Ergonomics teams provide the critical infrastructure needed to drive workplace improvements that reduce ergonomic risk factors at your worksite. Read this article to learn everything you need to know to build a successful ergonomics team.
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
– Phil Jackson
Phil Jackson would know.
He coached the Chicago Bulls team to a run of championships in the 90’s that propelled them to be one of the greatest sports dynasties of all time.
And he did it by understanding the unique attributes of each member of the team. He knew their strengths and weaknesses. And he used that knowledge and understanding to maximize each individual’s potential to positively contribute to the team’s shared goal: winning NBA championships.
It worked. The Bulls won six championships in the 90’s amidst all the drama and pressure that comes with professional sports (and having Dennis Rodman on your team).
Then he went on another streak as coach of the Lakers. The final count of NBA championships rings as a coach? 11.
“The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”
On both teams, Phil was able to make the most of the talent available to him. And that’s exactly what you can do with an ergonomics team at your worksite. Take a multi-disciplinary group of individuals and coach them up into a team that executes a championship-worthy ergonomics process.
Ergonomics is Everyone’s Responsibility
Before we get into the details about how to establish an ergonomics team at your worksite, let’s clear up any confusion: ergonomics is everyone’s responsibility! It’s important to involve as many people in the ergonomics process as possible, from the management sponsor and ergonomics process champion all the way down to every industrial athlete out on the shop floor.
The more people you involve, the better you’ll be at ergonomics.
Industrial Athletes: The workers doing the job day in and day out are the real experts. They know the job intimately and can speed up the ergonomics process with that knowledge. Involving them early and often will also ensure workers will adopt the new tools and job processes you create when workplace improvements are made.
Supervisors: Supervisors are your eyes and ears. They can keep an eye on their area of responsibility to report on any ergonomics problems and encourage industrial athletes to stay involved in the ergonomics process.
Engineering and Maintenance: It is critical to involve engineering and maintenance in your ergonomics process. They are the ones who will help you design and implement workplace improvements.
Athletic Trainer/Injury Prevention Specialist: If you have an athletic trainer on staff at your worksite working with your industrial athletes, they know your worksite inside and out. They’re an invaluable addition to the team.
Ergonomics Champion: Every ergonomics process should have a person who champions the process. This is typically the safety or HR manager, depending on the environment you work in.
Management Sponsor: The ergonomics process should have a management sponsor who regularly demonstrates and communicates the organisation’s commitment to the process.
Everyone inside the organization has a role to play in making your ergonomics process successful and should be held responsible for their role.
Establishing an Ergonomics Team
The ergonomics team itself is a small group of people with representation from each group outlined above.
- Industrial Athletes
- Supervisors
- Engineering and Maintenance
- Athletic Trainer/Injury Prevention Specialist
- Ergonomics Champion
- Management Sponsor
Teams are typically 5-15 people, depending on the size of your worksite and the type of work environment.
Establishing an ergonomics team shows management commitment to the ergonomics process, involves many throughout the organization to garner support and resources, and gives you the critical capabilities you need to execute the process itself.
Show your commitment. Establishing an ergonomics team shows your commitment to the process. You are saying that the ergonomics improvement process is worth valuable time and resources.
Involve many. Ergonomics teams should have representation from each group listed above to encourage active participation in the process and garner ongoing support.
Add capabilities. A successful ergonomics process requires a broad range of knowledge and skills. You need to be able to get the job done! Having a multi-disciplinary team ensures you have all of the capabilities you’ll need to execute the tactical elements of the process.
Ergonomics Team Responsibilities
The ergonomics team is responsible for executing the tactical elements of the ergonomics improvement process.
Assess risk. Conduct ergonomic risk assessments to identify risk factors.
Plan improvements. Prioritize, plan, and cost-justify ergonomic improvement projects.
Make improvements. Implement workplace improvements to control risk.
Measure progress. Ensure improvements controlled risk without introducing any new risk factors.
Ergonomics Team Training Plan
Your ergonomics team should be equipped with the knowledge and skills to execute the ergonomics process. Each team member should undergo training as they are added to the ergonomics team and then periodically receive continuing education to sharpen their skills.
An upcoming installment of this series of articles on How to Get Started With Ergonomic Risk Assessments is titled How to Train Your Ergonomics Team, where we’ll go into further detail on how you can empower your team with ergonomics training.
Ergonomics Team Rhythms
Your ergonomics team’s rhythms should follow a similar pattern to other teams in your organization. They should meet regularly, be held accountable for results, and celebrate success.
Meet regularly. Establish a regular meeting schedule for your team where updates are shared and clear outcomes are decided and agreed upon that should be done before the next meeting.
Be held accountable. Each team member should be held accountable for their responsibilities, just like any other team.
Celebrate success. Celebrate your ergonomics team’s wins and make them visible throughout your organization! Post ergonomics success stories in any internal communication channel available to you.
Your Free Ergonomics Planning Guide and Complete Toolkit
This article is an installment of the How to Get Started With Ergonomic Risk Assessments series, which is now available to you free of charge as part of the Ergonomics Planning Guide and Toolkit.
Your toolkit includes:
- How to Get Started With Ergonomic Risk Assessments
- How to Choose Short and Long Term Ergonomic Assessment Metrics
- How to Build Your Ergonomic Assessment Team
- How to Select Your Ergonomic Assessment Tools
- How to Train Your Ergonomic Assessment Team
- How to Leverage Technology to Get the Most Out of Your Ergonomic Assessment Data
- A free spreadsheet to help you track progress as you launch or revamp your ergonomics process
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