Field Technician’s Ergonomics: Instructor Guide Department of Occupational Safety and Health Executive Vice President’s Office Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO

Overview Purpose and overview of the course How to get the most of your presentation Job hazard analysis worksheets and examples Tool analysis worksheet and examples

Purpose and overview of the course This course consists of two half-hour modules, which may be presented separately or jointly in a safety meeting format. The first module teaches basic ergonomic tool design and use for workers whose job requires considerable use of hand tools. This includes central office personnel, field technicians, factory, and other craft workers. A second module allows you to apply these basic principles to specific tools and work tasks that your members actually use or experience. This notebook also includes job hazard analysis and tool design and use checklists for the instructor, as well as completed sample checklists and job hazard analyses for problem-solving in and outside the training environment.

More about this program…and how to use it You can move forwards and backwards in this Power Point program simply by pressing the <PageUp> or <PageDown> keys on your keyboard or simply clicking the mouse to move forward. You can look at each slide as long as you want, and go back and forth as often as you like. You’ll see tables, charts, words, and pictures on every slide. They are actual tools and real workers filmed in typical work places throughout the U.S. When you’re done with the program, press the <Esc> key and quit out of the Power Point program. This program is developed by the CWA Occupational Safety and Health Department for use by the Union’s officers, staff, and members. We also welcome the employers we represent to use it as a training tool. We’re deeply indebted to the CWA members who volunteered to participate in this program and those too numerous to mention in the credits who gave us their ideas and insights. This program is dedicated to all the field technician CWA members.

Getting the most out of your presentation Don’t try to “wing it”! There is a CD-ROM disk and a set of overhead transparencies generated from the disk that you can use in each training module. Study these carefully in advance of the training session, give a practice presentation to co-workers or family members first, if necessary, and try to develop “ownership” of the materials. Get to the training site at least fifteen minutes early to set up, hand out materials, and greet your participants. It sets a very bad impression when you show up late! Make sure any audio-visual equipment you’ll be using, as well as sample tools or props, are readily available and operating correctly before you begin your training.

Getting the most out of your presentation Have your participants briefly introduce themselves and then introduce yourself, state the purpose of the meeting and ask the participants if they can read the material from the projector before you start. Maintain eye contact when you speak. Request the group turn off all cell phones and pagers before you start your presentation to reduce distractions. When a question is asked, restate the question before you answer. This way, you can make sure you’re answering the question that is being asked. Look directly at the person who asked the question then repeat the question and answer it.

Getting the most out of your presentation Before you begin, familiarize your participants with emergency exits, rest rooms, etc. You can essentially read off the overheads, as you move through the presentation, but it vastly improves the learning experience if you can give examples that are appropriate to the group. It is best if you can jot these examples down on the materials before-hand. Encourage participation from your group by asking them for examples of the points on the CD-ROM, slides, or overheads If you’re looking for a more generic worksite analysis checklist and you have access to the web, try the Washington state checklist at: http://www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/regs/ergo2000/ergowac.htm#29-62-5172.

Ergonomic Job Hazard Analysis (EJHA) Worksheet The purpose of this worksheet is to involve workers, supervisors, union, and employer safety representatives in developing a better understanding about the presence of ergonomic risk factors and potential corrective actions in specific job tasks. In the second module, we’ll demonstrate a EJHA for a cable splicing bench tool. You can also use job hazard analysis outside the classroom environment to analyze any type of job for the presence of ergonomic risk factors. Always involve the worker in the analysis. Interview them, have them talk you through the job, review all drafts of the EJHA with them, and make certain that they feel the EJHA accurately represents what it is they do and the risks they’re exposed to.

Ergonomic Job Hazard Analysis Worksheet Developing an EJHA is an excellent educational experience for workers who do this job, because they are involved in learning about the ergonomic hazards associated with each step of their job task. It is also an excellent learning opportunity for the supervisor and the company safety representative. The EJHA form (next page) consists of three inter-related columns: Job element: this is a specific job task, like stripping wires, moving parts into position, carrying a tool box, etc. Ergonomic risk factor: this is a particular risk factor(s) associated with each job element, such as posture, repetition, force, or contact stressor. Potential causes: this is the potential cause of the risk factor. For example, if the risk factor identified is force, it’s important to identify if the cause is associated with the tool (e.g., dull blade), the material being worked on (e.g., thickness of sheath being cut), or other factors (e.g., gloves, poor hand/tool coupling, etc.). Corrective action: this is a practical way to reduce or eliminate the risk factor identified in the second column.

Job Hazard Analysis Worksheet Ergonomic

Hand tool design/selection checklist The hand tool design/selection checklist can be used both in a learning environment and by the instructor outside of the learning environment to determine what ergonomic risk factors are present in the design (not the actual use) of a specific hand tool. This design/selection checklist is developed from several key ergonomic handbooks and incorporates design criteria used by many employers and tool manufacturers. For each of the criteria listed in the checklist, there are specific recommendations for that criterion. For each of the criteria, you should measure or evaluate that particular feature of the tool and enter this information into the checklist, then compare that response with the recommended specification.

Hand Tool Design/Selection Checklist

Hand tool use checklist The hand tool use checklist is used to evaluate how the tool is actually used by a particular worker. It asks “yes” and “no” questions about muscle loading, posture, vibration, and contact stressors. If a “Yes” answer is checked, the user would provide a detailed explanation. The criteria in this checklist are also developed from several well-known ergonomic handbooks. This checklist can also be utilized inside and outside a classroom setting. The attached checklist follows together with an example of a checklist for a splicing tool.

Tool use checklist