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Massachusetts Instituteof Technology
Ergonomic Training Lecture
Department ofComparative Medicine
Background Reports of low back
pain and low back injuries
Reports of wrist and elbow pain
Observation of Job Tasks
Physically demanding jobs
Pre-Training Quiz 1) Injuries and illnesses in the workplace can be prevented? TRUE
FALSE 2) Who is responsible for a safe workplace? SUPERVISORS
EMPLOYEES EVERYBODY 3) In the Department of Comparative Medicine, which of the following might
be considered risk factors for musculoskeletal injury?– Sustained postures - Force– Awkward postures - Heavy weights– Repetition - Exposure to vibration– Contact stress - All of the above
4) When do you need to change position? WHEN YOU FEEL MUSCULAR FATIGUE or WHEN YOU FEEL PAIN
5) Stretching is helpful only when you feel uncomfortable? TRUEFALSE
6) If you do sustain an injury it is best to report it IMMEDIATELY orAFTER WAITING TWO WEEKS
Risk Factors for Musculoskeletal Injury
Washroom (Clean and Dirty) Animal Handlers
Statistics Overexertion reported as cause of lower back pain in
> 60% of people with LBP If overexertion injuries reported involved LBP with lost
time, less than 1/3 of patients eventually returned to work
Approximately 2/3 of overexertion injury claims involved lifting loads and about 20% involved pushing or pulling loads
Repetitive motion, such as grasping items, resulted in the longest absences from work…with a median of 17 days off from work
» NIOSH (1981), Waters et al (1994), BLS (1999)
Washroom Risk Factors (Clean and Dirty)
Bending and lifting (frequent)
Pinching and gripping (constant)
Pushing/pulling (frequent)
Reaching (frequent/constant)
Standing on concrete floor (constant)
Washroom (Clean and Dirty) Exessive
Pushing/Pulling Force:– Push/pulling force with
cage washer rack– push force for cage
rack for center header– pulling force to remove
metal grates from cabinet/rack washer floor one time/day for cleaning (must assume squat)
Washroom (Clean and Dirty)
Loads Lifted:– (Frequent): stacks of
empty cages and racks of empty water bottles
– (Constant): racks of full water bottles
Washroom (Clean and Dirty)
Repetitive Gripping/Pinching:– Placing and
removing stoppers from water bottles,
– Handling racks of water bottles,
– Scraping dirty cages – Pushing/pulling racks
and carts
Washroom (Clean and Dirty)
Carrying: – (Constant) racks of
full water bottles up to approximately 30 feet
Animal Handlers Bending and Stooping
(Frequent) Squatting
(Occasional/Frequent) Reaching (Constant) Pushing/Pulling
(Frequent) Pinching and Gripping
(Constant) Standing on Concrete
Floor (Constant)
Animal Handlers
Repetitive Pinching and Gripping– Responsible for 350-
400 cages/day containing 1-11 mice per cage
– Must remove and replace cage components in each cage (e.g.water bottles and barlids)
Effects of Repetitive Tasks or Prolonged Positioning
Fatigue Tiny tears in the muscle Muscle constantly being
used so gets less circulation
Less circulation means it does not heal as it should
Builds up over days, weeks, years
Can result in Injury
What To Watch Out For
Pain– in the joints or
muscles– that lingers after the
movement stops– that occurs with a
particular movement or position
Muscles feeling very tired
Swelling Numbness or
Tingling Trouble grasping
objects
What To Do If Problems or Concerns
Immediately– Stop what you are doing– Try to stretch to relax the
muscles
If problem persists– Notify supervisor, PCP or
MIT Medical– Better to take care of it
when first notice it so doesn’t become an even bigger problem
To Prevent Future Problems– This is very important as
the body is vulnerable to re-injury
– Think about your body mechanics and posture: can you be doing anything in a safer way?
Injury Prevention is the Key
Avoid stressful body positions
Vary work tasks often
Use resting positions Stretch Report problems
early
Lifting Tips
Assess load Feet slightly apart Bend knees/back
straight Keep load straight
ahead and in close Lift slowly and
smoothly Avoid twisting
Pushing and Pulling Technique
Assess load to be pushed or pulled
Keep chin tucked, arms below shoulder height, back straight
One foot in front of the other
Shift weight
Reaching Tips If must reach overhead,
try to use stepstool If unable to use
stepstool, try to reverse position or rest shoulder when able
Avoid stacking cages above shoulder height when able
Wrist, Hand and Elbow Use wrist neutral position Avoid keeping elbow
extended when performing wrist movements (keep elbow in close)
Rest hands when able (e.g. do not hold barlid if not necessary)
Stretch and reverse position
