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Purpose: The purpose of the CMU Ergonomics Program is the prevention and management of work-related injuries, focusing particularly on musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Musculoskeletal disorders can be found in any job classification, but tend to be more prevalent in jobs involving repetitive motion, forceful movements or awkward or static postures. The primary goal of the ergonomics program is to make the work environment as comfortable as possible for all employees and to decrease the discomfort and pain that can be attributed to poor workstation design, poor work practices and/or repetitious duties. By identifying jobs that involve potential hazards for developing MSDs and making appropriate adjustments, the University should impact costs associated with these injuries. The ergonomics program will also facilitate cost savings for the University by emphasizing early reporting, early intervention and utilization of the CHIP facility whenever possible for rehabilitation. This program applies to all CMU employees and functions as an adjunct of the Central Health Improvement Program (CHIP Facility) and acts under the authority of CHIP/Workers’ Compensation and Human Resources. Program Guidelines:Ergonomics is the science of fitting the job to the worker. It involves fitting the workplace conditions and job demands (both physical and mental) to the capabilities of the people performing the work. By providing effective and successful fits, an employer can expect high productivity, avoidance of illness and injury risk, and increased job satisfaction among its workers. To be considered a full ergonomics program, the program must include six basic components. These six components as identified and described by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are as follows: 1. Management Leadership and Employee Participation 2. Job Hazard Analysis and Control 3. Training 4. MSD Management 5. Program Evaluation 6. Recordkeeping The CMU Ergonomics Program includes these six components and they are described in greater detail below. Management Leadership and Employee ParticipationThe CHIP Facility/Workers’ Compensation program will implement and coordinate the CMU Ergonomics Program. The CHIP Facility staff will provide the necessary training, job hazard analysis and recommendations for control, MSD management, program evaluation and recordkeeping. Employees should follow the same procedures for reporting a work-related MSD as they would for any other work-related injury or illness. The procedures are as follows: 1. Call the Workers’ Compensation Office at 774 – 7177 immediately if you experience any discomfort, pain, numbness, etc from performing your work duties. A 24-hour voice mail system is available to report incidents when the office is closed and during weekends. Reports should be phoned in by the injured employee/student employee’s supervisor or by the injured person themselves. Early reporting of MSDs is very important because the earlier symptoms are identified and treatment is initiated, the less likely a more serious disorder will develop. 2. Give a detailed account of the injury including employee name, date and time injury occurred, injured body part, and a complete description of what happened as well as the names of possible witnesses. 3. If medical treatment is needed, the injured employee should go to one of the following for treatment*: Central Occupational Medicine Program (COMP) 2600 Three Leaves Drive University Park 773-2339 Open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday
Ready Care Walk-in Clinic/CMCH Emergency Room 1221 South Drive Mount Pleasant 773-1166 (Ready Care) After 4 p.m. or on weekends *If the injured employee/student employee chooses to see their own physician, they will be responsible for any expenses incurred. 4. The Central Health Improvement Program (CHIP facility) is available free of charge to employees (including student employees) for treatment of minor work-related muscle strains, sprains, and bruises, basic first aid, rehabilitation or when the employee is unsure whether or not a physician’s care is needed. The CHIP facility is open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. and is located in the South Grounds Building on campus. As with any other injury, the emphasis of the CMU Ergonomics Program will be early recognition of MSD signs and symptoms and early reporting and intervention. Job Hazard Analysis and ControlThe CMU Ergonomics Program will utilize several methods for identifying jobs or duties with potential work hazards. A monthly review of reported work-related incidents will be conducted to identify departments or specific employees who would benefit from an ergonomic intervention. The supervisor of the respective department or employee will be contacted by an ergonomic professional to discuss the incident(s), and to implement a plan for identifying and controlling the potential hazards resulting in the reported injury. Employees have several avenues for reporting ergonomic concerns. Employees can direct their concerns to their immediate supervisor; directly contact an ergonomic professional at the CHIP facility (774-3198/3245); report their concerns through the office of Environmental & Safety Services (774-7398) or through their employee safety committees if applicable. An ergonomic professional will work with the employee and the supervisor to identify the problem and come up with a feasible remedy. The CHIP facility will offer job hazard analysis services in the form of workstation ergonomics analyses. In conducting an ergonomics study, several sources of information will be utilized. These include equipment operator interviews, observation of work areas and employees performing job tasks. The job analysis generally consists of asking questions regarding what the job entails and observing the employee performing job duties in an attempt to identify what ergonomic risk factors may be present. Typical questions asked include: what signs/symptoms they are experiencing, what types of difficulties they have performing the physical work activities of the job, and which physical work activities they associate with the problem. Worker input about ways to ease the difficulty of the problematic job operations will also be taken. Specific observations include how the employee performs the job duties, photographing or videotaping the employee while working, evaluating the workstation arrangement and its suitability to the employee utilizing it. All facets of the job are evaluated to determine which ones are reasonably likely to be causing or contributing to the problem. Detailed notations are made throughout the observation process regarding the problem definition and any immediate remedial actions that surface. Typical ergonomic risk factors include:
Following the observation visit and once the ergonomic risks are identified, recommendations and suggested adjustments are given and implemented where feasible. Some adjustments are minor involving changing the viewing angle of a monitor, for example. Other adjustments can be fairly major such as moving the monitor, keyboard, and/or hard drive to an entirely different area of the workstation in order to improve body alignment. Problems regarding the employee’s posture and body mechanics and work practices are also discussed at this time. A written report will be sent to the supervisor for review prior to sending a copy to the employee. The report will include the primary problems identified; adjustments made on site, suggestions made to the employee and recommendations for remedy for the department to address. The decision to implement the recommendations will be left to the supervisor and the department will be responsible for any costs associated with workstation modification. A follow-up evaluation is performed after any change or equipment purchase has been made to ensure the original hazards have been corrected, as well as to prevent new problems from surfacing. TrainingUpon implementation of the program all employees will receive written information on the following: 1. Recognition of work-related MSDs (common signs & symptoms) 2. Emphasis on the importance of early reporting 3. How to minimize work-related MSDs 4. Central Michigan University’s ergonomics program and how to utilize it All new employees will receive the above ergonomic information in their orientation materials. In addition to this information, employee and supervisor training will be offered and will focus on how to identify potential work hazards and how to implement and evaluate controls used to address the hazards. Training will be facilitated via educational programs, videotapes and reading materials, as they become available, in keeping with NIOSH standards. Training will generally take place following a request/complaint as part of the ergonomic study request evaluation process or at the request of a department. Training will be conducted every three years after the initial training session. MSD ManagementMSD management involves providing employees access to health care for the evaluation and treatment of a work-related MSD. An effective medical management program emphasizes the prevention of impairment and disability due to a work-related MSD through early detection, prompt treatment, and timely recovery. Medical management is typically a cooperative effort among the employee, supervisor, physician, workers’ compensation/CHIP staff, and Central Michigan University’s third party administrator, with each having responsibilities for achieving a successful result. The CMU Ergonomics Program will take the following steps toward creating an effective MSD medical management system:
Employee responsibilities in the medical management process include:
Medical management of MSDs at CMU will take place per existing workers’ compensation guidelines. Tracking Program Progress/Program EvaluationCertain measures will be employed to ensure the effectiveness of the ergonomics program. Some measures include the follow-up evaluation of the work area six weeks after the initial analysis was done, review of employee complaints, MIOSHA logs and incident reports. Files will be kept on all ergonomic studies for seven years and will be used for reference as necessary. Additionally, ergonomic training sessions will be evaluated via questionnaires, surveys and employee input. Measures of knowledge gained or improvements in skills through the use of quizzes, performance tests, and behavior observations can also be utilized. Class participants may be asked to propose improvements in their own workplace conditions based upon the information they have learned. Another measure of program effectiveness is whether the training produces some overall change in the workplace. This may be somewhat complicated by the fact that some results require time before they are apparent, and training may be one of several factors responsible for the results. Central Michigan University reserves the right to make exceptions, modify or eliminate this policy. This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures and directives relative to this subject. Please refer questions or concerns to the Originating Department.
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