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25 Ways Ergonomics Can Save You Money

Ergonomics has gained visibility in recent years because of its value in preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs).  However, the tools of ergonomics can beneift employers in many additional ways.

This paper is a summary of Part I of The Ergonomics Kit for General Industry, Second Edition, (Taylor & Francis, 2006).  Supporting documentation is provided in the book.  You can use this information in two ways:

• You can print out and distribute the PDF file to help show the financial value of good ergonomics.

• Background information on this page provides a testimonial on Dan's capabilities and how he can support your organization. 

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1. Dramatic reductions in workers’ compensation costs.  Good ergonomics programs have cut workers comp costs an average of 60% and up to 90% in some cases.  You don’t need to accept high workers comp losses as a cost of doing business.

This graph above shows workers’ comp cost data for a division of a major U.S. manufacturer in cents per hour per employee, plus equivalent data for the industry.  The graph shows that the division had costs that were initially lower but rising faster than the industry average.  After the division started the ergonomics program, its costs dropped while the rest of the industry continued to rise.  After three years the savings was $0.25 per hour per employee!

Dan conducted the training on site in one of the facilities.  The Ergo Teams from the other facilities in the division attended this four-day session.

2. Improved productivity.  It is common for ergonomic improvements to increase productivity 10 – 15%.  In fact, one of the more rigorous studies showed a 25% increase in output at computer workstations when using ergonomic furniture, while concurrently improving employee well-being.

The example in the above graph is from from a printing facility where an ergonomics task improvement increased productivity 300%, while simultaneously reducing physical demands on employees.  Details are in the book.  Dan suggested this particular idea while making a walkthrough evaluation of the facility.

3. Fewer mistakes and less scrap.  People working in awkward and uncom­fortable postures are not in a position to do their jobs right the first time.  Mistakes are more common. 

The graph above shows an example where a $400 mechanical device eliminated a $6000 annual loss in scrap, which was caused by employees simply not being able to perform a tedious, physically demanding task properly all the time.  That’s a 1500% return-on-investment in one year because of good ergonomics.

Dan conducted the training sessions for the plant engineer and manager who developed the device.

4. Improved efficiency with better working posture.  Working in awkward postures can directly reduce efficiency in three ways that ergonomics can help remedy:

• Reduced strength — Think of bending at the waist and reaching out across a large object and then trying to exert.  You have little or no strength in an outstretched position like this.  Consequently it takes you longer to complete a task than it would be if you were working in a proper position.

• Less accuracy in your motions — Again, think of reaching out across a large object and trying to do something intricate.  You make a lot of mistakes and it takes a lot longer time, if indeed you can do it at all.

• Faster fatigue — When you work in an awkward posture, you tire much more easily, which slows you down.

This photo shows a fiberglass lay-up operation.  The "before" situation at left involved a long reach that made it difficult to do their jobs well.  The reject rates on these large products approached 100%, plus the bending had caused a number of back injuries.  Dan suggest placing the part on an upright trunnion, which solved both problems.

5. Improved efficiency with less exertion.  In general, the more exertion it takes to perform a task, the longer it takes.  Moreover, muscles under a heavy load are harder to move with precision.  Thus accuracy of movement is reduced, which has consequences for both quality and efficiency.  As with everything else in this list, the tools of ergonomics can help to identify sources of unnecessary exertion as well as ways to reduce the exertion.

Pushing a heavy cart with small wheels over a rough floor takes more time than pushing the same load in a cart with large wheels, good grips, and a smooth floor.

6. Improved efficiency with fewer motions.  Repetitive motions are a waste of time . . . literally.  The more motions, the longer it takes to perform a task.  A good ergonomics analysis seeks to identify the types of motions required for different steps of the job.  With such focus, it is possible to identify instances where it is possible to improve the type of motion being used or reduce the number of motions, if not eliminate them entirely.  Repetitive motions should be viewed both as a source of injuries and as a red flag for wasteful work.

Power tools provide a common, traditional way of reducing motions.  We like using power tools because they are faster and usually easier on your hands and arms than manual tools.  They're good ergonomics in action.

7. Improved efficiency with better heights and reaches.  Poor heights and reaches can affect productivity in a couple of different ways.  If you can’t reach an object at all, you may need to stop productive work and fetch a step stool or take time to remove an obstruction.  If the inappropriate height or the long reach causes you to work in an awkward posture, you end up losing productivity for that reason.

The photo above right shows a 6' 6" employee at an adjustable height workbench that Dan and the facility engineer created from a modified die cart.  Before he had to work bent over and was suffering from constant back pain, plus he kept hitting his head on the light.

8. Less fatigue.  The efficiency experts of a century ago understood that there is a direct link between fatigue and lost productivity, but the concept needs to be re-emphasized today.  One of the core areas of ergonomics is understanding the causes of excessive fatigue and ways to effectively reduce or eliminate these causes.  An example is fatigue caused by working in static positions, a problem that has increased in recent decades.

Simple things like footrests can reduce leg fatigue.  The photo above shows a turkey processing employee doing the best she can given the circumstances.

9. Reduced maintenance downtime.  All the tools and techniques of workplace ergonomics can be applied to maintenance tasks.  You can eliminate barriers and thus speed the time in which operations can be brought back on line.  It’s about providing clearance, reducing exertion, and reducing motions.

This photo shows the classical maintenance working position: on his back in a confined area with his arms raised.  Often it takes considerably  more time to get access to something than to actually fix it.

10. Identifying waste.  A good ergonomics task analysis penetrates into operations step by step, very similar to old-fashioned Time and Motion analysis.  By evaluating items such as fatigue, motions, and exertion through a task step by step, it is possible to identify wasted activities.

Dan performed a quantitative analysis in this service company to demonstrate the waste associated with steps B and C of this operation.  About 1/3 of the cycle time and most of the risk for injury was related to what was essentially double handling.

11. Fresh insights on your operations.  Almost any new perspective on your workplace can help you identify ways to improve.  But the tools of ergonomics are especially useful because they focus on ways to eliminate problems like fatigue, awkward working positions, and excessive motions.

Supervisors at this facility walked right by tasks like this every day and didn't see them.  They were so used to their operations, that many things were "invisible."

12. Protecting your human resources.  The smaller your organization, the greater risk you have of disruption due to the loss of a key person — even if this loss is just a few days because of back pain.  Furthermore, you may not be able to replace that person, even temporarily.  Even if a replacement is found, skill levels may not be the same or the learning curve may be extended.

Losing key people to injuries can be costly in several ways.

13. Ergonomics can offset the limitations an aging workforce.  Older employees have more experience, tend to be more reliable, and are already trained and educated.  When ergonomic adaptations are made, older workers can be as productive as younger workers, if not more so.

Failure to adapt tasks and equipment for older employees can squander the skills and experience they have gained.

14. Reduced turnover.  Dissatisfaction caused by fatigue, working in uncomfortable postures, and the pain and discomfort created by over­exertion injuries may easily lead to increased employee turnover.

Pain and discomfort can lead to unnecessary turnover.

15. Reduced absenteeism.  One reason why workers are absent is that they are experiencing early stages of a musculoskeletal disorder.  Work that hurts doesn’t exactly encourage people to come ever day.

This laboratory technician had to work in this hunched-over posture for extended periods of time.

16. Improved morale.  Frustration, aches, and pains, caused by inadequately designed equipment can easily affect morale.  Often it is the little things that create dissatisfaction, for example the hard edge on a piece of equipment that the employee continually bumps into and no one will fix.  These are the kinds of issues that can emerge with a focus on ergonomics and can often be resolved relatively cheaply.

Good ergonomics makes for happy employees.

17. Promoting employee involvement.  Ergonomics fits well into current efforts to involve and empower people.  If you have never established formal mechanisms to involve employees, focusing on ergonomics is a good place to start.  The concepts are rela­tively simple and result in direct benefit to the employees themselves, which both serves as positive reinforcement for contributing ideas and provides a base for expanding to other issues.

Ergonomics provides a good way to involve people.

18. Improved labor relations.  Ergonomics issues are often good ones for joint problem-solving between management and labor.  Redesigning the workplace using the principles of ergonomics is a “win-win” situation for management and labor.

Dan was directly involved in setting up the first joint labor-management safety programs in the 1970s and witnessed first-hand the profound changes and benefits that can result.  Subsequently, he worked in other industries and companies to achieve similar results.

19. The rebirth of Methods Engineering.  Much of indus­trial ergonomics is similar to old-fashioned Methods Engineering, a practice neglected in recent decades.  Perhaps because of our fascination with high tech developments we have forgotten some of the basics.  Ergonomics brings these techniques back into the workplace in a new and improved format.

20. Ergonomics can optimize the Lean Process.  Whenever humans are involved, using the tools of ergonomics is a prerequisite for lean operations.  You cannot do lean well without ergonomics.

21. 40,000 years of progress.  In a certain way, ergonomics is nothing new.  Humans have been doing “ergonomics” for a long time (that is, reducing the physical demands of jobs).  We can say, tongue-in-cheek, that good ergonomic improvements include the stone ax, the wheel, and even sliced bread.

The two-handled scythe is a good example of 19th Century ergonomics.  It was easier on the human and easier to cut more wheat.

22. Improving the human-system interface.  The term ergonomics was coined by aircraft designers for the British Royal Air Force in the Second World War.  Their goal was to create a cockpit that was more human compatible, so that the pilots could physically reach all the knobs and switches as well as understand the increasingly complex array of dials and indicators.  Their objectives had nothing to do with preventing back injuries or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. 

In its modern format, the birth of ergonomics was all about efficiency, using the special focus of studying the interface between humans and systems (or, to use the jargon of the time, “man-machine” systems).

23. The goal of ergonomics is to make things more human compatible, which can bring about multiple ways of saving money. In the workplace, the focus is on improving tools, equipment, and work methods.  The formal definition of the field is “optimizing the interface between humans and systems.” 

Incompatibility between humans and equipment — like the lack of knee clearance in this photo — leads to multiple inefficiencies.

24. Everyone benefits from knowing the “rules of work.”  The term ergonomics was coined from the Greek words ergon (meaning “work”) and nomos (meaning “rules”).  So the literal meaning is “the rules of work.”  We all need to know the “rules” for optimizing work.

One of the rules of work is that you shouldn't use your hands as fixtures.  The illustration above left shows using a razor blade to remove a coating from a tube used in medical instruments, thus using both hands as fixtures.  The work was slow and painful.  In this instance, Dan developed a contraption for less than $30 that cut the motions by 80% and the time needed to do the job by 60%. 

25. Saving yourself from OSHA.  Some of the largest fines ever issued by OSHA have been related to musculoskeletal disorders and the absence of any effort to reduce the risk factors for these disorders.  This item is last on the list because in the author’s view, OSHA is the least important motivation for investing in good ergonomics.

Dan is well-experienced in assisting companies to meet the requirements of a settlement with OSHA following a citation.  Indeed he has been able to help "turn lemon into lemonade" by helping companies under citation to save money.  See Ergonomics Cost Benefits Case Study in a Paper Manufacturing Company. 

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Good ergonomics is good economics!

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