Use of participatory ergonomics to identify and solve high-risk tasks - United Kingdom

The issue under discussion

MSDs were affecting workers at a pharmaceutical plant.

Action taken

A dozen experienced manual handling assessors were trained and formed into an Ergonomic Improvement Team (EIT) to lead the initiative. They were assisted by an ergonomics expert. The team met regularly and sub-groups were formed to investigate improvements and share best practice, with site management providing support.

The EIT investigated ergonomic problems in a variety of work settings, including pallet lifting, repetitive work using poor hand tools in laboratories, cylinder lifting, loading and unloading storing plugs, packaging boxes, working in isolators, hand tool redesign and operating high rise trucks.

A variety of risk analysis techniques were used, including video observation analysis. Measures were launched with the full participation of the workers concerned. The company also ran a communication programme to raise awareness of the issue. About 90% of the ergonomic challenges identified were solved “in-house” without the use of an external expert.

Results achieved

Within a year of initiating the project, 31 work system improvements had been achieved. Of these, one measure involved the automation of a task and three were administrative. Twenty-five reduced workers' exposure to multiple risk factors through the introduction of new work equipment and ways of working or modifications to the existing equipment or work layout. A 40% reduction in the number of MSDs attended to on site by the company physician was achieved.

Within three years, 65 ergonomic improvements were implemented and evaluated. There was a 160% increase in the number of reported ergonomic hazards recorded (illustrating the greater awareness among workers) and a record-breaking health and safety performance in terms of absence of “lost-time” illnesses.

The cost of the EIT was about £20,000 (c €26,900), dwarfed by savings of £1.5 million (c €2 million) over three years. Overtime pay was cut from £60,000 (c €80,600) a year to £5,000 (c €6,700) through the redesign of the production lines.