Ergonomics Training - The Reason and Sequence of Training

Ergonomics training is for providing people with the skills, knowledge, abilities and tools to accomplish their designated responsibilities. These people form the support infrastructure for your ergonomics process. The responsibilities vary with each different role in the process.

Before you begin Ergonomics training, plan what you want to accomplish. This includes defining the ergonomic improvement process and process measures for your site or organization and establishing the key roles and responsibilities of people supporting the process.

Use this information to determine the need for Ergonomics training, the learning objectives and Ergonomics training content. While all groups play an important role in the total process, the order of Ergonomics training people in key roles has a major impact on the success and sustainability of the ergonomics process.

Do not begin by providing awareness training for employees. Although this is simple and fun to do, a program based solely on awareness will not survive. Before you paint a wall, you must prepare it to allow the paint to stick, provide good coverage and last over time.

Before you train employees with ergonomics training, you must prepare the support infrastructure (key roles) with skills of ergonomics training. The recommended sequence of ergonomics training is as follows:

1. Start the ergonomics training by educating senior managers to obtain their sponsorship, guide them into leadership roles and establish direction and goals for the ergonomics process.

2. Train the person or persons responsible for managing the ergonomics process. The role of the ergonomics process manager is to coordinate and deploy all elements of the process. To accomplish this, he or she must understand the site's or organization's goals and expectations for the ergonomics process, identify supporting roles and develop plans for implementation and communication.

3. Develop the skills, abilities and confidence of ergonomics team members, engineering and maintenance personnel, and medical/workers' compensation resources. Effective skills of ergonomics training will establish a small team of resident experts who can address tough ergonomic challenges brought to them by managers and supervisors.

4. Provide managers and supervisors with ergonomics training and coaching to affect work practices and behaviors and to improve workplace conditions. In their supervisory roles, these individuals are best prepared to assist with the implementation of improvements identified by ergonomics team members and engineering and maintenance personnel. In addition, they are the most influential people to affect employee safe work practices.

5. Provide employees with ergonomics training to prepare and empower them to identify potential ergonomic issues in their workplace and to adjust the workplace to control the issues or escalate issues to their supervisors for assistance.

Organizations that establish clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and provide ergonomics training to ensure the capability to meet these responsibilities, create a strong internal support infrastructure. The infrastructure ensures that employees receive support when they take responsibility for improving their workplace and practices.