Page 19 - OHS, June 2020

Just as we don’t all have the same taste in music, we don’t all learn the same way.
This doesn’t mean online training is enough. Just as we don’t all have the same taste in music, we don’t all learn the same way. “The percentage of U.S. companies using online learning hit 77 percent in 2017” (Global Industry Analysists, Inc. 2017). Still, the Center for Creative Leadership says, “Research shows that even when video-based training is well designed, it is effective only about 20 percent of the time.”
The answer to this issue lies in Charles Jennings’ 70:20:10 blended learning approach. Jennings describes how, in high per- formers, only 10 percent of their skills come through formal train- ing. Twenty percent comes from having supportive managers, col- leagues and others to help answer questions and correct mistakes when needed, and the lion’s share comes from doing. Those who spend most of their learning time doing consistently out-perform. Practice makes perfect.
Doing
One reported difficulty with developing an ergonomics process is determining how to attack the problem of MSD risk factors. With hundreds of jobs and thousands of unique direct causes, there is a need to be efficient and accurate when assessing jobs. The ability to fully leverage a team of trained employees and end with good data and clear, effective interventions continues to be a challenge for many organizations.
Over time, assessment methods and available equipment have changed drastically. Physical pen-and-paper techniques used to be all we had, and while they are still used heavily today, we have drastically shifted from physical to digital. When I was in school and learning about surface and intramuscular EMG, at the time, the only way to get good data was to have someone surrounded by wires, which restricts movement, makes motion awkward and limits the environment and task that can be assessed. Now there are dozens of battery-powered devices that can release information wirelessly to mobile devices.
Mapping and analyzing motion data during real-world work used to be impossible. With advances in artificial intelligence and computer vision, we can now simply record a video using a phone and use software to map all the joint angles in a fraction of the time, with exponentially more accuracy. As a result, we can spend more time on what really matters: engaging with employees and imple- menting improvements to mitigate MSD risk factors.
As research advances, so do quantitative evaluation methods. While it is important for some to understand the theory of how tools like the NIOSH Lifting Equation calculate their outputs, those details are not necessary for many users. If you want to make ergo- nomics accessible to everyone, don’t bog them down with under- standing unnecessary and difficult assessment method concepts. Just as we use ergonomics to enable employees to have the most impact while working within their capabilities, technology can function in the same way by automating complex tools and provid- ing simple-to-understand, actionable insights.
Mobile assessment methods require far less training than pen- and-paper methods, which opens up the possibility of making
ergonomics everyone’s job. Instead of just relying on a handful of experts across a site or corporation, we can begin to both educate and involve everyone in not just interacting with a solution but also developing it.
Once the bones of a solution are developed, having easy, on- line access to research-based design guidelines removes the trial and error of typical interventions, and tracking in-process and completed improvements allows ergonomics teams to avoid re- inventing the wheel.
Managing
Software drastically improves assessments and access to data, cre- ates consistency and enhances communication across the organi- zation. Tracking adherence to the process helps companies scale it to fit their needs. Well-designed software guides users to input data in a consistent manner and enables interpretation of that informa- tion without requiring additional training or extensive discussion with the original assessor. As a result, it’s easier to identify process gaps and opportunities and to determine the best way to address them. The standardized approach and database then shift valuable collaboration time from sharing issues to solving them.
This revolutionized ability to share information gives sites, re- gions and corporations a central access point from which to retrieve the data in their own time. Ergonomics process owners can easily monitor team activities, track status of improvements, monitor progress to goal and generate custom scorecards that enable them to measure success. Now, not only do we have the numbers, but we can organize them into ways in which everyone can easily and consistently view them. We can take data points and communicate key information while ensuring everyone is interpreting the data reliably, and we can continuously refine the methods of reporting and retrieval to make the data even more accessible over time.
Good data provides better information. When you collect and interpret information, you gain knowledge. Knowledge allows you to identify actionable items to help solve problems in an effective and efficient manner.
While there are many factors that influence the success of an ergonomics process, we can control many of them by using tech- nology to improve ease and efficiency. Enabling adults to learn the way they learn best—at their own pace, on their preferred devices and with on-the-floor practice to solidify their theoretical learn- ings—encourages the “use it or lose it” skills and helps them share what they learn with colleagues. Standardizing an efficient assess- ment process through structured methods and organizing results into meaningful data enables us to show trends and use the bal- ance of time for value-added problem solving. The ability to track and sort assessments, direct causes and recommendations easily enables teams to standardize best practices, identify gaps in cur- rent processes and leverage trends and metrics to clearly show the impact of the ergonomics team.
All of these aspects function together to build an effective, sus- tainable ergonomics process, which maximizes time on the most important element: implementing sustainable improvements to enhance the lives of workers.
Josiah Allen, CPE, is a senior consultant at VelocityEHS | Human- tech. To learn more, visit www.humantech.com.
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