ergo maia

Workplace ergonomics is a topic that employers are continuing to hear a lot about, not least because maintaining an ergonomic workplace drastically reduces the risk of employees developing musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This particular type of injury has become the most common in the occupational setting and, according to OSHA, accounts for 600,000 injuries every year. MSDs are also the root cause of 34 percent of all lost workdays, and one in every three dollars spent on workers’ compensation.

To be effective and accurate in matching the abilities of current or potential employees to jobs, Physical Abilities Testing (PAT) must produce consistent results. Consistency is essential for making objective and reliable employment decisions, maximizing the benefits of testing, and ensuring a legally defensible PAT program.

Slips, trips, and falls rank among the leading causes of injury, accounting for more than 8.7 million injuries per year according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. According to BLS figures, slips, trips, and falls are a major concern in the workplace, accounting for nearly a quarter of all on-the-job injuries. The direct costs of these workplace injuries, according to a report published by Liberty Mutual, were more than $16 billion in 2014. These figures clearly establish slips, trips, and falls as an important focus area in employers’ efforts towards preventing workplace injuries.

As any employer knows, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) creates an obligation for covered employers to provide eligible employees with disabilities reasonable accommodations to enable them to perform the essential functions of their jobs. The difficulty with this obligation for many employers lies in understanding exactly what their responsibilities are in terms of accommodation.

Does the term “reasonable accommodation” give you pause? If so, you aren’t alone. Many employers, uncertain of their obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), hesitate to use pre-hire testing, forgoing its benefits in reducing bad hires and workplace injuries in an effort to reduce risk of becoming entangled in the accommodation process. After all, “reasonable” means different things to different people, and getting it wrong in terms of what it means to the EEOC can cause a lot of trouble for your company.

Are you using pedometers as part of your workplace wellness program? If not, you probably should be. When used properly, these simple little devices have been shown to be associated with significant improvements in the health of workers. According to research published by JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), the use of a pedometer is associated with significant increases in physical activity and improvements in important health markers – factors that can certainly make a difference as you work towards the goal of creating a safe, healthy workplace.

If you, like most employers, put a great deal of time and effort into workplace safety to protect your workers, knowing where the most common risks lie is important. A quick review of 10 OSHA standards for which employers are most frequently cited will give you an idea of hazards that merit special attention in the workplace.

Controlling workers’ compensation costs is an ongoing challenge for businesses today, and trucking companies are no exception. Protecting your trucking fleet against workers’ comp fraud is an important part of that effort.