What Do Ergonomics Have to Do with Work Injuries?

What are ergonomics, and what do they have to do with workplace injuries? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ergonomics is a term that is used to describe “the design of work tasks to best suit the capabilities of workers.” In effect, ergonomics is a practice of preventing and reducing workplace injuries based on the working population and taking into account a range of factors. Regardless of whether ergonomic injuries are being used in your workplace, you may be eligible to obtain workers’ compensation benefits if you were injured on the job. Our Maryland workers’ compensation attorneys can explain in more detail.

Defining the Term Ergonomics and Its Role in the Maryland Workplace

Ergonomics, and ergonomic principles, take into account the demographics of the working population in order to reduce or altogether prevent certain types of workplace injuries, in particular work-related musculoskeletal disorders (or WMSDs for short). Applying ergonomic principles to a workplace means considering demographic factors of workers, according to the CDC, including but not limited to:

• Physical tasks completed by the workers, like lifting or pushing or pulling;
• Personal factors of workers, such as workers’ age, sex, and body mass index (BMI); and
• Psychosocial factors, meaning workers’ mental well-being in the workplace as a result of sociocultural elements.

Ergonomics then means taking those factors into account and altering the work environment accordingly to reduce or prevent WMSDs. Alterations to the work environment may involve new types of equipment, different forms of lighting, and use of new or specific tools.

What Are WMSDs?

What are the types of work-related musculoskeletal disorders that can occur in workplaces, and which may be reduced through ergonomics?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, musculoskeletal disorders include any type of injury or pain that affects a person’s bones, joints, ligaments, skeletal muscles, or tendons. As such, WMSDs can vary widely to include sprains and strains, fractures, tears, and significant bruises or contusions.

In order for a WMSD to be compensable through the Maryland workers’ compensation system, the injured worker must show that the injury arose out of and occurred in the course of employment. An injured worker can obtain compensation regardless of whether ergonomics were employed in the workplace given that workers’ compensation is a no-fault system.

Contact a Maryland Workers’ Compensation Attorney for Assistance Seeking Compensation for Your Musculoskeletal Injury or Disorder

If you sustained a musculoskeletal injury at work, or if you were recently diagnosed with a musculoskeletal disorder as a result of work-related tasks you have been required to complete, you could be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits in Maryland. Ergonomics and ergonomic principles are supposed to protect workers from these types of injuries. In many workplaces, ergonomic principles are not in place, and workers sustain injuries that can be compensable. Even when ergonomics are at work in a particular job or workplace, a musculoskeletal injury or disorder can still be compensable through the workers’ compensation system in most cases. One of the experienced Maryland workers’ compensation lawyers at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC can discuss the details of your work injury or disorder with you today, and we can begin working with you on your claim for compensation.

Sources:

osha.gov/ergonomics

cdc.gov/niosh/ergonomics/about/index.html