Course outcomes: Ergonomics in the workplace
What is ergonomics?
Ergonomic techniques
Lifting
Carrying
Climbing
Pushing and Pulling
Pivoting
Twisting
Seated, Ergonomics at the workplace
Ergonomics is a field of study that focuses on the design and arrangement of items and environments to best suit human use. The goal is to enhance efficiency, productivity, and safety while reducing discomfort and risk of injury. It’s like tailoring the workplace to fit the worker.
Here are some key aspects of ergonomics:
- Human-Centered Design: Ergonomics puts human needs and capabilities at the forefront of designing physical and digital environments. This includes everything from the layout of a workstation to the interface of a software program.
- Physical Ergonomics: This relates to human anatomical, physiological, and biomechanical characteristics as they relate to physical activity. It’s concerned with posture, workspace setup, manual handling, repetitive movements, and workstation layout.
- Cognitive Ergonomics: This involves mental processes like perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system. It can influence design to ensure tasks, functions, information, and the environment suit the user’s cognitive abilities.
- Organizational Ergonomics: This is concerned with the optimization of socio-technical systems, including their organizational structures, policies, and processes. It touches on communication, workflow, human resources, and more.
In essence, ergonomics helps create safe, comfortable, and productive workspaces by aligning the design of products, systems, and environments with the people who use them. It’s a vital aspect of any design process, contributing to health, well-being, and overall performance.
Purpose of the course:
The learners will be able to identify ergonomic techniques.
Training in Ergonomics at the workplace is important for several reasons:
- Health: Ergonomics can help prevent musculoskeletal disorders and other injuries related to poor posture, repetitive movements, and poorly designed workstations.
- Productivity: An ergonomically designed workspace can increase productivity by reducing discomfort and fatigue, allowing workers to perform their tasks more efficiently.
- Employee Satisfaction: Employees who work in a comfortable environment are likely to be more satisfied and engaged in their work.
- Cost Savings: By reducing the risk of work-related injuries, ergonomics can help companies save on medical costs, workers’ compensation, and lost productivity.
- Regulatory Compliance: Many jurisdictions have regulations requiring companies to implement ergonomic practices in the workplace. Training helps companies comply with these regulations.
In summary, Ergonomics training is a crucial part of maintaining a healthy, productive, and compliant workplace. It’s not just about making the workplace more comfortable – it’s about protecting the health of employees and improving the overall performance of the organization. It’s an essential investment in the well-being of the workforce and the success of the business.
Target group:
This course is aimed at all employees
Certificates:
Attendance certificates will be issued electronically, in PDF.
SAQA unit standard aligned :
This is a non-accredited course, it forms part of the unit standard 120325
