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Job Design
Fitting the Job to the Worker

Many jobs just don't fit the workers who are supposed to do them.

Machines, tools, and work areas usually are designed for getting out the most products in the shortest amount of time. The safety and comfort of the workers often is not taken into account.

Other jobs are designed for a make ­believe "average" person, without considering workers' differences in size and ability.

Because the jobs have not been designed with them in mind, many workers spend their shift twisting, bending, standing, lifting heavy loads, or doing the same boring task over and over‑‑often at speeds controlled by machines.

Jobs which don't fit human beings can cause back strains, sprains, hand and wrist pain, and other injuries.

Poorly designed jobs can also cause stress. Scientific research‑‑and work­ers' own experience‑‑suggests that stress may be related to everyday problems such as nervousness and irritability and even to diseases such as heart trouble.

The safety committee should look at every job to see how the tools and tasks could be better designed. The committee should ask questions like those listed below and should get ideas from the workers themselves.

DIFFICULT WORK POSITIONS

• Can the amount of time spent in one position (sitting, standing, bend­ing, twisting) be reduced through re­design of the job, breaks, rotation of workers, or providing chairs or stools?
• Can the work height be adjusted?
• Can adjustable chairs be provided to fit different workers?
• Can controls be designed so work­ers don't have to stretch to reach them?

MENTAL STRESS

• Can workers who have to con­centrate hard be given extra breaks?
• Can workers who are isolated be rotated to other jobs so that they aren't always isolated from other workers? Can a job be redesigned so at least two people work together?
• Can the worker have more con­trol over the pace of the work?
• Can the amount of work for each person be adjusted to a more realistic level?

STRESS FROM THE WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Can the sources of noise and vibration be removed? For example, a noisy motor or genera­tor which causes stress for nearby workers might be enclosed or moved into a room where no one works.
• Can chemical hazards that cause headaches or minor irritations be con­trolled?
• Can lighting be improved so workers can see their work more easily?

POORLY DESIGNED TOOLS AND MACHINERY

• Can tools be redesigned so that they don't require the hand or wrist to twist and so they fit the shape of the hand?
• Can the weight of heavy tools be supported by overhead cables?
• Can trucks or other machinery be designed so that the driver has a clearer view?
• Can gauges be made easier to read?
• Can methods be designed to make it easier to get in and out of work stations?
• Can machinery be used to lift heavy loads instead of having them moved by hand?

Courtesy of TheWorkSite.org.