Information on this page is drawn from "Ergonomics Best Practices for the Construction Industry" published by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Can construction companies reduce injuries in their workplaces? The answer is unequivocally, yes! Through the SafetyGRANT$ program, BWC has collected data on the effectiveness of installing ergonomic interventions in construction companies' workplaces. The following case studies demonstrate that by incorporating ergonomic best practices into the design of tasks and by using good safety management processes, you can reduce the risk of injuries, including CTDs. Ergonomic best practices worked for them, and they can work for you, too.
BWC has analyzed data on injuries from construction companies that have received SafetyGRANT$ to install ergonomic interventions like those mentioned in the best practices described on previous pages. These construction areas have reported their baseline (before ergonomic intervention) and follow-up (after ergonomic intervention) data with an average follow-up period of 291 days.
Here's what we have found to date:
• The CTD incidence rate has gone from 4.1 CTDs per 200,000 hours to 2.8 CTDs per 200,000 hours worked — a 32-percent improvement;
• The lost days due to CTDs changed from 169 per 200,000 hours worked to 30.8 per 200,000 hours worked — an 82-percent improvement;
• The average risk factor score (a relative measure of the risk of cumulative trauma disorder) for 58 tasks in the 30 areas changed from 35.9 (before the ergonomic intervention) to 22.3 (after the intervention) — a 38-percent improvement.
These best practices are just a few of the ergonomic interventions that you can incorporate into construction areas. For more information about safety in the workplace or for assistance with your operation, please contact BWC's Division of Safety and Hygiene at 1-800-OHIOBWC, and listen to the options, or visit our Web site at ohiobwc.com.
Case 1 - Equipment Makes Work Safer
Case 2 - Making Landscaping Safer
Case 3 - Safety with Scaffolding
