Comfort and productivity in the office are based on many conditions. Simply put, ergonomics means ‘FIT’ - fit of the tools to the worker, the work environment and the tasks performed. These can include physical elements such as furniture, equipment, lighting and working space per person; environmental factors such as acoustics, temperature, humidity and air quality; and working methods themselves.

Ergonomics - the study of efficiency of persons in their place of work - considers all these factors as being equally a part of the office environment.

The science of designing environments and products to match the individuals who use them began during World War II. It was noted that "pilot errors" in aircraft accidents were often related to flaws in cockpit design.

A catch-all phrase in today's working environment is "repetitive strain injury" - "RSI". RSI includes a wide number of ailments resulting from strain to shoulders, arms, hands, and sometimes the back. More and more, product designers are recognizing that RSI injury is cumulative, can build slowly, and may take years to surface as a chronic health problem.

Poorly designed or improperly adjusted office furniture can cause the user great discomfort. With proper knowledge of the capabilities of the furniture, individualized comfort and positive new levels of productivity can be achieved.

Some factors are as simple as proper adjustment and operation of existing office furniture and equipment, and more efficient organization of the basic work flow.

Modular equipment and furniture permit individual components to be adjusted for specific tasks and positioned for personal preference. Work surfaces should provide the opportunity to place materials and equipment related to the current task within easy reach. Materials not required constantly during the job performance should be in accessible storage areas located near the main work area.

The Primary Workspace is the area swept by arm motions pivoting at the elbow with slight shoulder movement and no upper body twisting. This main area is used for a variety of basic tasks including writing, reading and computer work. The size or span of the primary workspace should complement the task being performed.

Consider the flow of work through your workstation in a typical day; you'll find a number of distinctive and repetitive task patterns.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) currently account for one-third of all occupational injuries and illnesses reported to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by employers every year. These disorders thus constitute the largest job-related injury and illness problem in the United States today. In 1997, employers reported a total of 626,000 lost workday MSDs to the BLS, and these disorders accounted for $1 of every $3 spent for workers' compensation in that year. Employers pay more than $15-$20 billion in workers' compensation costs for these disorders every year, and other expenses associated with MSDs may increase this total to $45-$54 billion a year. Workers with severe MSDs can face permanent disability that prevents them from returning to their jobs or handling simple, everyday tasks like combing their hair, picking up a baby, or pushing a shopping cart.

Thousands of companies have taken action to address and prevent these problems. OSHA estimates that 50 percent of all employees but only 28 percent of all workplaces in general industry are already protected by an ergonomics program, because their employers have voluntarily elected to implement an ergonomics program. (The disparity in these estimates shows that most large companies, who employ the majority of the workforce, already have these programs, and that smaller employers have not yet implemented them.) OSHA believes that the proposed standard is needed to bring this protection to the remaining employees in general industry workplaces who are at significant risk of incurring a work-related musculoskeletal disorder but are currently without ergonomics programs.

Ergonomics is the science of fitting the job to the worker. Ergonomics programs can prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) that occur when there is a mismatch between the worker and the task. Each year 1.8 million workers experience injuries related to overexertion or repetitive motion, and 600,000 are injured severely enough to require time off work. OSHA's proposed standard is designed to help prevent these injuries.

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• 3 million MSDs will be prevented over 10 years, an average of 300,000 per year.
• 27.3 million workers at 1.9 million worksites will be protected.
• $22,500 savings in direct costs for each MSD prevented.
• $9 billion average savings each year. (Currently MSDs cost $15 to $20 billion in workers' compensation costs with total costs as high as $45 to $60 billion each year.)

A musculoskeletal disorder is an injury or disorder of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints cartilage and spinal discs. To be considered covered, an MSD injury must be:

• Diagnosed by a health care professional, result in a positive physical finding or serious enough to require medical treatment, days away from work or assignment to light duty work-i.e., an "OSHA-recordable" injury.

"The ergonomics program we proposed provides a practical, flexible approach to preventing musculoskeletal disorders," said OSHA Assistant Secretary Charles Jeffress. "It reflects industry's best practices by focusing on jobs where problems are severe and solutions are well understood. America's workers have waited a long time for this standard."

OSHA announced the ergonomics proposal on Nov. 22, 1999, after 10 years of study, consultation and analysis. Stakeholders, including employer organizations, small business owners, labor unions, safety and health professionals, were involved in the process. It is expected the standard will spare 300,000 workers from painful, potentially disabling injuries and save the U.S. economy $9 billion each year.

This following describes some of the economic and social costs associated with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. This information can be used as an indicator of the magnitude of the burden imposed on the U.S. economy by these disorders. However, OSHA recognizes that the estimates of musculoskeletal injury-related costs presented in this chapter understate the real financial and social costs involved. This is the case both because some of the actual monetary costs are not fully captured by available economic methodologies and because the human toll, in terms of pain and suffering, cannot be satisfactorily expressed in economic terms.

The extent of the burden imposed by work-related musculoskeletal disorders is suggested by the annual count of such injuries and illnesses and estimates of the costs they impose. In 1997, a total of 626,000 MSDs reported by employers to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) resulted in days away from work. This represents one-third of all work-related lost workday injuries and illnesses reported to the BLS each year. The total number of work-related MSDs, including those that do not lead to days away from work, is estimated to be three times as high.

Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are also disproportionately severe: The average cost per claim for upper extremity and lower back musculoskeletal disorders is approximately twice that of the average workers' compensation claim ($8,075 for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders and $8,320 for lower back musculoskeletal disorders, compared with $4,075 for the average non-MSD workers' compensation claim) (Webster and Snook 1994a,b). BLS data show that, in 1996, the typical MSD led to almost twice as much time away from work as the typical lost workday injury. These increased costs and time away from work are a direct result of the greater than average likelihood that these disorders will require intensive medical treatment and/or result in long-term disability. In the State of Washington, for example, approximately 40 percent of accepted workers' compensation claims for occupational carpal tunnel syndrome result in surgery (Adams, Franklin, and Barnhart 1994). Among employees receiving such surgery, 48 percent are still unable to return to work one year after surgery (Adams, Franklin, and Barnhart 1994).

Clearly, work-related musculoskeletal disorders are imposing an enormous burden on workers, employers, and society at large. One study (Sokas, Spiegelman, and Wegman 1989) states that "musculoskeletal disorders rank second only to cardiovascular disease as a cause of disability in the United States...in total economic cost...including direct medical costs and indirect costs due to lost earnings and productivity." Because work-related musculoskeletal disorders represent the single largest preventable occupational safety and health problem in the United States today -- whether measured in sheer number of cases, extent of disability, or loss of productivity -- promulgating an ergonomics standard is consistent with OSHA's policy of attacking more serious occupational injuries and illnesses first.

The potential benefits that will be experienced by workers, employers, and society at large if these work-related musculoskeletal disorders are reduced in number are simply the other side of the costs they currently impose. Not surprisingly, these benefits are very large, both in terms of reduced pain and suffering and savings in medical, compensation, and other costs.

Some of the losses associated with lost time due to work-related injuries and illnesses stem from the lost output of the worker, which can be measured by the value that the market places on his or her time. This value is measured as the worker's total wage plus fringe benefits. Other costs include: (1) medical expenses, (2) costs of workers' compensation insurance administration, and (3) indirect costs to employers (other than those for workers' compensation administration).

Type of Payment

Temporary Total Disability

Permanent Partial Disability

Paid by Workers' Compensation¹

$1,550

$3,370

Estimated After-Tax Income²

$1,722

$5,712

Estimated Before-Tax Income³

$2,480

$8,160

Estimated Value of Lost Production⁴

$3,419

$11,343

Value of Direct Cost Saving per MSD Averted
Cost Saving Element

Value

Value of Lost Production

$14,763

Medical Costs

$3,080

Insurance Administrative Costs

$1,872

Indirect Costs to Employers

$2,832

Total

$22,546