The price of worker safety: ergonomics is a major health and safety issue for business owners, but will costs keep workers in dire straits?

Day in and day out for two years, Thomas Johns (not his real name), an assembly operator with the Bing Group, plucked from a gasket 1/4-inch rubber pieces (half the size of an eraser head), which were then fused between two pieces of metal for insulation. But Johns' thick, stubby fingers made his job with the steel processing and metal stamping firm unbearable. He became a modern-day Jekyll and Hyde - mild mannered at night, edgy and cantankerous during the day.

The job was equivalent to "a person without fingernails trying to pick up a straight pin off a flat surface," says Ron Bingham, director and coordinator of training and safety with the Detroit-based firm, No. 13 on the BE INDUSTRIAL/SERVICE 100 list with $93.4 million in sales. Bingham went to a local drugstore and bought a $3 dental pick. "I asked him to try using it to take out the rubber pieces," he explains. Johns' personality immediately took a 180-degree turn. He was not only much happier, but more productive.

As simple as it may sound, that's what ergonomics is about, says Bingham, "identifying ways to make one's work more efficient and providing employees with a healthier and safer environment." Since helping Johns, Bingham has found other low-cost ways to deal with immediate problems, including buying floor mats so that workers don't slip on Oils, wrist braces for staffers who work at computer workstations, as well as foot stools.

Ergonomics, also called human engineering, is not new. In the past, however, it was seen more as an office-related fad. Now, it's a major health and safety issue for business owners.

Employee health is key in terms of productivity, says Marlene Green, president of the Comfort Zone, a black-owned office and computer consulting firm in Jersey City, N.J. "If people are comfortable," she says, "they'll work better. Injuries occur when people - unaware of ergonomics issues - work long hours in straining positions and under stress without a break." Green further adds that she views ergonomics as an investment. "You'll get your money back tenfold if you do it the right way, instead of skimping on the problem and a in for it in penalties and lawsuits."

According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the number of work-related injuries is steadily on the rise, and the number of penalties issued against companies for ergonomic safety and health violations has also risen. Moreover, many companies have watched their workers' compensation insurance premiums escalate.

However, several black business owners fear that the cost of upgrading their facilities to meet certain ergonomic standards could be financially devastating, especially since many of these firms are already suffering from a lack of working capital.

Employees of black-owned and small companies tend to run a higher risk of injury because of expanded workloads, says Craig Ridley, president of Charlotte, N.C. - based Ergo-Tec Corp., a black-owned office and industry ergonomics consulting firm. "There tends to be fewer employees doing more work," Ridley says. "Like many employees, they often shrug off the symptoms until injuries occur."

Instead of waiting until problems arise, "you would hope the employer fixed up his shop so it would be a healthy workplace," says Gale Savers, president of Sayers Computer Sources (No. 27 on the BLACK ENTERPRISE/INDUSTRIAL SERVICE 100 list), a $55 million computer hardware company with 73 employees. "A lawsuit could cost companies five times the amount it takes to implement an ergonomics program," Sayers says. "So, it's i the best interest of the company to take care of these issues."

But even the Bing Group's Ron Bingham concedes that a company could go broke trying to address every ergonomics issue. "This is still a fairly new market, so the prices are sky-high for ergonomics furniture and equipment," he explains. He cites a forklift that makes it easier for a worker to move heavy materials - but costs $13,000.

Thus, entrepreneurs are caught between a rock and a hard place. Many can't afford to restructure their work environments. Yet, adhering to comprehensive ergonomics standards could prevent costlier upgrades, fines and workers' comp claims.

OSHA'S ERGO STANDARD

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been pushing for an ergonomics standard that would protect U.S. workers from the musculoskeletal or cumulative trauma disorders caused by repetitive motion. These injuries occur at jobs ranging from meatpacking to word processing. A well-known cumulative trauma disorder or CTD is carpal tunnel syndrome, a wrist-related injury..

According to the BLS, the number of cumulative trauma disorders has increased by more than 1,000% in 10 years, rising from 26,700 in 1983 to 302,400 in 1993 (the most recent year for which figures are available). The workers' comp tab for such upper-extremity injuries totaled $2 billion in 1993, according to CTD News, a Haverford, Pa.-based newsletter.

OSHA's 26-page draft proposes ergonomics regulations that focus mostly on repetitive strain injuries, like lower back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. Lower back problems account for one out of every three dollars in workers' comp claims. The proposed standard would sweep across all industries and affect employees who work with industrial or mechanical equipment, as well as those who work with office equipment, including computer workstations.

Moreover, the standard calls for businesses to establish a comprehensive ergonomics program to include hazardous material evaluation, employee training, extensive record keeping and medical management (early detection and treatment of repetitive strain injuries).

OSHA estimates that 2.6 million businesses and 21 million employees would fall under its proposal's purview. There are currently 119 million people in the U.S. workforce, according to CTD News. OSHA officials argue that, on the back end, business owners will save over $9.6 billion a year in medical, legal and insurance costs; it will cost business owners about $4.4 billion a year to comply with the proposed standard.

Small and midsize companies will especially feel the burden since they do not have full-time safety and health personnel qualified to interpret the standard and implement an ergonomics program, says Douglas P. Hardy, management-side labor attorney with New York-based Winston & Strawn. Glenn Grady, president of Genoa, Ohio-based Cimarron Express (No. 69 on the BE 100s list), agrees. "There are enough regulations burdening small business owners."

Grady, whose $26 million trucking company employs 70 people, says the government can't do a better job than business owners in preventing injuries and encouraging low-risk work practices. "What can government possibly know about ergonomics in this company or any other?"

Not all business owners are opposed to the OSHA regulation. "There's a need for a governing body to create comprehensive standards," says Dave Duerson, president of Fair Oaks Farms, a black-owned sausage manufacturing company in Kenosha, Wis. Duerson says meat manufacturing regulations promote a safe work environment for his employees. He recently had his workers' comp insurance reassessed and received a $170,000 refund from his 1993 premium. That's because his state-of-the-art facility provides such a safe work environment.

Without the OSHA regulation, says Michael Gauf, managing editor of CTD News, businesses will be left to their own initiative to control cumulative trauma disorders. "Those companies that have a corporate culture grounded in the health and safety of their employees, have and will continue to make changes and see the benefits. Those companies that don't, need a document to help them become aware."

While some black entrepreneurs agree that something must be done about the increase in workers' injuries and workers' comp costs, they are leery about the government putting, any new regulation on companies. The GOP obviously agrees. The OSHA ergonomic standard has been opposed by a Republican Congress that professes to be anti-government regulation and anti-excessive paperwork.

In the wake of the power struggle between Congress and President Clinton over the national budget, the OSHA standard won't see the light of day in 1996. So, the baton is still in the air as to its fate.

But as the debate over ergonomic issues continues, business owners had better heed the signs of the times. Whether or not the U.S. imposes an ergonomics standard next year or in 1997, businesses of all sizes are going to have to deal with the growing costs of work-related injuries.

A KINDER AND SAFER AMERICA

Amid speculations about an ergonomics standard, a number of companies have already taken the initiative. Two years ago, Michigan's largest natural gas and electric utility, Consumers Power Co. in Saginaw, started its own ergonomics program. Changes included new chairs, foot rests, wrist rests, blinds and window coatings. As a result, fatigue decreased by 19% while comfort levels increased by as much as 60%.

Cost was a big consideration. But the end results, both physical and attitudinal, were convincing, says Jon C. Hall, public information director for Consumers Power, a subsidiary of CMS Energy Corp., which serves more than 6 million residents.

Each new employee now receives an ergonomics package that includes instructions on proper posture and several different exercises to relieve stress, as well as a safety checklist.

Some employers have found that videotapes of correct and incorrect work practices are useful training tools. The Bing Group's Ron Bingham is viewing videotapes of employees to determine if they are at risk. "The tapes will allow us to see what stress their bodies are under," he says. By helping the company identify potential ergonomic problems, the tapes will essentially increase the company's efficiency, he adds.

According to the National Council on Compensation, employers will pay approximately $30,000 per employee for direct medical expenses to treat an injury like carpal tunnel syndrome. This one injury could cost a company an additional $100,000 in legal fees resulting from worker's comp claims. Then there's the cost of lost workdays.

But Costello Johnson, president of Corporate Office Systems Inc., a $17 million black-owned company that sells ergonomic furniture, points out another reality: "There are smaller businesses out there that simply can't afford it." He believes it's critical for larger companies to address ergonomic issues in jobs that are intensive, but that moderate steps need to be taken to prevent a financial strain on small businesses. He adds, "the furniture itself won't make a difference without training employees in the correct way to use it.

Some companies are reluclant to start an ergonomics training program for fear that creating awareness among employees will lead to widespread, unsubstantiated complaints, says Richard B. Cooper Jr., chairman, executive committee of the Houston-based International Facilities Management Association. "But injuries arc going to occur whether ergonomic issues arc discussed or not."

Cooper says that the idea behind ergonomics is to safely coordinate the physical aspects of a workplace - the chairs, desks, lighting and computer equipment - with the people who work there.

Ergonomic hazards are prevented primarily by the effective design of a job or job site and the tools or equipment used, Cooper explains. "Employers should encourage appropriate work practices and if necessary [provide] protective equipment." For instance, he adds, "frequent short breaks or job rotation can reduce repetitive hand and body movement to avoid stress and strain."

Regardless of what Congress believes or what OSHA does, companies all across America will continue to grapple with the issues of ergonomics. There are no easy, answers or simple cause-and-effect solutions. Nor will OSHA's ergonomics standard serve as a panacea for the work-related ills plaguing American business.

But to business owners asking if something can be done cost-effectively to reduce the risk of workplace injury, Bingham says the answer is a definitive yes.

TIPS FOR STARTING AN ERGONOMICS PROGRAM

* Identify individuals who may be at risk. Check records on work-related illnesses, employee health complaints, absenteeism, workers' compensation aims and employee turnover.

* Identify unsafe workstations and employee behaviors that signal possible pain or injury. Spot trouble areas. Are employees sitting for long hours using computers, or routinely performing repetitive hand, shoulder or back-bending motions?

* Make a list of departments and determine which areas need attention first. Then assess the physical ailments of your staffers, and develop a plan to address those problems.

* Create a wellness program. Emphasize exercise and overall health maintenance.

* Select short- and long-term solution5, not quick fixes. Research what equipment is needed, train employees on proper work practices and test furniture before it's purchased.

* Draw on employee expertise when and implementing the program.

* Get employees involved. Create an environment that fosters feedback and support by using a newsletter, hotline, quidebook or tip sheet on office ergonomics and injury prevention,

* Evaluate. Monitor long-term costs and benefits, employee feedback and complaints:

* Reward. Motivate your employees to continue working correctly. Provide a certificate or others special recognition for staffers' or departments' efforts.

Taken from the Quill Corp.'s Workplace Ergonomics Institute's Easy 8 Step Ergonomics Guide and The Comfort Zone's Tips for Managers on Implementing a Successful Office Ergonomics Program. Call 800-789-1331 and ask for packet 95121.