Ergonomics in the Workplace - Vera Bradley Katheryn steiner, OTDS, CEAS II

A Literature Review was completed at the beginning of the doctoral capstone. A link to the full literature review can be found below.

"Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. Ergonomists contribute to the design and evaluation of tasks, jobs, products, environments and systems in order to make them compatible with the needs, abilities and limitations of people." (International Ergonomic Association, n.d., para. 1)

Musculoskeletal injuries (such as strained muscles, tendons, ligaments, and discs) can be caused by repetitive micro-traumas in musculoskeletal tissues leading to an injury (OSHA, 2020). Workplace musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are prevalent in the workplace, comprising approximately 30% of all workers' compensation (BLS, 2022). OSHA (2020) reports that companies in the U.S. spend approximately $50 billion directly on WMSDs, but it is estimated that companies spend five times that direct amount cost on WMSDs indirectly.

Ergonomics is a beneficial preventative practice for reducing WMSDs and is effective in many workplace settings for preventing injuries (Amick et al., 2003; Trinkoff et al., 2003; Zare et al., 2019; Garg & Kapellusch, 2012).

Therefore, by reducing WSMDs, ergonomics can save companies a significant amount of money from what they pay directly and indirectly on WSMDs. Ergonomic assessment measures like the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) are an effective evaluation to preventatively find specific jobs, movements, and risk factors within an industry that could later develop into a WMSD (Tee et al., 2017).

Workplaces are becoming a more positive and safe place to work due to the integration of ergonomics. Examples of factors that have improved the workplace environment identified in the literature review are addressing the aging workforce, ergonomic programs, and adapting workstations. Ergonomics helps to address the gap in work and safety by identifying areas of potential improvement to prevent or reduce risk factors (Zare et al., 2019; Garg & Kapellusch, 2012; Punnett et al., 2009).

The gap identified through the literature review created the initiative for an Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Project to address ergonomics in a workplace to help increase overall well-being and quality of life.

My Accomplishments

I completed my Ergonomic Assessment Specialist Certification I and II from the Back to School Program.

Additionally to the CEAS completion, I completed a continuing education course regarding ergonomics for retail. The course covered topics like common musculoskeletal disorders, store-wide ergonomics, and stretches.

I created Sustainable Resources for Vera Bradley such as the ErgoWISE Office Set-Up, ErgoWISE Lifting Guide, ErgoWISE Neck Discomfort, and ErgoWISE Retail Ergonomics. Below is one example of a resource I made.

I completed 21 ergonomic assessments of Design Center associates in over 10 different departments using five different standardized assessments such as the Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA), Rapid Office Strain Assessment (ROSA), and ANSI Z-365.

I completed a survey regarding job demand analysis and comfort level to help gain a baseline analysis in the Design Center with an ergonomic initiative. After the completion of the survey and analyses, I presented to each department to provide solutions to helo reduce identified risk factors.