UPDATE

Contact: Julie Tisdale (202) 260-9727 January 6, 1995

NIOSH Finds Effective Interventions to Reduce Ergonomic
Injuries in Meatpacking and Other Industries

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has issued a report on developing team
approaches to solving ergonomic problems in the workplace. Although the study was designed to reduce
ergonomic hazards in red meatpacking plants, the results are applicable to many industries.

This research effort is unique in that it was funded through a grant received during a settlement of fines
imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) against a major meatpacking
company. With these funds NIOSH supported three university groups in examining the utility of
participatory approaches to solve ergonomic problems in meatpacking. A participatory approach involves
teams of workers formed to deal with work-related issues. The ergonomic teams used in this research effort
included front line workers, supervisors, and staff from other departments working together to identify and
solve ergonomic problems.

According to NIOSH Director, Dr. Linda Rosenstock, “ergonomic injury and illness are largely preventable.
We must work together to alleviate the tremendous economic and health burden cumulative trauma
disorders (CTDs) place not just on the meatpacking industry, but on the entire country.”

In 1906, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle first brought the hazards of the meatpacking industry to the public’s
attention. Until recently, the slaughtering, processing, and packaging of meat were performed with many of
the same work processes and tools that were common at the turn of the century.

In the early 1980’s pressure to increase production while cutting costs increased machine pacing, job
fragmentation, and the use of powered hand tools in the meatpacking industry. These new emphases
brought with them an increase inCTDs. Today, workers in the meatpacking industry are often afflicted
with tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic injuries and illnesses which affect the upper
extremities.

In fact, the meatpacking industry’s incidence of disorders due to “repeated trauma” was nearly 75 times that
of industry as a whole in the late 1980’s. While the meatpacking industry is working to correct this
problem, ergonomic injuries and illnesses continue to exact a tremendous toll on meatpacking workers.
Research such as the NIOSH-sponsored effort will provide guidance on how to eliminate these disabling
injuries. Findings from Participatory Ergonomic Interventions in Meatpacking Plants are summarized on
the following page. NIOSH requests assistance in disseminating this information to all who are interested
in solving ergonomic problems.

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“Ergonomics” is a word frequently used but often not understood. Simply defined, ergo-
nomics is “job design with the worker in mind.” Participatory Ergonomic Interventions in
Meatpacking Plants explores the use of the participatory approach, which is based on
worker involvement, to reduce ergonomic hazards in the workplace. The box below
contains valuable information on how to successfully implement this approach to solve
workplace problems.

How to Increase the Success of Participatory Interventions

Successful participatory ergonomic programs require strong in-house
direction, support, and significant staff expertise in both team building and
ergonomics.

Training programs must develop both teamwork and ergonomic skills
among participants.

Team size should be kept minimal, but should include production workers
engaged in the jobs studied, area supervisors, and maintenance and
engineering staff who can effect proposed job improvements.

Effective team problem-solving requires access to injury and illness
information. In addition, reports on the team's objectives, progress, and
accomplishments need to be circulated to the plant workforce to keep all
parties informed abeut'the program.
Evaluation of results is an important component of a parti¢ipatory
ergonomic program. Such data will enable the teams to appraise their
progress, provide feedback to affected or interested parties, and make
suitable corrections where necessary to improve the overall effort.

or for more information on NIOSH and other workplace concerns call:

To request a copy of Participatory Ergonomic Interventions in
Meatpacking Plants (Publication No. 94-124)

1-800-35-NIOSH
(1-800-356-4674)

DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 95-102