Expert Ergonomic Assessments: The Key to a Productive and Safe Workplace

Ergonomics is the design and arrangement of objects and systems to facilitate efficient and safe interaction between individuals and their environment, including layout of workstations, tools, equipment, and the development of processes to optimize human performance and well-being.

Conducting workplace ergonomic assessments is crucial to ensuring employee comfort, safety, and productivity. Identifying and addressing hazards with ergonomic evaluation practices can mitigate the risk of musculoskeletal injuries and improve overall employee performance. 

Our Capabilities

Ergonomic Material Handling & Presentation Consulting

Creating an ergonomic work environment with efficient material handling and presentation reduces the risk of workplace injuries and boosts employee efficiency. Equipping the workplace with appropriate ergonomic tools and material handling equipment is crucial to achieving a safer work environment.

Efficient lineside material presentation is essential for both safe ergonomic handling of materials and optimal lean practices. Properly placing materials in a way that allows for quick and safe retrieval promotes a productive work environment.

Industrial Ergonomics Consulting

PMC's industrial ergonomic consulting services assess operation safety, preventing injuries through experienced industrial engineers. We conduct ergonomic injury assessments for manufacturing ergonomics, which identifies hazards and recommends improvements for worker safety. Our services enhance employee engagement, improve work quality, increase productivity, and reduce costs related to worker turnover. 

Ergonomic Injury Assessment

PMC's team employs various ergonomic injury assessment tools that analyze the risk of injury, the affected body part, and provide solutions. These tools, such as the Lower Back Analysis, Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), NIOSH Lifting Equation, and Ovako Working Posture Analysis System (OWAS), consider factors like posture, load, force, anthropometrics, recommended weight limits, distance, grasp, time, and more. Based on the analysis, a value is generated that helps determine if changes are necessary for a particular work condition.

Our team can use ergonomic simulation to assess injury risk in any work environment. By creating a virtual environment that simulates real work conditions, we can evaluate potential hazards without putting any actual workers at risk. This allows us to use ergonomic injury assessment tools to evaluate the simulated environment and recommend improvements as needed.

Regional Anthropometrics

Anthropometrics refers to the study of human body measurements and proportions, which is essential in designing ergonomic work environments. By understanding the average human size and other physical measurements, adequate protection and comfort can be ensured for all workers, regardless of their height, weight, body circumference, strength, or other physical attributes. This is important because what works for one person may not work for another, and designing for the average person can lead to better overall safety and comfort for all workers. PMC's expertise in anthropometrics allows us to account for variations in measurements across different regions and provide accurate and high-quality data.

Ergonomics Simulation

PMC employs ergonomics simulation to provide ergonomic assessment services across various industries. Establishing ergonomic work environments involves efficient material handling, promoting safety and productivity. Industrial ergonomic consulting in manufacturing enhances safety, engagement, and operational efficiency through assessments and tailored solutions. Our 40+ years of simulation modeling experience has honed our use of advanced ergonomic simulation technology, ensuring we deliver the most comprehensive and user-friendly ergonomic solutions.

Market Areas

Ergonomic assessment services can be applied to a variety of industries, including:

Aerospace and Defense
Architecture
Engineering
Construction
Agriculture machinery
Manufacturing
Education
Emergency services and management
Energy, oil & gas, renewables
Entertainment, leisure, and hospitality
Food service
Government, Public Sector, Utilities
Healthcare
Marine and shipbuilding
Office and administrative
Pharmaceuticals
Technology, telecommunications, and IT
Transportation, packaging, and logistics
Warehousing and distribution

Ergonomic Assessment Applications

  • Ergonomic training for employees: Train employees on posture, body mechanics, and workstation setup to minimize stress and reduce injury risk.
  • Equipment and furniture modifications: Modifying workstations, tools, and equipment for ergonomic design, such as adjustable surfaces or chairs, tool handle modifications, and wrist supports.
  • Workflow redesign: Evaluating and improving work processes and procedures to enhance ergonomics, such as reorganizing workstations, revising procedures, or implementing rotations.
  • Addressing force and repetition in the workplace: Reduce injury risk by minimizing force and repetition through techniques such as power tools, automation, and work redesign.
  • Office ergonomics: Ergonomic adjustments to workstations, chairs, and equipment to reduce body strain, including proper positioning of computer monitors, keyboards, mice, and telephones.
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): PPE may be needed to reduce injury risk, such as gloves or back supports.
  • Break and rest schedule: Scheduled breaks and rest periods can reduce injury risk by providing employees with opportunities to move, stretch, and rest their bodies and eyes.
  • Job rotation: Job rotation redistributes workload and reduces manufacturing ergonomics and general ergonomic hazards by rotating employees through different tasks or positions to reduce repetitive motions and prolonged static postures.
  • Administrative controls: Admin controls change the way work is performed to reduce ergonomic hazards. This includes altering work schedules, increasing supervision, or allowing more breaks.
  • Manufacturing ergonomics: With manufacturing ergonomics, workstations, tools, and processes are evaluated to improve safety, reduce musculoskeletal risks, and enhance operational efficiency 

PMC Ergonomic Assessment Process

What is the Ergonomic Assessment Process?

Assessments involve on-site ergonomic evaluations, observations, and employee interviews to identify musculoskeletal injury risks. Data is analyzed to develop solutions and minimize injury risk in the workplace. 

How is an ergonomic risk assessment conducted?

  • On-site evaluation: Engineers visit the workplace, observe workstations, equipment, and tools, and identify potential hazards.
  • Data collection: Ergonomic assessments may involve data collection through surveys, interviews, or biomechanical assessments to gather information on work habits and postures.
  • Analysis of data: Experts analyze collected data to identify potential hazards, such as repetitive motions or awkward postures.
  • Recommendations: We recommend solutions to address identified hazards and improve workplace ergonomics, such as equipment modifications, changes to work processes, or ergonomic training programs for employees.

How is ergonomic risk assessment data analyzed?

  • Job hazard analysis (JHA): Breaks down a job into its individual tasks and identifies the hazards associated with each task.
  • Workspace analysis: Evaluates the layout and design of the work area, including equipment and tools, work surface height, and accessibility of controls and displays.
  • Biomechanical assessment: Evaluates body mechanics of employees as they perform their tasks, including posture, joint movement, and muscle activity to identify areas of excessive stress or fatigue.
  • Repetitive motion analysis: Analyzes work that requires performing the same movements repeatedly to identify the risk of injury due to frequency and duration of the same motions.