The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently teamed up with Cal/OSHA Consultation Service to develop its new guide regarding selecting and evaluating the ergonomic benefits of non-powered hand tools.
The guide, “Easy Ergonomics: A Guide to Selecting Non-Powered Hand Tools,” offers tips, guidance and a checklists to help users select tools that can help reduce or limit the risk of work-related injuries like musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Through a step-by-step approach, NIOSH’s new guide gives tips for making tool evaluations covering topics like knowing the job and the workspace, how tools can affect posture, and specifics regarding tool selection including identifying tools that can be used effectively with less force, less repeated movements and less awkward body positions.
“A wise investment in the right tool can repay itself many times over through savings in medical costs, lost work time, and lost productivity, but selecting the right tool can be complicated and time-consuming without assistance, especially for small businesses that lack specialized in-house resources,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. in a press statement. “We are pleased to partner with the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration to fill the need for such assistance in the concise, non-technical, easy-to-follow format that this new guide provides.”
“Easy Ergonomics: A Guide to Selecting Non-Powered Hand Tools,” is available from NIOSH at www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2004-164/default.html.