Vincent Carter is a full-time clerical officer ...

Vincent Carter is a full-time clerical officer working within the Financial Department of a medium sized Engineering company; his work is mainly desk based. Approximately two months ago Vincent began to experience pain in his neck and right arm; he sends you an e-mail asking for your advice. Detail how you would investigate and resolve this concern.
From the pain Mr Carter is experiencing, and with his job description, the likely cause is poor ergonomics.
‘Repetitive strain injury’ (RSI) is the common term for these aches and pains experienced. A better medical name for this whole group of conditions is ‘upper limb disorders’(ULD) (HSE, Working with VDU’s). These problems can be avoided by good workplace design, so the operator can work comfortably and by good working practices. A survey carried out in 1995 estimated that in that year, half a million people in Great Britain were suffering from a ULD due to their current or past work. On average, each sufferer took 13 days off work in that year (HSE, Aching arms in small businesses). It is therefore important to investigate and resolve the problems Mr Carter is experiencing.
What is ergonomics?

‘Ergonomics is a science concerned with the ‘fit’ between people and their work. It puts people first, taking account of their capabilities and limitations. Ergonomics aims to make sure that tasks, equipment, information and the environment suit each worker’.
(Health and Safety Executive, Understanding ergonomics at Work:p.1)

The most comprehensive definition is from Grandjean’s (1963) seminal text, ‘Fitting the task to the man’.

Ergonomics take into account many aspects to assess the fit between a person and their work. These include the job being done and the demands on the worker, as well as the information and equipment used, and the surrounding physical and social environment.

It also considers the physical aspects of the person. This includes the individual’s body size and shape; fitness and strength; posture; the ability of their senses, especially vision, hearing and touch. It also examines the stresses and strains on muscles, joints and nerves.
Finally, ergonomists examine a person’s psychological aspects, such as their mental abilities; personality; knowledge; and experience.
By assessing these features of people, their jobs, equipment and working environment and the relationship between them, before items of equipment or workstations are designed; it will potentially help to design a safe and efficient working system.
Ergonomics improving health and safety?
Applying ergonomics is supposed to reduce the potential for accidents, injury and ill health, while improving performance and productivity. Those who design the workplaces significantly influence these factors. Unfortunately, the designers are driven by the sole purpose of ...