Ergonomical Assessment Of A Workplace Essay Example for Free

Ergonomical Assessment Of A Workplace Essay Posture and muscular activity is an inevitable process of work that can never be avoided in several jobs today. As a packaging agent [someone who assists in a packaging center for parcel or air delivery], a person is intended to face several challenges on how an individual’s workplace be worthwhile so as not to get stressed physically and mentally at once when that particular individual is already at work. This is where the role of ergonomical assessment comes in the picture. What is ergonomical assessment? Primarily, this workplace assessment depends on the ways by which the arrangement is considered by the employers. This assessment actually focuses on the ways by which the physical activities of the employees are relatively considered when the employers themselves are planning the work areas. The idea is that the work areas should equally be comfortable enough to prolong the fine performance of their employees at work. Through the concern of the employers as to how their workers are using their physical strength to complete the tasks that they are supposed to attend to, the profit and the capability of the entire business company in assisting their clients with their demands would be much easier to attain on the part of the employees at work. In this paper, the work area of a packaging center in the Army Post Office or the APO in the postal clerk (PC) area. The description of the area as well as the type of work done within the area shall be discussed within the paragraphs that follow. Through the use of the WISHA guidelines, the said branch of army operations shall be observed and evaluated as to how much work-efficient the work area of the said branch is to its employees. The Work and the Area The nature of the work is rather demanding in terms of physical patience whereas the employees are expected to have constant track of their task while they discipline their bodies in dealing with the stresses that the work itself brings them. The work begins when the PC receives the package from the customer, weighs it, places postage on it, and then moves the package to a receiving window. There is only 1 shift which lasts 10 hours with a 1-hour lunch break. The packages range from 1 pound to a max weight of 80 pounds. On average, a single PC will handle 120 packages a shift 6 days a week. This does not include letter mail. The average package weight is 35 pounds. The PC is required to stand all shift except for breaks on a wooden floor with no mats. The package weighing counter is made of wood and is 24 inches tall x 30 inches wide x 24 inches deep. The computer for postage input sits on the same counter at a height of 38 inches. The packages once weighed have to be lifted and moved across a distance of 65 inches directly behind the PC. The packages are placed in a cutout window that sits 32 inches off the ground and is 30 inches tall x 30 inches wide. From the overview of both the he job and the work area where the job is performed, it could be noted that the tasks actually involve massive muscular stress. This is simply because of the fact that the employees are required to stand for long hours, not to mention that fact that they need to deal with several weights of packages and are then supposed to work with a not-so conducive work-area. According to the WISHA guidelines, there are several repetitive activities that endangers the muscular system of a particular worker, especially with the fact that the said activities are done in long hours. As noted above, the employees are expected to report to work in ten hours with just one hour of lunch break. According to the description, the package receiving area is composed of facilities whereas the employees would need to bend down and work their ways to finish the task that they are supposed to complete. The area is less conducive in assisting the employees in fixing the packages in a more comfortable posture as the description points out that the Package Receivers need to carry or lift the package from the receiving area to the weighing area. The employees need to bend down and kneel down to fix the packages for departure for at least 120 times within the ten hour shift that they are supposed to complete; WISHA guidelines actually consider this fact dangerous on the part of the employees performing the task. According to the guidelines, lifting more than 25 pounds above the shoulders below the knees at arm’s length must be done in a maximum of 25 times per day (WISHA Checklist). However, in the case of the employees in the packaging area, they are doing this particular task in almost 120 times per day. This is seriously hazardous on the muscular activities of their body as well as with their backbone resistance to stress. Aside from this, the act of repetitively raising the hands above the head or the elbow above the shoulders more than once per minute is also a hazardous on the part of the employees (WISHA checklist). As for the case of the work nature noted in this paper, this is particularly something that needs to given constant attention by the management of the APO as observed herein. As the description points out that the employees are working at least 5 hours straight at the most then takes a break and then another 5 hours of work shall indeed bring stress on the physical body of the employees. It should also be noted that the job places the employees in a situation with which they are supposed to stay in an area that is uncarpeted where they are supposed to stand for long hours. The pressure of the weight of the body and the weight of the packages that they carry back and forth the area would bring much stressing weight on their feet. For this reason, not only the muscular areas on the upper body of the employees are strongly affected by the job, it also affects the lower muscular area of the employees which includes the feet. Not only does the job-tasks bring pressure to the back bone of the employees, but it also leaves a high level of pressure on the leg and feet area of the said individuals. For this reason, it is highly recommended that the office be fixed, rearranged in a way that the lifting of the packages be minimized through putting the receiving area and the weighing area much closer to each other. Additional fixing tables could be placed nearby where all the needed materials for packaging and providing receipts to the clients would be of better breach by the employee could be further implemented.  This would not only increase the performance level of the employees, it would also regulate the time spent by the employees in finishing their jobs thus giving them the chance in serving more clients within the 10 hour shift that they are to complete everyday. Conclusion From the assessment presented herein, it could be noted that most of the parts of the office that has been observed [packaging office of APO] has so much hazardous areas for the employees of the business.  This is the reason why the management of the said establishment is suggested to have a consideration on how the areas of the office best serve the employees and the clients as well. Making the area more conducive for the type of work that is performed in the office would not only increase the performance complexities of the employees but it will also increase the satisfaction of the clients with the services that they are supposed to receive from the establishment and the employees working for them.