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1) Consider your workplace or a workplace of one of your family members. Are there chemical, biological, radiological or ergonomic issues? Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, how might you address the issues? How are they being addressed in reality.

I work in a law office that has the potential for ergonomic issues. Employees sit at their desks typing for the majority of their work day, which often lasts more than 8 hours. This has the potential to cause employees physical harm if their work stations are not set up to fit their bodies and work movements correctly. Ergonomics, fitting a job to a person, helps lessen muscle fatigue, increases productivity and reduces the number and severity of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Examples of MSDs include:

·     Carpal tunnel syndrome;

·     Tendinitis;

·     Rotator cuff injuries (affects the shoulder);

·     Epicondylitis (affects the elbow);

·     Muscle strains and low back injuries.

Using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls, I would address ergonomic issues by first working to see if the problem can be eliminated. This is the most effective solution and it works to control the hazard at the source. If elimination is not possible, I would consider substituting or replacing the known hazard with a material, process, or equipment that is less hazardous. For example, if a very tall employee is sitting in a chair that is designed for a shorter person this can cause the tall employee discomfort. I would work to remove the original chair and provide the employee with a chair that is more suitable to for the employee’s height requirements. 

When ergonomic issues cannot be eliminated or substituted, engineering controls are the most desirable way to control hazards. An example would be an employee working in an area that does not have enough light for them to adequately perform their job functions without straining their eyes. As a result of the light hazard, the employee may experience recurring migraines. An engineering control would be to modify the employee’s workstation lighting so that the employee is able to perform the necessary functions of their job comfortably.

When engineering controls cannot be implemented, it may be more appropriate to use administrative controls that establish efficient processes and procedures. An example of this would be requiring two people to lift a large ream of paper to refill a copy machine. Due to the heavy weight and awkward rectangular size of the ream of paper allowing only one employee to lift it has the potential to cause harm to the employee’s back.

In regards to the next control, personal protective equipment (PPE), it is unlikely that I would utilize this method to control ergonomic hazards in my office. This is due to the fact that PPE has limited effectiveness in controlling ergonomic hazards.

In reality the ergonomic issues are being addressed through my department’s Health and Safety Unit (H&S). H&S provides employees with a preventative ergonomic evaluation upon request. The process is quite long and often tedious. It consists of the following steps:

1.    The employee must first complete an Ergonomic Employee Evaluation form (Form) and submit it to their supervisor for review.  

2.   The supervisor then forwards an electronic copy of the Form to H&S for review.

3.   H&S then performs an ergonomic evaluation based upon what is requested on the Form.

4.   When the evaluation is complete, H&S will forward an electronic copy of the Form with evaluator recommendations included, to the employee and a copy to the supervisor.

5.   Next, the employee and supervisor discuss the evaluator’s recommendations.

6.   If they agree on the recommendations, the supervisor and employee next must sign the Form and forward an electronic copy to H&S. 

7.   The division is then responsible for approving and purchasing any of the recommended equipment, as funding allows. 

2) What might be the barriers to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace?

A barrier to workers exercising their rights to a healthy and safe workplace can include a lack of knowledge regarding what their rights are. Additionally, employees may not be trained properly to understand the health and safety issues associated with exposures to potentially harmful chemicals in their workplace. Also, another barrier could be that employees are afraid to report any health or safety issues for fear of retaliation from their employer that can including termination. The fear of not having an income, and being unable to pay their bills is often enough to prevent works from reporting health and safety violations at their workplace.

Resources:

·    United States Department of Labor. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Ergonomics. Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/