How to incorporate ergonomics in a
safety management system

Two key elements for proactively incorporating ergonomics principles within an occupational health and safety program are leadership and worker participation.

These two elements are very important for a successful safety management system since it establishes the nature of organizational involvement and fosters a culture of engagement and learning. The ISO 45001 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems standard highlights essential elements such as “developing, leading and promoting a culture in the organization that supports the intended outcomes of the OH&S management system".

Leadership

Leadership’s commitment to health and safety builds an environment of trust and open engagement. It sets the stage for establishing, promoting, and maintaining an occupational health and safety management system. It also supports the provision of appropriate financial, human, and organizational resources for proactively managing operational needs and encourages the setting of realistic and measurable objectives. In addition, it results in clearly defined roles and responsibilities for organizational success and conducting periodic reviews for continual improvement.

Worker participation and consultation

It’s essential to involve those that do the work when incorporating ergonomics into your health and safety program. Important aspects include creatively engaging workers by asking questions such as how they perform their work, what kinds of risks they may already know about, and if they have any ideas on how to control the risks.

‘Consultation’ is built into the ergonomics (MSI) requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation 4.53. This section of the regulation includes seeking information and participation from the joint health and safety committee or worker representative. The Regulation also requires consulting with both a representative sample of workers that do the work and workers who may be experiencing signs and symptoms of MSI from specific tasks or activities.

Read more

• The value of ergonomics in an occupational safety management system
• How to incorporate ergonomics in a safety management system
• Managing risk within your safety management system
• Monitor your prevention efforts
• Upcoming events

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For resources, please visit worksafebc.com/ergonomics. If you have questions about ergonomics or human factors, or need help managing the risk of MSI in your workplace, please contact us at HumanFactors@worksafebc.com