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Chapter4: Control Measure in Ergonomic

Learning objective:
 discuss the control measure
 cite the different forms in control measure
 assess the student at the end of the class

REVIEWING CONTROL MEASURES

Control measures that have been implemented must be reviewed and, if
necessary, revised to make sure they work as planned and to maintain a work
environment that is without risks to health and safety.
Regulation 38: A person conducting a business or undertaking must review and
as necessary revise risk control measures:
 when the control measure does not minimise the risk so far as is reasonably
practicable
 before a change at the workplace that is likely to give rise to a new or
different health and safety risk that the control measure may not effectively
control
 if a new hazard or risk is identified
 if the results of consultation indicate that a review is necessary
 if a health and safety representative requests a review.
Control measures may be reviewed using the same methods as the initial hazard
identification step. Consult your workers involved in the manual task and their
health and safety representatives and consider the following:
 Are the control measures working effectively in both their design and
operation, without creating new risks?
 Are workers actively involved in the risk management process? Are they
openly raising health and safety concerns and reporting problems promptly?
 Have new work methods or new equipment reduced physical strain or
difficulty?
 Has instruction and training on hazardous manual tasks and the
implemented control measures been successful?
 Is the frequency and severity of MSDs reducing over time?
 Is an alteration planned to any structure, plant or process that is likely to
result in a worker being exposed to a hazardous manual task?
 Has an incident occurred as a result of a worker being exposed to a
hazardous manual task?
 If new information becomes available, does it indicate current controls
may no longer be the most effective?
If problems are found, go back through the risk management steps, review your
information and make further decisions about risk control.
Role of designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers
The best time to eliminate or minimize the risk of MSDs is in the design and
planning stage – when hazards and risks can be ‘designed out’ before they are
introduced into a workplace.

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Designers, manufacturers, importers and suppliers of plant and structures have
duties under the WHS Act to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that
these products are without risks to health and safety when used for a purpose for
which they were designed or manufactured.

Designers
Regulation: Designers of plant or structures used for work must:

 ensure the plant or structure is designed to eliminate the need to carry out
a hazardous manual task in connection with the plant or structure
 where this is not reasonably practicable, minimise the need to carry out a
hazardous manual task in connection with the plant or structure so far as is
reasonably practicable
 give each person who is provided with the design for the purpose of giving
effect to it adequate information about the features of the plant or structure
that eliminate or minimise the need for any hazardous manual task to be
carried out.
Ergonomic principles should be applied in the design stage. This means that a
manual task should be designed to fit the people doing the task, not the reverse.
Ergonomics involves consideration of the variability in human capability and an
understanding of how people interact with the work environment, tools and
equipment.
If you provide your design to another person (for example, a manufacturer) then
you must provide certain information, including:
 the purpose for which the plant or structure was designed
 how you have dealt with hazards that may impact on manual tasks in your
design, and whether there are any residual risks
 how to handle the product safely, including during its transportation,
installation, operation, maintenance and disposal.
Quality assurance processes can be used to check that the product effectively
minimizes the risk of MSDs. When modifying a design, take into account
feedback from purchasers and users of your product.

Design of workplaces
Designers of buildings used as workplaces should consider the manual tasks
that may be performed throughout the lifecycle of the building, from construction
through to use, maintenance, refurbishment and potential demolition. For
example, design:
 building materials that are strong yet light-weight
 large structural components with suitable lifting points to enable lifting by
crane
 spaces large enough to accommodate or incorporate mechanical devices
 minimal distances for pushing, pulling, lifting or carrying loads
 materials handling devices into the building, such as lifts and chutes
 floor surfaces to enable wheeled equipment to be pushed or pulled easily.

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Some types of workplaces, such as hospitals, nursing homes, warehouses and
distribution centres that carry out a high level of manual tasks will have particular
design requirements to eliminate or minimize the risk of MSDs.

Design of plant
The safe design of plant can play a critical role in reducing the risk of MSD for
workers. When designing plant, consider all phases of its life, including
manufacture, cleaning and servicing.
If practicable, trial a prototype in a range of operating conditions and think about
how the plant will be used. Change any aspects of the design that increase the
risk of injury, for example:
 eliminate or reduce the number of repetitive actions, postures and
movements required to operate the plant
 design handles on tools and controls to allow normal wrist postures
 reduce the forces required to operate the plant
 provide instructions, signs or symbols to help people use the plant
properly
 take into account the range of physical characteristics of those who use
the plant, such as size and strength
 ensure that the plant operates at a speed or rate that would suit most
users
 ensure that regular maintenance points are easily accessible.
Appendix E lists some examples of design-related MSD risks for plant, and
shows how to control the risks through safe design.

Manufacturers, importers and suppliers

Regulation 61: Manufacturers of plant or structures must:

 ensure the plant or structure is manufactured designed to eliminate the

need to carry out a hazardous manual task in connection with the plant or
structure
 where this is not reasonably practicable, minimise the need to carry out a
hazardous manual task in connection with the plant or structure so far as is
reasonably practicable
 give each person to whom the manufacturer provides the plant or
structure adequate information about the features of the plant or structure
that eliminate or minimise the need for any hazardous manual task to be
carried out.
Importers and suppliers must take all reasonable steps to obtain that information
the designer or manufacture is required to give and provide it to any person to
whom the plant or structure is supplied.
Manufacturers, importers and suppliers should consider the way their products
are packaged and delivered to workplaces to eliminate or minimize the risk of
MSDs, for example:
 provide lifting aids or lifting points so mechanical aids can be used
 provide two handles or handholds to prevent one-handed lifting,
particularly where the load is heavy or needs to be moved frequently
 repackage the load into a different weight, size or shape:
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o Large and bulky loads are difficult to handle, promote awkward
postures, increased muscular exertion and are difficult to hold close to the
body
o Heavy loads generally require greater force to handle.
o Loads that are unwieldy, unstable or move unpredictably increase risk
by creating sudden high forces
 label loads to indicate any MSD risks, and where appropriate, any
necessary precautions when handling the load
 deliver goods in sturdy boxes or containers with handles or handholds.
Handholds on cardboard boxes should be reinforced so that it does not rip
when the box is picked up.
Packaged items should be arranged so the package is well balanced and the
contents will not shift unexpectedly while being handled, for example:
 use slings or other aids to maintain effective control when handling loads
that lack rigidity
 fill containers holding liquids or free-moving powder so that there is only a
small amount of free space at the top of individual containers
 use baffles, dividers or packing materials to keep the contents stable in
partly-filled packages
 secure loads that may move during handling, for example animals in
slings, fertiliser bags inside sturdy boxes
 shrink wrapping loads on pallets.

Providing information
Manufacturers, importers and suppliers must also give purchasers and users the
information they need to use the product safely, including during its
transportation, operation and maintenance.
This information may be provided in user manuals, brochures or on the product
itself (for example, labeling cartons). The information should be accurate, clear
and easy to understand.
Loads should be labeled to indicate any MSD risks, and where appropriate, any
necessary precautions when handling the load. This information should indicate:
 the heaviest side of an off-centred load, for example, with an arrow drawn
on the packing carton
 the weight of the load
 whether the load is fragile
 the stability of the load, for example a label saying that the contents of a
package may move while being transported or handled
 any specific handling or unpacking instructions.
Information provided by the designer to the manufacturer should be passed on to
the supplier and then to the purchaser. Importers should obtain the information
from their suppliers.
If you are an importer or a supplier and you cannot get this information from the
designer or manufacturer, you should obtain information from other sources or
develop it yourself.

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APPENDIX A – THE RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS FOR MANUAL TASKS

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APPENDIX B – HAZARDOUS MANUAL TASK IDENTIFICATION WORKSHEET

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APPENDIX C – DISCOMFORT SURVEY

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APPENDIX D – RISK ASSESSMENT WORKSHEET

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Appendix e – Controlling MSD risks through design

Type of MSD risk Possible design solution

plant

Road-making Repetitive or sustained twisting of the Design a swivel seat-mount together

machinery neck and body while reversing. This is with two sets of controls, or controls
caused by the seat being fixed in a that move with seat rotation.
forward-facing position.

Forklifts Sustained exposure to whole-body Install damping mechanisms in the seat,

vibration transferred through the seat. cabin and vehicle suspension.

Repetitive or sustained bending of the Install visual aids such as mirrors or a

neck and back to see the work video camera and screen.
properly (for example, continually
looking up to place loads on high
shelves).

Wrapping Strain on the lower back when Design the spindle to be adjustable. This
machines on handling heavy rolls of plastic allows the rolls to be loaded at a
process lines wrapping in awkward and twisted suitable height and orientation, and
postures, often above shoulder eliminates the need to lift them.
height. This is caused by inappropriate
design and positioning of the roll Design equipment to help worker load
spindle and by restricted access. rolls.

Locate the spindle in an accessible place

on the plant.

Provide information about how to install

the plant in a way that allows adequate
access.

Power drills Prolonged use of the forearm muscles Design drills to be as light as possible.
and wrist caused by a heavy or poorly
balanced drill. Design drills with the handle under the
drill’s centre of gravity.
Exposure to vibration or impact shock
Design plant to reduce shock and
recoil from hammer drills.
vibration.
Excessive force needed to grip and
control the tool to counter the effect Provide a suitable way of holding the
of vibration and impact shocks. tool with both hands.

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Type of MSD risk Possible design solution
plant
Pliers Pressure to the palm of the hand Design pliers with handles that extend
caused by handles that are too short. beyond the palm.

Prolonged use of the forearm muscles Design pliers with bent handles so that
and compression of the wrist caused the user can maintain a straight wrist.
by using pliers with straight handles.

Crimping, Excessive force with outstretched Design handles with a grip span of 10 cm
clamping fingers required to grip handles that or less.
and cutting are too wide apart.
tools

Chainsaws Excessive vibration. Design to reduce vibration.

High force required to handle the Design the chainsaw to be as light as

chainsaw. possible, and provide well-placed
handles.

Chairs Poorly designed chairs that cannot be Follow existing design guidelines for
adjusted provide little back support chairs, and consider how the chair will
and cause workers to adopt poor be used in the workplace.
postures and movements.

Work- Workstations that cannot be adjusted Design workstations to be adjustable.

benches, result in unnecessary reaching,
workstations bending and exertion of force. Alternatively, dimensions should suit as
many workers as possible.
and other
work
surfaces

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2016L00406/Html/Text#_Toc310235022

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