Ergonomics Tools, Guidelines, and Training Materials

Young Employee

Training Materials:  Best Practices to Reduce Your Risk of Developing a Cumulative Trauma Injury:  Special Emphasis on Employees Who are Young or Newly Hired

This free training presentation is geared to young employees or those recently hired into a job, to educate them how to use of ergonomics principles to improve their jobs and help reduce their risk of developing a musculoskeletal disorder. 

Topics covered include:

  • Why young and newly hired employees are more likely to become injured at work
  • Primary work exposures that contribute to cumulative physical trauma
  • Symptoms of cumulative trauma
  • Approaches that employees can take to perform their jobs more easily and reduce their risk of developing a musculoskeletal disorder

Materials were developed by SRI-Ergonomics consultants, who developed these materials through a grant from OSHA's Susan Harwood Training Grant Program.

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Guidelines: How to Develop and Manage an Ergonomics Process

An ergonomics process is a plan in which a facility gathers all relevant information on work organization, employee capabilities and limitations, and work-related MSDs, to develop solutions to better accommodate these employees and reduce MSD rates and their associated costs. 

This approach, as detailed in this Guideline, has been successfully applied in many industrial environments and has been shown to reduce workers' compensations costs from 36% to 91%.

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Ergonomics Tool:  Assessing Lifting Tasks for Injured Workers

These occupational lifting guidelines aim to reduce the frequency of recurrent back injuries in the workplace. Lifting conditions can be assessed for both healthy employees and those who have returned to the job following a low-back disorder. 

Guidelines were developed via a partnership between the Spine Research Institute and the Ohio BWC.

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Ergonomics Tool:  Assessing Tasks that Involve Pushing & Pulling

These occupational pushing and pulling guidelines aim to reduce the frequency of back injuries in the workplace. 

Guidelines were developed from a partnership between the Spine Research Institute and the Ohio BWC. 

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Ergonomics Tool:  Assessing One-Handed Lifting Tasks

Multiple tools exist to estimate the risk associated with two-handed lifts performed in occupational environments, but no prior studies have developed guidelines for one-handed lifting tasks to help practitioners reduce low back disorder risk.  A study funded by the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation helped to develop occupational guidelines for safe one-handed lifting. 

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Guidelines:  A Best Practices Guide for the Reduction of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Food Distribution Centers

This Guide presents best practices for evaluating and designing jobs conducted in food distribution centers.  The effort was especially focused on the work of Order Selectors. 

This document was developed from a partnership between SRI-Ergonomics and a grocery industry trade organization.

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Training Materials:  Ergonomics for Housekeepers and Housekeeping Managers

These training resources are for both housekeepers and housekeeping managers, to educate them on on the use of ergonomics to make room-cleaning tasks easier and safer. 

Materials were developed by SRI-Ergonomics consultants, who also provided this training across the United States, through the OSHA-sponsored Susan Harwood Training Grant Program.

Contact Dr. Gary Allread, SRI-Ergonomics Program Director, to learn more: