EMPLOYEE HEALTH BY DESIGN - USING EMPLOYEE INVOLVEMENT TEAMS IN ERGONOMIC JOB REDESIGN

An innovative, team-based, ergonomic job redesign effort in a large Mi dwest organization is described. Joint management-labor teams composed of representatives from each department of the plant were formed and trained in team-building and ergonomic principles. These teams priorit ized jobs for ergonomic redesign and developed and implemented solutio ns. Sources of data for this redesign process included: a physical sym ptom survey, OSHA logs for cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs), observa tions, videotapes, and employee interviews about their jobs, tools, an d pain experienced at work. Ergonomic changes at the plant resulted in significant reductions in the number and severity of CTDs, lost produ ction time, and restricted duty days. Recommendations based on experie nces with this ergonomic intervention are made for HRM practitioners.