Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ergonomic Training Lecture Department of Comparative Medicine.

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

Questions

[email protected]

MIT EHS 2-3477