How Do We Do An Ergonomic Job Analysis?

Our consulting projects are headed by one of three Ph.D. ergonomists:

Charles Anderson, Ph.D., CPE     President
Joseph L. Selan, Ph.D., CPE.     Senior Vice President
Terry Morris, Ph.D., CPE     Vice President

Our experience in industrial and office settings is extensive. It includes: warehousing, mining, electronics, semiconductor wafer manufacturing, meat packing, apparel, beverage bottling and distribution, airline reservations, call centers, offices, electrical component assembly, steel processing, aluminum processing, fabrication, tool and die operations, construction, and many others.

Ergonomic job analysis defines the physical and cognitive requirements associated with a job or task, and represents the first step in the ergonomic process. The AEI ergonomist will identify and, where feasible, quantify the following:

1. Physical requirements of the job or task, including repetition requirements, force requirements, postural demands, and environmental conditions.
2. Cognitive requirements of the job or task, including information processing requirements, adherence to population sterotypes, selection of proper modalities of information presented, etc.
3. Social environment in which the job or task is performed, including workers' perceived control over their work, worker - supervisor and worker - worker relationships, and other stress-related issues.

The data gathered will be evaluated to the most appropriate ergonomic guidelines identified by the ergonomists. Based on this, ergonomic issues can be prioritized in terms of injury and productivity parameters.

Once the ergonomic issues have been identified, the ergonomists will develop appropriate control strategies to address the issues. Control strategies can include engineering controls, administrative controls, and defining the training issues associated with optimal performance of the job or task. For any control strategy proposed, the ergonomist will attempt to define a specific product(s) to accomplish the task, and will define the costs and anticipated payback associated with the controls.

The ergonomic issues and associated control strategies are presented to the client in an Action Plan. Based on sign-off on the Action Plan, implementation of control strategies will be assigned to appropriate personnel, and milestone dates will be established. The AEI ergonomist is available as a technical resource throughout the implementation phase, and will evaluate the implemented control to document its effectiveness for the client.

How Do You Establish An Ergonomics Program?

Our ergonomists have worked with many companies to help establish an ergonomic committee and team to be responsible for a company's ergonomic program. Our ergonomists work as a resource and develop a specific plan for an ergonomic team to address ergonomic issues at their company. Our process includes an on-site visit by our ergonomist to understand the ergonomic issues associated with our client.

A customized training program is then put together for the client. The program includes training top executives about the need and benefits associated in having an ergonomic plan in place. We train key managers and supervisors in how to implement an ergonomic program. Engineers, safety personnel and employees are also trained in the program. Our intent is that our client will have a stand-alone program after our training programs are finished. We can act as a resource for additional ergonomic issues, but we hope that our training has been sufficient and that the client doesn't need us anymore.

How Much Does It Cost?