The Top 5 Signs You Need an Ergonomics Consultant

Good workplace ergonomics can go a long way towards reducing strain on your employees’ bodies, decreasing accidents, and creating a more comfortable, more productive workplace. Many businesses, however, find themselves wondering whether or not they really need an ergonomics consultant. If you’re still on the fence about whether or not it will benefit your business, check out these five signs you need an ergonomics consultant.

Sign #1: You don’t have the experience to make the necessary changes on your own.

Improving workplace ergonomics can have substantial benefits to everyone in your business. If you have the expertise to do it internally–that is, you have a competent person with experience in ergonomics, an understanding of your unique industry, and the capability to put the budget and the process together–then you can probably complete those changes internally. The likelihood is that you don’t have this person on staff, so hiring an ergonomics consultant is your best bet for achieving those goals.

Sign #2: You don’t have a method for identifying ergonomic risk factors in your workplace.

In fact, you might not even have a working definition for “ergonomic risk factors.” Everything from high task repetition to sustained awkward postures can create serious risks for employees across your organization. If you don’t have any idea what those issues might be in your company, an ergonomics consultant is the perfect individual to complete a risk analysis and help you protect your employees.

Sign #3: You’ve had a high volume of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders over the past six months to a year.

It seems like people around your building are dropping like flies. Everyone in the building is wearing a brace for something: back and knee strains, carpal tunnel syndrome, degenerative disc disease or a host of other ailments. If this has become an increasingly common problem over the past several weeks or months, it’s past time to talk to an ergonomics consultant to reduce the number of injuries and disorders occurring throughout your workplace. In many cases, the numbers of those injuries can be significantly reduced through a few simple changes that you simply don’t have the tools to identify.

Sign #4: Many of your employees are showing signs of chronic stress.

Both emotional and physical stress impact an employee’s ability to perform their best. Signs include difficulty sleeping, short temper, exhaustion, and neck or back pain that doesn’t seem to respond to treatment. If you’re watching the symptoms of stress increase throughout your workplace, hiring an ergonomics consultant is one of the first lines of defense for decreasing stress levels and providing employees with the tools they need to be more physically comfortable throughout the work day. It’s much less stressful to work when you are physically comfortable not experiencing chronic pain!

Sign #5: You want to create a healthier, fitter workplace.

Employees who are healthy and feel their best at work miss fewer days of work and are more productive. Employees who are less healthy and don’t feel their best are distracted when they don’t feel well. General sluggishness, or even the coughing, sneezing, and discomfort associated with illness keep employees from producing their best work. An ergonomics consultant can help guide you down the path to creating a healthier, fitter workplace.

 

By setting clear goals and developing a better understanding of what an ergonomics consultant can accomplish, you can make your workplace a happier, healthier place for everyone in your business. Working with an ergonomics consultant will help you achieve those goals faster. If you’re ready to develop a relationship with an ergonomics consultant who will eliminate risk factors within your business, contact Healthworks Ergonomics today!