An Interview with Jane Sleeth
Sept 2006

Question:  Are there Ergonomic Guidelines and if so why do so few people use them including the Board when they make decisions about Causality?

Jane: The Ministry of Labour for Ontario has in place ergonomic guidelines based on the literature which is becoming more consensus based as each year rolls by and these are applied by consulting firms such as ours (there are a handful of other good firms in Ontario and B.C. who also use guidelines.  The remainder tend to be rehabilitation companies with no formal training in ergonomics that tend to use a softer, non-evidence approach which may sound like this "the employee said they have a sore back so we think they need a new chair"). 

OPC Inc took the Guidelines and spent over 2 years and invested over $15,000 working with a Masters student from the U of Windsor validating each and every guideline in the literature.  Once this was completed we then conducted three separate reliability studies, one of which has been published.  Another reliability studies took place in a large manufacturing organization and involved 5 OPC ergonomists and 5 "lay people". 

The second study was a joint project between the WCB in BC, Coast Mountain Bus Co. and OPC Inc. B.C. office.  This reliability study and its results can be accessed at the www.worksafe.ca website for the WCB. 

The third reliability study was conducted at a large law office in 2005 and is unpublished due to confidentiality and business competition reasons (in other words the ergonomic process has resulted in measurable improvements in decreasing MSI injuries; absence from work and efficiencies!).

The Validation Study now completed is accessible to our client members at www.worksafebc.ca. Once you there, type in ergonomics and click on "Regulations and Guidelines for Ergonomics".  THis study along with the three Reliability Studies allowed OPC Inc to develop a system which is copyright protected and is called the "7 Ergonomic Hazard ID System".  The 7 Hazards which we have shown can be measured and compared to validated guidelines are: Posture; Force: Repetition; Static Muscle work; Mechanical; Environment including vibration, light, air, noise, and behavioural.  This is now available for purchase at this webiste.  You can sign up as a member of this site to download forms applicable to your needs.  

This percentage system is one which OPC adapted from NIOSH in the US and modified after conducting the Reliability Studies.  The work day is broken into percentages including 0%, 1-5%, 6-33%, 34-66% and 67-100%.  Our consultants are trained extensively using the OPC Ergo Hazard ID System and this percentage system is used in our day to day practice.

Question: What's better, and what's worse, for our physical and mental health:

1. The traditional 9 to 5 work day, with overtime shifts on occasion, and being "exposed" to keyboard-type ergonomic hazards in large chunks during that time, or;

2. Today's "always on" type of work arrangement, where the employee might not work defined "overtime shifts" but is expected to answer e-mails at 10:00 p.m. from home or check the Blackberry from the grocery store?

Jane: Many variables need to be considered and measured directly in order to respond to this question. And this is a good illustration of how the use of the OPC Ergo Hazard ID System and percentage method will be helpful.  We would need to assess if and to what degree the 7 hazards exist in each scenario.  We would then determine  the percentage of exposure to the hazards.  Once we determine this we would compare our findings to the OPC and M of L guidelines to determine which of the two scenarios contains any hazards and if so to what degree.

Having said this I would comment that the second scenario does cause the employee to work overtime in an unexpected way and one in which they have less control over their environment.  More and more research is showing that it is precisely these types of stressors (either real or perceived) which result in the employee being exposed to HIGH DEMAND LOW CONTROL jobs.  These are the employees who are more apt to complain of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries as well as "stress" related illnesses!

Jane: Food for thought for those of you who are forever checking your own emails on weekends, after hours and on vacation.  Or for those of you addicted to your "crackberries".  It is simply a matter of time until you see health related - physical and mental stemming from the constant use of these technologies to stay linked to your workplace!