Engineering Controls
The most effective way to control ergonomic hazards is to implement engineering controls to eliminate the risk factors altogether through elimination or substitution. When those options are not suitable, sometimes you can change the tools, equipment, job design, or work area to mitigate the hazard.
Engineering improvements include rearranging, modifying, redesigning, or replacing tools, equipment, workstations, packaging, parts, or products. These improvements can be very effective because they may eliminate or reduce the hazard through barriers, isolation, enclosure and other methods.
Here are some examples of how engineering controls can be used to reduce ergonomic injuries:
- Use a device to lift and reposition heavy objects to limit force exertion.
- Reduce the weight of a load to limit force exertion.
- Reposition a work table to eliminate a long/excessive reach and enable working in neutral postures.
- Use diverging conveyors off a main line so tasks are less repetitive.
- Install diverters on conveyors to direct materials toward the worker to eliminate excessive leaning or reaching.
- Redesign tools to enable neutral postures.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
2-2. Which of the following hazard control strategies is considered most effective?
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