CII – Dr.Reddy’s Foundation for Health Session on Ergonomics at Dronacharya

GREATER NOIDA LOKESH GOSWAMI    

The session was conducted by Dr. Mandeep Singh, Senior Orthopedician, Escorts Hospital, New Delhi. Dr. Singh said that Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) affect the muscles, nerves, blood vessels, ligaments and tendons. Workers in many different industries and occupations can be exposed to risk factors at work, such as lifting heavy items, bending, reaching overhead, pushing and pulling heavy loads, working in awkward body postures and performing the same or similar tasks repetitively. Exposure to these known risk factors for MSDs increases a worker’s risk of injury. During his session, Dr. Singh said that the Work-related MSDs can be prevented. He suggested fitting a job to a person can help lessen muscle fatigue, increase productivity and reduces the number and severity of work-related MSDs. Implementing an ergonomic process is effective in reducing the risk of developing MSDs in high-risk industries as diverse as construction, food processing, firefighting, office jobs, healthcare, transportation and warehousing, he said