Success Brief:
The company has achieved a significant reduction
in injuries as a result of the ergonomics
component of its comprehensive health and safety
program.
The Problem
While the facility’s
injury/illness rate was below the industry
average, the company was not satisfied with the
rate of improvement.
The Solution
Recommendations from a joint
employee/management safety and ergonomics
committee resulted in annual ergonomics training
for all employees and bi-annual training for the
company’s engineers. The company added a
full-time ergonomics coordinator position to
identify and correct ergonomic issues, working
in conjunction with medical management and
training. Ergonomic positioning is incorporated
into the monthly behavior-based auditing
process. The company maintains an ongoing
relationship with Pennsylvania State University
ergonomics graduate students, and the safety
committee has been certified by the Pennsylvania
Department of Labor.
The Impact
There has been over a 50
percent decrease in the overall incident rate
since the program was implemented.
Source:
Eric Reynolds, Safety/Ergonomics Manager,
Taylor, an Excel Foods Solutions Company,
Wyalusing, PA (July 2003)
