Warehouse employees are subjected to a great deal of repetitive stresses on the body and as a result, musculoskeletal disorders are their most common forms of injuries. One way to significantly decrease the number of musculoskeletal injuries sustained while on the job is to make their work stations more ergonomically sound.
Ergonomics is the science behind why things are designed the way that they are. Handheld tools, for example, may have ergonomic handles on them that decrease or disperse the force that is applied to the hand. Also, workstations can be designed in a way to maximize productivity while reducing employee fatigue and risk of sustaining an injury.
When you think of making a warehouse work station more ergonomically sound, you may be thinking about a complete overhaul that could end up costing thousands of dollars, but it doesn’t have to be so complicated. It can be as simple as swapping out old razorblades that have been used to cut open boxes with new ones that have ergonomic handles, or providing height-adjustable picking equipment so loads can be maintained at a height that minimizes bending at the waist and allows employees to keep the load close to their bodies.
You could pay thousands of dollars to treat the injuries that result from ergonomically poor workstations, or you could pay significantly less to upgrade those workstations to a more ergonomically correct state. The end result concerning productivity will be the same, but the bottom line will not. The choice is yours.