Ergonomic Risk Assessment

Ergonomics as a Tool for Preventing Injuries and Occupational Diseases

In modern HSE, the focus is shifting from obvious hazards to hidden factors that accumulate over the years and lead to occupational diseases. One such factor is workplace ergonomics. German Simakov, HSE Manager at RUSAL, shares his experience in applying a Western ergonomic risk assessment methodology developed by Humantech, which allows identifying and eliminating problems before they lead to injury.

The Mechanism of Ergonomic Impact Accumulation

The speaker analyzes the impact of ergonomic factors on the body through the metaphor of a "glass". Every awkward posture, heavy lift, or uncomfortable movement is a drop filling the joint's endurance limit. During rest, the body recovers, but not completely — a minimal residual tension remains (about 1%). Over the years, these percentages accumulate, and at a certain point, even a minor effort (for example, bending over for a dropped pass) can become the "last straw" leading to a serious injury or disease. The task of an HSE specialist is to minimize this residual impact.

Three Types of Ergonomic Loads

The methodology identifies three key factors affecting the worker:

• Internal load — awkward body postures. Working in critical joint positions (e.g., twisting the spine or extreme wrist positions) greatly increases the risk of injury. The speaker demonstrates this with a pliers experiment: using an ergonomic tool with a bevel reduced discomfort complaints from 60% to 10% in 12 weeks.
• External load — physical efforts when moving weights. Safe load limits are defined for each joint (e.g., up to 4.5 kg for wrists, 11 kg for the back).
• Working conditions — factors that reduce the body's ability to recover. Vibration, low temperatures, touching sharp edges, or issues with PPE impair blood flow and slow down tissue regeneration.

Assessment Practice: Brief & BEST Analysis

The presentation details the workplace assessment algorithm. The process begins with a Brief analysis: interviewing the worker and observing the work cycle (preferably with video recording from different angles). The specialist fills out a checklist, noting critical postures, load weight, frequency, and duration of exposure. Each factor is assigned a "checkmark" (from 1 to 4), which helps determine the risk level (from low to very high).

For a deeper assessment, a BEST analysis is used, which converts the obtained data into numerical coefficients taking into account the time spent by the worker at the given workplace during the shift. This helps rank workplaces by hazard level and prioritize improvement measures.

Rules for Organizing the Workspace

The speaker emphasizes the importance of proper placement of loads and tools. A person's maximum lifting capacity zone is at stomach level with elbows bent at 90 degrees. This is exactly where (in the "green zone") heavy and frequently used items should be placed. Horizontal distance is also critical: the main work should be performed within the reach of half-bent arms, while rarely used items can be placed further away.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How ergonomic impact accumulates and why an injury can occur from a minor effort?
• How to assess internal and external loads during work operations?
• What is the essence of the Brief & BEST Analysis methodology and how to apply it in practice?
• How to properly organize the workspace considering vertical and horizontal distances?
• What load handling rules will help avoid back injuries?