With the presence of the Academic staff in the university of Garmian. the health and safety organization of the Building and Construction Engineering Department has hosted a workshop entitled " Ergonomics",

The Aim of the workshop

1.To improve the relationship between people , equipment , workplace, and the environment.

2.Increase work efficiency and productivity.

3.Promote safety and comfort at work station.

4.To reduce physical work loads.

5.To minimize the risk of injury , illness , accidents and errors without compromising productivity.

The Workshop, covered the following topics

1- Introduction to ( Ergonomics ) definitions: which was presented by Dr. Rafiq salih Muhammad

2- The Ergonomics in construction : which was presented by Mr. Goran Mardan

3- Computer Ergonomics: which was presented by Miss. Nigar Mahmoud Shafiq

Benefits of Ergonomics

1. Ergonomics reduces costs. By systematically reducing ergonomic risk factors, you can prevent costly MSDs. With approximately $1 out of every $3 in workers compensation costs attributed to MSDs, this represents an opportunity for significant cost savings. Also, don’t forget that indirect costs can be up to twenty times the direct cost of an injury.

2. Ergonomics improves productivity. The best ergonomic solutions will often improve productivity. By designing a job to allow for good posture, less exertion, fewer motions and better heights and reaches, the workstation becomes more efficient.

3. Ergonomics improves quality. Poor ergonomics leads to frustrated and fatigued workers that don’t do their best work. When the job task is too physically taxing on the worker, they may not perform their job like they were trained. For example, an employee might not fasten a screw tight enough due to a high force requirement which could create a product quality issue.

4. Ergonomics improves employee engagement. Employees notice when the company is putting forth their best efforts to ensure their health and safety. If an employee does not experience fatigue and discomfort during their workday, it can reduce turnover, decrease absenteeism, improve morale and increase employee involvement.

5. Ergonomics creates a better safety culture. Ergonomics shows your company’s commitment to safety and health as a core value. The cumulative effect of the previous four benefits of ergonomics is a stronger safety culture for your company. Healthy employees are your most valuable asset; creating and fostering the safety & health culture at your company will lead to better human performance for your organization.

Identify Your Ergonomic Challenges

A simple, three-step process will help you identify and address ergonomic challenges at a workstation:

1- Observe the office environment and tasks to identify potential ergonomic issues.

2- Conduct formal ergonomic risk assessments to identify and document sources of risk.

3- Find potential solutions.

Once you've identified what needs fixing, you can adjust or change the workplace to reduce or eliminate exposures to the risk factors.