Successful Habits: Occupational Safety

The Occupational Safety and Health Administrationbusinesses, small and large alike, identify and apply
is a U.S. Department of Labor organizationgood practices in ergonomics to their workplaces
devoted to the health and safety of Americanto increase the safety and comfort of their
workers. They offer various tactics to reduceemployees.
MSD's (musculoskeletal disorders) in theOSHA releases studies on specific industries to
workplace. Their Outreach and Assistancehelp those industries create a more ergonomically
program, designed to interface with workerssatisfying environment for their employees. One
directly, is one of four in their "four-pronged"such industry is the Retail Grocery industry. They
approach to aiding the prevention offirst identified some of the risks particularly
musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace. Theassociated with employment in the Retail Grocery
other aspects of the "four-pronged" approach are:industry, specifically, force, repetition, awkward
Guidelines, Enforcement and the National Advisoryposture and static postures. OSHA maintains that
Committee.these factors dramatically increase the chances of
Ergonomics is the science of designing andthe Retail Grocery employee of serious injuries
maintaining products, machines and workand illnesses such as, muscle strains and back
environments that cause the least stress uponinjuries, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator
the human body and result in the fewestcuff injuries, Epicondylitis and trigger finger. OSHA
instances of injury and discomfort. The fouridentifies certain activities, such as stacking
prongs of the Occupational Safety & Healthshelves, that place employee's bodies in awkward
Administration's approach to ergonomic safetypositions that they must maintain for a period of
have different areas of focus. The Enforcementtime. Some of their solutions are as simple as the
branch has to do with the inspections carried outfollowing, related to icing produce. They
by this and other organizations to assure thatrecommend a better ice machine that takes the
work environments are as safe as they can be.stress of scooping and loading ice away from the
When they find organizations that violateworker by letting gravity and the ice machine
standards of ergonomic safety they alertpour ice into buckets on a cart below the
authorities and attempt to alter the situation. Themachine. In this way, the ice is ready to be
National Advisory Committee branch controls thetransported when the worker approaches the
applications of research related to the study ofmachine, cutting any bending, scooping and lifting
ergonomics. The Guidelines branch developsthe employee might otherwise have had to
industry specific guidelines based on statisticsperform and making the overall experience more
related to ergonomic industries in the workplace.physically pleasant.
Finally, the Outreach and Assistance branch helps