1 Ergonomics for Fire and EMS Departments Command Staff Ergonomics University of Oregon Labor Education and Research Center This material has been made.

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Ergonomics for Fire and EMS Departments

Command Staff ErgonomicsUniversity of Oregon

Labor Education and Research Center

This material has been made possible by a grant from the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division, Department of Consumer and Business Services

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Today’s Workshop

• Cumulative Trauma

• Risk factors for musculoskeletal injury

• Elements of an ergonomics program

Will provide information on:

• Information resources for developing an ergonomics program in your department

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Fire and EMS Work

Requires workers to:• Always be prepared• Respond quickly• Think and react quickly• Not always be in control of schedule• Work in hazardous situations

Physically & Emotionally Demanding

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Cost of Injury• 31.4 % of firefighter injuries due to overexertion

• Overexertion is due to pushing, pulling, holding, carrying, wielding or throwing objects

• Per claim, average workers’ compensation cost of ALL injuries to firefighters = $5168

• Per claim, workers’ compensation average cost for overexertion = $9715

• Of this $9715, only $3458 was for direct medical costs

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Avoidable Injuries

Acute injuries•Happen immediately•Can become chronic•Re-injury possible

Chronic injuries•Pain or symptoms lasting more than a month

Cumulative trauma •Happens over time

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Cumulative Trauma Cycle

irritation to tissue

microtrauma (small tears)

produces scar tissue

Keeps repeating as long as

activity continues

Activity

results in: flexibility strength function

adhesions form

adhesions coalesce

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Repetitive Motions

Same posture or motions again and

again Repetitive motion can be very frequent over short period of time

Cumulative trauma can be less frequent but repeated over time

time injury

time injury

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Fatigue

Discomfort

Pain

Injury

Disability

Break the Injury Cycle

re-injury may be

likely

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Disc Herniations

•Disc damage is frequently the result of cumulative, repetitive trauma as well as overexertion

•Outer disc fibers repeatedly tear and heal as a result of repetitive overloading•The disc weakens overtime (years) leading to herniation of the nucleus, causing back and leg pain, and numbness

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What is Ergonomics?

The goal of ergonomics is to design the job to fit the worker,

NOT fit the worker to the job.

EnvironmentTask/job

Worker

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Musculoskeletal Risk Factors

Risk magnitude is increased by time, intensity, or combining factors

Excessive force/weight (pulling, pushing or lifting)Awkward posturesProlonged posturesRepetitionTemperature extremes

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Injury Prevention ProgramSAFETY ERGONOMICS HEALTH

ERGONOMICS TEAMlabor & management

TRAINING

MEDICAL MANAGEMENT

risk factors identified

HAZARD PREVENTION& CONTROL

JOB ANALYSIS

REVIEW

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Ergonomics Program Elements

1) Assessment of musculoskeletal hazards

2) Prevention and control of musculoskeletal hazards

3) Training

4) A medical management system

5) Procedures for reporting injuries

6) A plan for the implementation of the program

7) Methods for evaluating the program

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1) Assessment of Hazards• A hazard analysis breaks a job down into

elements which can be described and measured

• It allows the inherent risk to be quantified

• It identifies the conditions within a job that contribute to risk•It is performed by person with ergonomics training

–Safety committee members–Line personnel

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When to do a Hazard Assessment

Identify jobs where:

– Work-related injuries have occurred previously

– Frequent severe or non-severe injuries occur

– Past injuries result in work restrictions

– Workers leave because of inability to perform the physical requirements of job

– Sustainable quality performance difficult

– Worker complaints of unresolving pain or fatigue

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Prevention and Control

Set short term and long term goals

Think outside the box – come up with many potential solutions

Decide on the optimal solution by consideringBarriersCostsAmount of risk

reduced

Line personnel think of great solutions!

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Ergonomic Solutions

Effectiveness Personal control

Bodymechanics

Personal protective equipment

Job organization

Equipment or Engineering

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3) Ergonomics Training

• Part of an ergonomics program is to provide training to fire and EMS personnel

• Ergonomics training curriculum is free from Oregon OSHA. Modules include:– “Introduction to Ergonomics and

Cumulative Trauma”– “Job Hazard Analysis”– “Developing and Implementing

Ergonomic Solutions”– “Bodymechanics & Back Health”

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4) Medical Management System

– Regular medical exams– Regular physical conditioning– Periodic fitness/wellness evaluations– Education/training

Preventive Measures:

Reactive Measures:

– Early recognition and treatment– Access to medical and

rehabilitative care– Alterative work– Workers’ compensation

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5) Injury Reporting System•Define what constitutes a ‘reportable injury’

– Not reporting may lead to more serious injuries

– Minor injury logs– Mechanism to report injuries

•Identify lines of responsibility

workersafety

committee

employer

medical provider

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Reporting Injuries• Train personnel

– Ergonomics– Record keeping

• Record keeping– Clearly identify injury cause– Differentiate between acute and

repetitive• Follow-up

– Feedback into the ergonomics program

– Identify and address hazard

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Gaining Support

• Part of existing safety and health program

• Management commitment• Worker involvement• Union involvement• Awareness and education

6) Implementing Your Program

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• Support from department, local government, community and line personnel essential

• Launch kick-off meeting by chief to explain program

• Establish ergonomics committee

• Establish lines of communication & responsibility

• Commit resources – time and money

Commitment & Involvement

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Ergonomics Committee

• Set short-term and long-term goals• Identify useful tools and resources • Develop ergonomic awareness• Identify & modify high risk activities via

– Risk assessments– Surveys– Injury-records

• Make necessary changes to work environment

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7) Evaluating Your Program

How do you know what is working?•Statistics

–Health–Program–General

•Cost / Benefit Analysis

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StatisticsHealth: reduction in• injury rate, severity• costs (overhead, medical, worker’s comp)• time loss

Program: numbers of

• hazards identified• solutions proposed• solutions approved• solutions

implemented

General: having

• appropriate equipment • improved work

environment• improved work practices• boosted morale• healthier relations

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Cost/Benefit Analysis

Pre-program injury costs

Implementing the program

Injury costs with program

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Ergonomic ResourcesFEMA: Fire and EMS Ergonomics

search for “ergonomics” on www.fema.gov/

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health:

Elements of Ergonomics Programs &Guide to Evaluating the Effectiveness of Strategies

for Preventing Work Injurieswww.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html

Oregon OSHA www.orosha.org/consult/ergonomic/ergonomics.htm

Federal OSHAwww.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/index.html

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Conclusions• Cumulative trauma occurs over time• Applying ergonomics = injury

prevention = $$ saved• An ergonomics program is a

comprehensive approach at applying ergonomics

• Command staff are integral to a successful ergonomics program

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Questions and Evaluation

Thank you for your attention

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