M10.1 Video!? Occupational Health and Safety

ERGONOMICS AT WORK

There are ergonomic issues I see at my workplace. Unsystematic and unergonomic supply and equipment settings, heavy patient lifting, and constant pushing of approximately 5ft tall, 2ft wide “workstations on wheels” or WOWs are some of them. The constant pushing of WOWs are hurting some nurses. At least three of my colleagues have developed shoulder pains and needed to be seen by a doctor and were on medical leave.  Most of the WOWs are hard to steer and maneuver, which maybe causing joint and arm pain. Using the hierarchy of controls, I might address this issue by having and providing users with wrist or joint support to prevent joint injuries from repetitive pushing and pulling of WOWs. Daily check-up of all the WOWs (by biomedical engineers or technicians) to assure wheels functions are not obstructed to cause difficult maneuvering. Malfunctioning WOWs may also be removed and replaced with efficient units. Employee health should also initiate looking at how devices we regularly use at work affect us ergonomically. In reality, this problem is not being address by administration. Although, floor staff are being told to report such issues, they are not reported. Nursing staff are just too busy to report a problematic WOW. We just use them (hard maneuvering units) to finish the shift.

The barriers to exercise our rights to a healthy and safe workplace could include the notions that ergonomical issues brought by these devices should be done by bioengineering daily. Nurses do not have the time to report each WOW for problems. In addition, nurses do not have the signs and symptoms until it is late and it is suspected that working with WOW could have caused it. In fact, administration has never questioned the possible injuries or harm this problem (hard maneuvering WOWs) is bringing to staff. There has been no investigations or studies on them.