You, Too, Can Attend "Ergo U."

“It’s not home economics--it’s office ergonomics.”

That was Michelle McGrath’s introductory line as she began her recent training session on “Office Ergonomics”--dubbed “Ergo U.”--for a classroom of USDA employees. McGrath, a trainer with USDA’s TARGET Center at USDA headquarters in Washington, DC, was teaching the hour-long course to help employees avoid “Repetitive Strain Injuries,” or RSIs, at their workplace.

“Office ergonomics is the study of fitting the job to the worker to maintain a safe work environment,” she pointed out. “It focuses on designing equipment and office configurations that reduce fatigue, discomfort, and injury--and thereby help the worker to feel more comfortable and healthy, and be more productive, at work.”

RSIs, she added, are the result of wear and tear on tendons, connective tissue, and muscles caused by repetition, force, and awkward body postures over time. Two common types of Repetitive Strain Injuries are carpal tunnel syndrome and lower back pain.

“A whole lot of us have experienced those symptoms,” McGrath advised, “such as tingling, pain, numbness, or weakness in the hands, wrists, legs, or lower back--that tend to worsen over time if they aren’t corrected.”

“So, through our quick course here at ‘Ergo U.’ we try to help employees identify those activities and conditions that cause RSIs--and then help employees make appropriate changes in their work environment to prevent them.”

That’s pretty important--because Repetitive Strain Injuries are a significant problem at USDA. Mark Wilner, a TARGET Center program manager who oversees the training, noted that the Department spent over $2.5 million on carpal tunnel syndrome cases alone in FY 2002. He said that expenditure usually took the form of workers compensation payments, plus related medical expenses, for USDA employees who missed work because of that injury. “A typical carpal tunnel syndrome injury to a USDA employee cost the Department about $7,667 per case in FY 2002,” he pointed out.

“So our ergonomics training helps reduce on-the-job risk of at least some occupational disabilities--and thereby can save USDA millions of dollars in workers compensation costs,” Wilner said.

Three quick and easy ergonomically-based tips which McGrath mentioned in her course included: use arrow keys, not the computer mouse, when scrolling through long documents on your computer; keep your mouse as close to the keyboard as possible to avoid stretching your arm while using it; and if your feet don’t touch the floor while you’re using your computer, place a footrest under them.

Bruce McFarlane is acting director of USDA’s Washington, DC-based TARGET Center, which is a state-of-the-art demonstration facility featuring the latest in technologies which enhance accessibility for employees with disabilities. He noted that in the last year his office has provided its Office Ergonomics training--often in combination with individual office assessments--onsite to USDA employees in such field locations as Orlando, Phoenix, and Decatur, Texas.

Betty Gahn, acting director of USDA’s Midwest TARGET Center in St. Louis, added that her office has provided similar training to USDA employees in the midwestern and western parts of the country.

“Employees should feel free to contact either of our TARGET Centers, at http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm, or work through their agency’s Safety Officer, to arrange for this instruction at their field location,” McFarlane emphasized. “By ensuring that our work environments are ergonomically sound and supportive,” he added, “we do a better job of carrying out USDA’s mission more efficiently, effectively, and safely.” •

--Ron Hall