New e-book on mistakes that companies make with ergonomics

Five Mistakes Companies Make with Ergonomics is a new e-book released by Humantech, Inc. This 16-page free publication, written by Ergonomics Engineer and Vice President Walt Rostykus, boils down the top five lessons learned from companies of all sizes, industries, and locations and identifies what has made them successful, or not so successful, in managing workplace ergonomics.  

Through a series of benchmarking studies conducted over the past 10 years, both the barriers to and the opportunities for successfully managing workplace ergonomics have been identified. Each chapter of this e-book covers a common mistake made when establishing an ergonomics process.

The five most common mistakes emphasized in each chapter include:

1. A Focus on the Wrong Goal. According to Rostykus, many companies focus on the consequence (injury) rather than the cause (exposure).
2. An Unsustainable Approach. Some organizations take a programmatic view of ergonomics and require a laundry list of elements to be in place. Rostykus says, "Companies should align ergonomics with existing improvement processes."
3. A Narrow View. The majority of companies in our benchmarking study viewed ergonomics as a safety discipline, with a goal towards preventing injuries. This view limits the understanding of ergonomics and prevents companies from achieving the full benefit of incorporating workplace improvements.
4. Ineffective and Inconsistent Tools. It was found that many companies use qualitative tools for conducting ergonomic assessments.  Qualitative tools (like checklists) are useful for screening the workplace to determine if an ergonomic issue might exist. However, quantitative tools provide more valid data.
5. A Failure to Check. Most organizations focus on conducting assessments, but fail to conduct follow-up assessments. According to Rostykus, "Checking, or verifying that a change to the workplace has been effective, is a major step in the continuous improvement process."

This e-book will provide information on how to improve the way people work at your company. Download the ergonomics e-book for free.       

For over 30 years, global companies have relied on Humantech for workplace improvements. By combining the science of ergonomics and our unique 30-Inch View^®—where people, work, and environment intersect—we deliver practical solutions that impact safety, quality, and productivity.