Description Assignment Content Question As a graduate of Columbia Southern University's Safety and ...
Description Assignment Content Question
As a graduate of Columbia Southern University's Safety and Emergency Services program, you have decided to pursue a career as an occupational safety and health consultant. You were recently contacted by Will B. Shafe, the human resource manager at On Call, the company that employs Ms. Handz-Hurt from the unit lesson. According to Mr. Shafe, he is having trouble convincing the leadership at the company to address ergonomics because there is no OSHA ergonomics mandate. Part 1: You have agreed to assist Mr. Shafe by preparing a one-page minimum overview explaining the regulatory requirements related to ergonomics, including the history of the OSHA Ergonomic Standard and the benefits of implementing an ergonomics program. Your summary must include references and should be written to convince management to implement a program (after all, you are a consultant, and you want their business). Part 2: After a week Mr. Shafe contacts you again and asks you to review a specific operation and provide some information that he can present to his leadership team. Watch this scenario video and then answer the following questions about the operation. Please note that this video does not include audio. Using the above video, you are required to write a two-page response that includes the following information: Provide a description of the task being performed. Include a discussion of the individual and work-related risk factors identified in the video. Include a discussion of the potential MSDs to which the workers are exposed. Provide a discussion of the relationship between the human body, the workplace, and the development of MSDs. Discuss how including the ergonomic issues into an existing safety and health management system can help reduce risks associated with these ergonomic hazards. your response should be original please no plagiarism no A.I. chat bots . If plagerism report is more than 2%. I will ask for a refund. if AI is detected I will ask for a refund UNFORMATTED ATTACHMENT PREVIEW UNIT III STUDY GUIDE Ergonomic Risk Factors and Musculoskeletal Disorders Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to: 2. Relate human biology to workplace ergonomics. 2.1 Explain the relationship between the human body, the workplace, and the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). 2.2 Discuss individual and psychosocial risk factors associated with MSDs. 4. Describe common work-related musculoskeletal disorders. 4.1 Identify workplace factors that lead to the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Required Unit Resources Chapter 2: The Body as a Mechanical System, pp. 31–46 Chapter 4: Standing and Sitting at Work, pp. 107–119 Chapter 5: Repetitive Tasks: Risk Assessment and Task Design, pp. 155–174 Chapter 6: Design of Manual Handling and Load Carriage Tasks, pp. 203–209 In order to access the following resource, click on the link below: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders & ergonomics. https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/health-strategies/musculoskeletaldisorders/index.html Unit Lesson Meet Al B. Bach Al B. Bach is a certified nurse assistant (CNA) at Uplift Care Center, a 125-bed nursing home facility in Leland, Mississippi. The facility has 75 employees, 35 of whom are nursing assistants. As a CNA, Al is required to aid residents in many day-to-day tasks, including dressing, bathing, eating, and moving to and from beds, chairs, and the restroom. For 10 years, Al has done his job with no major injuries and only minor discomfort in his lower back. However, that quickly changes the day Al enters a resident’s room and finds the resident has fallen on the floor while trying to get out of bed. Instinctively, Al runs over to try to help the resident get back into bed and instantly feels a “pop” in his lower back. After seeing a physician, Al learns he has a herniated disc in his back that is going to require surgery. Nurse helping a patient use a walker (Wavebreakmedia Ltd, 2017) Following Al’s incident, the facility administrator decides she must take action to ensure the safety of the other employees. Uplift immediately provides training to all members of the nursing staff on safe lifting techniques and implements a policy, which requires a two-person lift whenever resident handling is required. However, OSH 6301, Advanced Ergonomics 1 six months later, the administrator notices the nurse assistants are continuing UNIT to experience high rate of x STUDYaGUIDE injuries, especially back injuries even with the safe lifting training and the implementation of what most Title consider the industry's best practices. Upon review of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 300 logs, the administrator realizes the facility has had 87 documented injury cases with 41 lost time cases, 29 of which were back injuries and directly involved resident lifting. In addition, the worker's compensation claims for these cases were approximately $137,500, and the turnover rate among nursing assistants averaged over 50%; moreover, that was just for a six-month period. Determined to find a solution to the problem, the administrator began soliciting input from the nursing staff for ideas to minimize injuries and reduce the turnover rate. The staff formed a committee and provided weekly updates to the administrator on their progress. Having reflected on the tasks of moving and repositioning residents for several weeks, the administrator and her staff concluded there simply was no safe way to manually lift residents. But wait—work should not hurt! Understanding Musculoskeletal Disorders Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have been characterized as one of the most common work-related ailments and are associated with high costs to employers, including lost productivity, decreased quality, high absenteeism, and increased health care, disability, and worker’s compensation costs. What exactly are MSDs? The musculoskeletal system is made up of muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, discs, and blood vessels or soft tissue and is designed to enable the body to move. MSDs usually result from one or more of these tissues having to work beyond what they were designed to do and are simply injuries or disorders that affect the human body’s ability to move or the movement system (Middlesworth, 2016). Common MSDs include carpal tunnel syndrome, digital neuritis, and radial tunnel syndrome (OSHA, n.d.). For the full list, click on the link: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/ OSH 6301, Advanced Ergonomics 2 MSDs often result in acute symptoms that arise suddenly and are short-lived, UNIT such as sprainsGUIDE and strains. x STUDY They typically begin with a feeling of discomfort, swelling, or muscle fatigue that subsides with rest. However, Title as the condition progresses, symptoms often worsen to a tingling sensation or numbness and become more constant. Left undiagnosed and untreated, symptoms gradually develop and result in muscle weakness and nerve problems and can lead to lifelong conditions, including ongoing chronic pain, functional impairment, and occupational disability. Musculo-skeletal disorders (Adapted from Middlesworth, 2016) MSDs are often referred to by other names, including cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs), repetitive strain injuries (RSIs), repetitive motion injuries (RMI), and overuse injuries (Middlesworth, 2016). Although these terms are often used synonymously, they are a little misleading, as they do not accurately describe the disorders. For example, the terms "repetitive strain injuries" or “repetitive motion disorders” suggests that repetition is the singular cause of these disorders. However, that is not the case as force or posture can also be contributing causal factors. Therefore, musculoskeletal disorders are best identified as what they are— injuries/disorders that affect the human body’s musculoskeletal system (Middlesworth, 2016). The two main groups of MSDs are back pain/injuries, such as low back pain, hernias, and upper limb disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Disorders caused by slips, trips, falls, or similar incidents are not considered MSDs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). The Cause of Musculoskeletal Disorders–Exposure to Risk Factors Every day workers use their muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints in a variety of ways to perform workplace activities, including lifting, carrying, moving, sitting, standing, and walking. These are all common movements, which are not particularly harmful in that they are ordinary activities of daily living. So what makes them hazardous in work situations? OSH 6301, Advanced Ergonomics 3 It is not necessarily the nature of a person’s movements but rather the manner in which these movements are performed that causes them to be hazardous. In the workplace, the aforementioned movements are often performed repetitively, at high rates of speed, using a great degree of force, and with little to no recovery time between movements. For example, in manufacturing, assembly line workers are required to perform continuous operations often at high rates of speed with little to no recovery time between movements. Healthcare workers may perform manual lifting and/or manoeuvring of patients. Many times, the work area may be designed poorly, which means workers are also required to work in a non-neutral position. UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title Musculoskeletal injuries occur when the body sustains a load that exceeds the tolerance or strength of the supporting tissue. When workers are required to exert themselves beyond their physical capabilities and limitations, the tasks fatigue the worker’s body beyond his or her ability to recover. As the body fatigues, a musculoskeletal imbalance occurs. If fatigue continues to outpace recovery and the musculoskeletal imbalance persists, musculoskeletal strain can occur and eventually result in the development of a MSD. This can have serious implications in industries such as manufacturing and healthcare where frequent lifting of objects is often required as we Opening warehouse door saw in the example of Mr. Bach, who injured his back while attempting to (Fagan, n.d.) lift a resident from the floor to the bed. Musculoskeletal injuries can also occur as a result of accumulated trauma over time due to the application of either a low load repetitively or a sustained load for a long duration as we saw in the scenario with Ms. Handz-Hurt (from our Unit II Lesson) whose continuous performance of the data entry task lead to her carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis. MSDs can be broadly categorized as the following (Altarum, n.d.): • • • Work-related risk factors can be defined as the actions in the workplace that may cause or aggravate a MSD: o forceful exertion; o static and awkward posture; o repetitive motion; o heavy lifting; and o exposure to extreme environmental conditions such as heat, cold, humidity, or vibration. Individual risk factors are physiological factors related to the individual themselves: o work practices, o dietary practices, o physical conditioning and physical activity, o age, o gender, o previous MSD diagnosis, and o degenerative diseases. Psychosocial risk factors are related to the body’s fight or flight response experienced during heightened periods of stress. There is growing evidence linking MSDs with psychosocial risk factors (especially when combined with physical risks): o high demand of work or low autonomy; o low job satisfaction; o lack of influence or control over one's job; o increase pressure (e.g., to produce more); o lack of or poor communication; o monotonous tasks; and o perception of low support (e.g., manager or co-worker). OSH 6301, Advanced Ergonomics 4 Conclusion UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title In order to develop an MSD prevention strategy, it is important to first understand what MSDs are and what causes them. In this unit lesson, we have identified musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) as injuries and disorders that affect the human body’s movement or musculoskeletal system, muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves, discs, or blood vessels. Musculoskeletal imbalance occurs when the body is fatigued beyond its ability to recover leading to the eventual development of an MSD. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and are generally cumulative in nature. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders have high incidences and prevalence among workers who perform work involving manual handling, repetitive and static work, vibrations, and forceful exertions. Exposure to risk factors whether work-related, individual, or psychological increases musculoskeletal fatigue, introduces barriers to productivity and human performance, and puts workers at a higher level of MSD risk (Stack, Ostrom, & Wilhelmsen, 2016). The risk level is further heightened as a result of a combination of and interaction among several risk factors. Knowing what risk factors to look for can help businesses improve employee quality of life and lower costs associated with MSD injuries. References Altarum. (n.d.). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) https://altarum.org/our-work/work-relatedmusculoskeletal-disorders-msds Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders & ergonomics. https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/health-strategies/musculoskeletaldisorders/index.html Fagan, S. (n.d.). Opening warehouse door (ID 36095430) [Photograph]. Dreamstime. https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-opening-warehouse-door-image3609543 Middlesworth, M. (2016). Understanding musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). ErgoPlus https://ergoplus.com/understanding-musculoskeletal-disorders-msds/ Stack, T., Ostrom, L. T., & Wilhelmsen, C. A. (2016). Occupational ergonomics: A practical approach. Wiley. Wavebreakmedia Ltd. (2017). Nurse assisting senior patient in walking with walker at nursing home (ID 97388464) [Photograph]. Dreamstime. https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-nurse-assistingsenior-patient-walking-walker-nursing-home-midsection-image97388464 Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resource, click on the link below: The link below contains some additional reading material provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is included to give you a better understanding of the human system. The information is included for your learning but is not a required reading. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Work-related musculoskeletal disorders & ergonomics. https://www.cdc.gov/workplacehealthpromotion/health-strategies/musculoskeletaldisorders/index.html OSH 6301, Advanced Ergonomics 5 Purchase answer to see full attachment User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.
