Ergonomics in the workplace is the science of designing and arranging the workplace to fit the capabilities and limitations of the human body. This practice aims to optimize comfort, productivity, and overall well-being of employees. When considering ergonomics concerns, some of the key features to highlight include desk setup; keyboard and mouse; footrest; lighting; and breaks and movement.
In this blog, we will explore how Sodales for Enterprise Health, Safety and Employee Relations can help organizations address ergonomic concerns in the workplace to help reduce workplace injuries, and improve overall employee well-being.
Common workplace ergonomic issues and their causes
Ergonomic injuries can impact workers in any industry, whether they are working onsite in any capacity, or remotely in a work from home capacity; though, employees in the healthcare sector, retail trade, manufacturing and construction are often the industries that feel the most ergonomic impact. If 50% of an employees work time consisted of repetitive motions, they are at high risk for developing an ergonomic injury according to the European Agency for Health and Safety at Work. Over exertion; using chairs without proper lumbar support; improper lighting at workstations; long working hours with no breaks; awkward or static posture; lack of training to educate employees about workplace adjustments, are a few of the many common ergonomic concerns that organizations may not be aware of or cannot manage to the fullest capacity.
Ergonomic concerns may sound like a more recent phenomenon following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, though it has been an issue for decades. But we must note that the pandemic has significantly impacted workplaces and how ergonomic considerations are addressed. Many employees have transitioned to remote work and ensuring ergonomic home office setups became a crucial concern to prevent discomfort and other issues. Employers needed to get creative when trying to find ways to address and prevent ergonomic issues, so providing ergonomic chairs, adjustable desks, and other adjustable accessories, were a few of many solutions that became fundamental to organizations worldwide. Those who continued to work on-site have adapted to new safety protocols and practices to ensure that these employees’ health and safety concerns were addressed. Offices were reconfigured to adhere to physical distancing guidelines, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) was implemented, and more. Clear communication and training on these issues and what protocols to follow in order to prevent them has become a vital step to ensure that employees understood how to maintain both their health and ergonomic well-being.
How can Sodales help your organization address and prevent ergonomic concerns?
With the Sodales ergonomic functionality, employees can report these issues for employers to track and identify how to prevent these issues for the future. Sodales is helping organizations steer away from traditional manual processes, and is encouraging digital transformation. The solution is designed to create a positive work environment, boost employee retention, and ensure workplace safety – all in one convenient place. With Sodales, your organization can tap into industry best practices to efficiently manage ergonomic concerns, allowing employees to effectively report poor ergonomic conditions, access policies and procedures, report incidents, and more.
Sodales’ case management software is a powerful and efficient way to organize and manage a wide range of requests, questions, and concerns, submitted by or on behalf of employees. Unlike other case management software, Sodales is equipped to handle not only complaints, grievances, leave requests, incidents or near misses, but with our ergonomics functionality, organizations can also manage ergonomic concerns. Sodales’ case management module improves operational efficiency by providing streamlined process flows and pre-built content. If an employee wants to report an instance of poor ergonomics, they have the ability to identify what the ergonomic issue is, put in a request for an ergonomic assessment, and more. With this functionality, organizations can implement a system that identifies what the root cause is, and assess what the probable solution can be.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) notes that comprehensive injury reporting is important to the success of an ergonomic process. Early reporting, diagnosis, and intervention can limit the injuries severity, improve the effectiveness of treatment, and minimize the likelihood of disability. With Sodales’ incident management module with ergonomic functionality, employees can report these issues, for their employer to understand the contributing factors as to how or why employees are having these issues and be able to implement measures to mitigate these contributing factors and prevent possible incident or injury.
With Sodales’ integrated incident management module, organizations can streamline incident and ergonomic reporting, with pre-built workflows based on these reports. With Sodales’ administration console and reporting functionality, users will have the capability to generate reports; track report analytics; and modify, change, or add, new policies and procedures themselves.
Book a demo to learn more.
Sodales’ one-platform approach for handling health, safety and employee relations requests fills unwanted gaps between departments, and prevents information or concerns from being missed. While increasing collaboration, transparency, and consistency, using these modular features, organizations can improve operational efficiency, maintain regulatory compliance, and foster a better employee experience. With Sodales, organizations can embrace and implement digital transformation to modernize and efficiently manage ergonomic concerns in the workplace, whether it be an off-site office, or on-site.
To learn more about Sodales’ modules and ergonomic functionality, click here to book your industry-specific demo today.
