Information on this page is drawn from "Ergonomics Best Practices for the Construction Industry" published by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Situation
The construction environment is often labor intensive and involves the manual handling of materials. These materials can include bricks, block, lumber, bags of cement, etc. Often the items are bulky, and employees must carry them over rough terrain. Not only are slips and falls prevalent, but manual materials handling can place large forces on the spine and is associated with back and shoulder injuries.
Best Practice- Material Handling Aids
The forces on the spine and, hence, the risk of injury can be greatly reduced by mechanizing the manual material handling tasks. Machinery is commercially available that can aid in material handling in the construction environment. Rough terrain forklifts can move pallets of material from trucks to the area where the items are needed. Some have the capability to reach material up several stories. This type of machinery can also reduce slip and fall injuries by reducing or eliminating carrying distances, and carrying over rough or slippery terrain.
Results
After an average follow-up period of 231 days, seven construction companies that received lift assists, aids and/or transport devices, achieved the following results:
- The cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) incident rate (incidents per 200,000 hours) changed from 2.1 to 0 — a 100-percent improvement;
- The ROI for material handling aids is 2.4 years;
- The days lost due to CTDs decreased from 329 days per 200,000 hours worked to 0 - a 100-percent improvement;
- The restricted days due to CTDs improved from 32.7 days per 200,000 hours worked to 0 — a 100-percent improvement;
- The turnover rate (per 200,000 hours worked) changed from 21.6 to 11.7 — a 46-percent improvement;
- The average risk factor score for 10 affected tasks in the four companies was 41.8 before the devices were put into place, and was 28.3 afterwards — a 32-percent improvement.
