due to pregnancy, excessive weight, poor physical fitness, a sedentary lifestyle and genetics.
What can an employee/employer do to minimize the risk?
Both need to learn basic concepts of ergonomics and neutral body posture. When basic (and easy to implement) ergonomic principles are applied correctly, employees typically experience greater comfort at their workstation, ultimately having a positive impact on workplace safety and efficiency. Additionally, each of us has a personal responsibility for our own physical fitness, lifestyle choices and behaviors that may increase our risks for developing an MSD!
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the science of arranging the working environment to fit the person doing the work. In the workplace, ergonomic principles are used to make alterations to a job so that it conforms to the person doing that job, rather than to force the person to fit the job. In administrative workplaces or office settings, this may mean making changes to the computer workstation including but not limited to adjusting the height of a monitor, desk, chair and/or keyboard. Simple changes to components of computer workstations will reduce stress on the body and may eliminate MSDs.
Muscular Skeletal Disorders
MSDs are caused or aggravated by repetitive motions, forceful exertions, vibration, contact stress (hard and sharp edges), and sustained or awkward postures that occur over extended periods of time. Computer use, as well as computer workstations could possibly expose workers to repetitive motions, awkward postures and continual contact pressure, all of which are well recognized risk factors for MSDs. MSDs can affect nearly all tissue types including nerves, tendons, tendon sheaths and muscles, with the upper extremities being the most frequently affected. These injuries range from disorders of the back, neck, arms, wrists, shoulders or legs and involve strains, sprains, tissue inflammation and dislocation.
The Solution
Develop a workplace ergonomics or computer workstation health and comfort program to reduce or eliminate the risk factors that lead to MSDs. This should include training for all members of your organization. Awareness is the key to preventing serious MSD injuries. It is important for employers and employees to know the signs and symptoms of MSDs. Early intervention is essential to recovery. Early reporting is necessary to lessen the severity of the injury. The longer warning signs are ignored, the more damage is done, the longer recovery takes, and in some cases, the damage is irreversible.
The Landrum Risk Management department has a variety of resources for ergonomics training both on-line and onsite. Additionally, we offer onsite ergonomic/computer workstation assessments that include a written report with findings and recommendations for improvement.
For additional information below are two excellent resources:
OSHA Computer Workstation etools
Oklahoma State University Office Ergonomics online training module
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Jo-Anne Audette-Arruda, MPH, ARM
Senior Loss Prevention Consultant,
Risk Management Department, Landrum Human Resources
As a Loss Prevention Consultant for Landrum Companies since 2005, Jo-Anne is responsible for providing loss prevention services to clients through on-site and classroom training, facility safety audits and inspections, ergonomic assessments, accident investigation & analysis, and OSHA compliance services.
Jo-Anne received her Master of Public Health degree from Mercer University School of Medicine and Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Rhode Island. In 2008, she earned an Associate in Risk Management designation from the Insurance Institute of America, is a Certified American Red Cross Instructor; an authorized OSHA General Industry Outreach Trainer and a Member of the American Society of Safety Engineers.
Filed under: Human Resources, Notes from Jim | Tags: E-Verify, employees, Human Resources, Immigration Reform, PEO, US Immigration
July 13, 2011
It’s Better to Be Safe than Sorry
By Jim Guttmann, SPHR
Unless you’ve been living in another country (or perhaps on another planet), you would know that the subject of immigration reform is a hot and evolving topic in the United States. For employers, the Department of Homeland Security is very serious about making sure that companies don’t hire individuals who are ineligible to work here. In fact, The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office has announced their intent to ramp up audits of employers this year by establishing an “Employment Compliance Inspection Center.” This new center will add up to 20 forensic auditors to review the completion of I-9 forms by employers. If they should find undocumented workers (or just I-9 forms that have been improperly completed), employers can be subject to significant fines and even run the risk of having their doors shut. On this issue, it is better for employers to be safe than sorry. Click here for additional information about the Department of Homeland Security’s Enforcement Actions:
Now various states are getting into the act by becoming more directly involved in the I-9 verification process. There is a significant movement in many states throughout the country (including Florida) to use the “E-Verify” program. E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration records to confirm employment eligibility. By using E-Verify to determine the employment eligibility of their employees, companies become part of the solution in addressing the problem of undocumented workers. At the present time, there are a total of 17 states that require the use of E-Verify in some manner.
In June of 2004, Landrum elected to voluntarily participate in the pilot program for E-Verify. Being fully engaged in the process for seven years now, one could say that Landrum has been on the right side of history on this issue. E-Verify has proven to be a very effective process (e.g. in determining if there are problems with individuals here on work visas or finding that there is a discrepancy with a person’s social security records). However, for this process to work as it should, the I-9 form must be properly completed at time of hire and immediately run through E-Verify (no later than the first 3 days of the individual’s employment). Taking this process seriously and doing it the right way gives our clients some peace of mind during these challenging times.
As new legislation continues to occur on the immigration reform issue in the months and years ahead, you can be assured that Landrum will keep you fully abreast on these matters. And by being proactive in this matter of compliance with the law, Landrum strongly believes that our clients feel like we do – It’s Better to Be Safe than Sorry!
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Jim Guttmann, SPHR
As a Landrum Professional Human Resources Manager, Jim is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and has over 20 years of HR generalist experience for a large government contractor and Fortune 500 Company. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from Florida State University and is an active member of the Greater Pensacola Chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management (GPCSHRM), previously serving as their Vice President of Information Services and Chairman of the Workplace Diversity Committee. Jim is also certified as a County Mediator and in the administration of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
July 1, 2011
Use a Forklift Next Time!
By Jim Guttmann, SPHR
Just over 10 years ago, an injury occurred to a facilities maintenance employee at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. This was during a time that I was working for a federal contractor there as an HR Manager. The injured employee had slipped and fallen in the process of pulling up a sign. When filling out the injury report, the form naturally called for a “corrective action” to indicate how the injury could have been prevented. The manager completing the initial report wrote that the employee should use a forklift next time to assist in uprooting the sign (rather than running the risk of injuring himself by over-straining when pulling it up).
However, as an HR Manager responsible for reviewing the circumstances surrounding this claim, I did a quick follow-up with the employee. The employee immediately explained that the sign in question was one of those little two prong metal signs that you stick in the grass. You know, like the ones that politicians often place all over the neighborhood before elections.
Upon hearing this (and having a good chuckle), it was obvious to me that the manager had not even bothered to speak to his injured employee. If you imagine using a forklift to uproot a little metal sign, you have to admit – that’s pretty comical! The reason that I am re-visiting this amusing account from over a decade ago is to ask you a question. Why would you think it is important for managers to quickly take special interest in how an injured employee is doing? Well, here’s the answer. Engaging the employee soon after an incident can prove very valuable from two standpoints – although the ultimate reason for doing so may represent two opposite ends of the spectrum from an employee relations standpoint.
1. If the employee is truly injured, your quick response and involvement shows the company cares about the well being of the employee. I believe that good employers would want their employees to feel that way – and not that their employer is mad at the employee for having an injury. If it is a serious injury, you want to maintain a good relationship so as to get the employee back to work as soon as possible. It’s been found that the sooner that you can get the injured employee back to work, the less your exposure on the workers compensation claim will be in the long run. And the less likely they will sue the company over being injured at work.
Also, you can engage the employee in properly determining why the injury happened in the first place (while it is still fresh in his or her mind) so that it is not repeated by the employee or his or her co-workers. Injured workers can be very helpful in that regard and they don’t want others to go through the same experience that they did. Participating in an after-the-fact analysis of what lead up to the injury makes the employee feel a little better too – since at least something good is coming out of the unfortunate incident.
2. If the employee is faking the injury or initially represents that the injury is more serious than it really is, your personal involvement will often cause the employee to “get well” very quickly. In fact, as the manager, be interested enough to ask the employee to show you the “boo-boo” or where it hurts. In instances where there is some “tomfoolery” going on, the employee probably won’t want to risk his or her job by being suspected of fraud. As this plays out, you still come over as the compassionate employer while the employee quickly realizes that he is not going to be able to “lay-out” on this one! If you don’t take an interest in finding out what’s really happening, the employee could unfairly take advantage of the company.
In summary, when looking to control workers comp claims cost and maintain good employee relations, managers can play a key role in this effort by quickly engaging the injured employee as soon as possible after an incident occurs. After all, all accidents are preventable and your role as manager is to help in this effort whether a forklift is needed or not!
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Jim Guttmann, SPHR
As a Landrum Professional Human Resources Manager, Jim is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and has over 20 years of HR generalist experience for a large government contractor and Fortune 500 Company. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from Florida State University and is an active member of the Greater Pensacola Chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management (GPCSHRM), previously serving as their Vice President of Information Services and Chairman of the Workplace Diversity Committee. Jim is also certified as a County Mediator and in the administration of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).
