Worksite International Blog

Businesses tend to be reactive when it comes to employee health and safety, mostly because they don’t budget for prevention. Employers typically wait to act until after a workers’ compensation claim occurs. By then, it is too late! Not only did the employer miss the early warning signs and an opportunity to prevent the injury, now the financial implications are real. In California, the average cost of a typical seated work injury is at least $40,000 per case, according to the California Division of Workers’ Compensation.

“We all know how to do our jobs, but no one has ever taught us how to work safely and with good ergonomics." ~ Alison Heller-Ono MSPT, CPE

Employers today face an ever-changing, complex work environment. The challenges are significant, ranging from new employment laws to changing work schedules allowing employees to work from anywhere at any time to a deepening multi-generational workforce. Beyond the human aspect is the rapid advances in technology, which we all must embrace. Employers must take these factors into account as the socio-technical system of work evolves, becoming more complicated into the next decade.

Under Federal Law, there are currently no regulations mandating ergonomics training for employees. However, there are OSHA standards in hazard awareness explicitly requiring employers to train employees in safe and healthy work practices. Exposure to ergonomic risk factors is a known hazard for many jobs. So, it makes sense to educate employees on how these exposures could impact them or cause a musculoskeletal disorder, and how they can minimize the risks.

In my work as an ergonomist, I conduct routine preventive and post-injury ergonomic evaluations. For years, I’ve asked each employee, “Do you know what ergonomics is?” and “When was the last time you attended ergonomics training?” The answers are almost always “not sure” and “never!”

Understanding how to set up and adjust one’s workstation is not intuitive. Employees must be taught how to do so. I often say, “We all know how to do our jobs, but no one has ever taught us how to work with good ergonomics!”. I’ve seen this over and over and it’s why I’ve been in business for 26 years! So, what is the solution?

Training is an investment in your employees, your most critical asset and provides an opportunity to truly enhance performance, knowledge, and skills. Choosing to make it voluntary or mandatory is important in experiencing the desired outcome. Employers most often choose to offer ergonomics training on a voluntary basis rather than making it mandatory. When training is voluntary, it diminishes the importance and makes it optional. By doing so, the message is clear, “You don’t really need this; we are offering this because we think we should."