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Habits of employees relating to ergonomic issues
Habits of employees relating to ergonomic issues
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Introduction
Ergonomics is a term emerging from two Greek words, (ergo) meaning work and (normos) meaning laws. In general terms it refers to the art of studying work. It is a system oriented discipline extending across all aspects of human activity (Helander, 2006). In practice, it is a science and art of fitting jobs or tasks to the employee instead of working personally or the employee fitting works to the employer (Duffy, 2011). Several different disciplines are involved in that effort and all of them consider the employee as key factor in the work stations, design of work machinery and equipment (Trzcieliński, 2013). Ergonomists, majorly apply theories, data, principles and methods to design in order to optimize employee’s well-being and the general performance of the job system.
The general meaning of ergonomics refers to it as the study of how a workplace, machinery and equipment used there and the work environment can be modified for the best interest of both employees and employers, in that to improve efficiency of work, increase comfort, safety and security of employees and productivity of the job with just application of simple changes (Duffy, 2011).
Background
Work machinery and equipment are normally designed and modified to maximize output with minimal thought to employee comfort, and this as of late caused them unnecessary injuries and sicknesses (Trzcieliński, 2013).The poor design of machinery and equipment and the jobs themselves have caused worker discomfort and at some instances led to disabilities (Duffy, 2011). Ergonomics thus comes in to solve and help reduce such job related illnesses, injuries and stresses. It also goes ahead to increase work satisfaction which leads to improved job productivity.
It is due to these unnecessary ailments that ergonomics as an art has developed increasing attention (Trzcieliński, 2013). Several persons are now aware of the carpel tunnel disorder ergonomics and other collective trauma disorders due to the numerous news stories and reports roaming the internet and other informative sites (Helander, 2006). For instance, carpel tunnel disorder is the utmost often documented job related musculoskeletal disorder.
Though the level of higher extremity disorders has reduced, it is still considered as a bigger problem (Duffy, 2011). Within the health care fields, the level is rising, mainly due to the lifting tasks. Dreary computer keyboard application continues to cause injury and pain to persons (Trzcieliński, 2013). Some of the main categories of DEECD workplaces and employees that are of great concern include:
Computer systems.
Workstations, for instance sitting and standing.
Workstation noise.
Workstation lighting.
Thermal comfort at the workstation.
Machinery and equipment layout and operation.
Improvement and maintenance tasks done on plant items.
Ergonomics addresses the collective trauma disorders also referred to as musculoskeletal disorders caused mainly by repeated, frequent forceful movements (Helander, 2006). The back and upper limbs are usually the most affected body regions, though the lower limbs can too be affected. Factors contributing to the collective trauma disorders include:
High frequency of movement.
Repetitiveness.
Vibration
Cold temperatures
Sitting posture for instance wrist posture and back lying.
Mechanical stress, this causes direct pressure to the worker.
Method
The methods of application while collecting information with respect to workers undergoing ergonomic issues was a combination of conducting eye to eye interviews and personal observations at the particular workstation (Helander, 2006). I was able to talk to about a third of the workers in the workstation and almost all of them meant the same point; that they were experiencing unnecessary work issues mostly caused by poor workstation design, repeated movements and computer related problems. The choice of this method of data collection was resulted at since the process only required simple surveys from a given percentage of workers and using the results to form a conclusion. I carried all my interviews on a random basis in that I was not choosy on the kind of people I interviewed or the type of observations to make on given workers.
Carrying out interviews on the workers was met with certain challenges. Some of which included; I was time limited since the workers were regularly responding to their work duties and that they could not respond fully to my questions. Another challenge was that some of the workers were not patient enough to listen to all I had to tell or ask them and some gave me deaf ears.
Hypothesis
If ergonomic issues are taken seriously by the employers, then no employee will ever suffer of the unnecessary disorders. Employees agonize from ergonomic issues because of the ignorance and uncaring nature of the employers or their managers. This is since the managers only care about the final produce of the business and not the nature of the workers producing the required work inputs. So when they finally start caring for their workers, everything is going to change for the best and no worker is going to be sick. The best way to carry on the hypothesis is through formation of employee awareness sessions where they are educated on their employee requirements and the must haves in their work stations. Several persons are now aware of the carpel tunnel disorder ergonomics and other collective trauma disorders due to the numerous news stories and reports roaming the internet and other informative sites (Helander, 2006). So if the managers took the initiative to at least consider the health and state of their workers as they go about their job duties then life would be without disorders.
Results
With respect to the above method of data collection some of the findings I was able to get were mainly related to poor office design, work pressure, repeated movements from place to place, constant lifting of work equipment, bad sitting posture, poor lighting systems in the work stations and loud noise caused by the working machinery (Helander, 2006).
Below is a data table and pie chart in form of a bar diagram indicating the number of workers I was able to speak to and number of interviews I managed to conduct?
NUMBER OF WORKERS OBSERVATION RESULTS INTERVIEW RESULTS
5 Appeared uncomfortable performing their job duties and at some points were caught dosing off. This was mainly caused by the work pressure and poor office design.
7 Moved regularly from place to place and at some point could not even identify what they were going for at those specific places. Work pressure and repeated movements in search of work machinery and equipment.
3 Had back problems and fore limbs unable to work properly. Bad sitting posture caused mainly by the slant office chairs.
Constant lifting of equipment and working with the machinery.
2 Poor vision and hearing sense. Mentioned the poor lighting systems in their respective work stations and the loud noise caused by the working machineries.
Bar diagram giving the collected results with respect to just a section of the causes of ergonomic issues. These include; work pressure, poor office design, and repeated movements (Trzcieliński, 2013). The causes are categorized into four mainly depending on the number of persons interviewed and number of observations made.
(Fig. 2) Bar diagram showing the distribution of data with respect to causes of ergonomic issues as per the collected data.
How to deal with these ergonomic issues
Ergonomic issues are widely associated with the physical design of workstations, workspaces, tools, computer programs, plants and working environment. It can also encompass cognitive processes involving workloads, skilled performance, decision making and work stress (Karwowski & Salvendy, 2011). There are adequate measures for dealing with all of these problems to ensure that any hitches are well solved. Below are some of the measures to take into consideration: all of these answer the question; what do I need to do?
Consult with the employees and the Health and Safety Representatives to identify any hitching ergonomic issues. Make a point of reading the Ergonomic Risk Assessment forms.
Wherever possible, ensure that suitable risk controls are executed for any observed or reported ergonomic threat.
Ensure you review the OHS expectations relating to lighting, noise and thermal comfort as mentioned in the Hygiene Management Procedure (Trzcieliński, 2013).
Regularly review injury and illness reports paying keen attention to those reports of pain in the shoulders, back or upper limbs and maybe the lower limbs and take necessary measures as stipulated by the works sheet term and regulations (Karwowski & Salvendy, 2011).
Ensure all employees have their respective workstations fitted correctly according to the expected workstation standards.
In case the workers report issues relating to the workstation application, they should;
Take on self-assessment with their employer or manager.
If the ergonomic issues persist, they should seek advice from their HSR and their immediate manager or employer.
If the issues still persists, they should contact the OHS advisory customer service through their customer support contacts.
Below are some of the solutions to common ergonomic issues;
Office design
You are supposed to analyze your work to find out whether risk factors are present and apply ergonomics to uplift your work design. For instance:
Chair: The chair you are sitting on should be adjustable for back tilt and height. While you are sited, you should be capable of placing your feet comfortably and upright with a great back support, you should also be capable of adjusting your body to enhance your posture and be comfortable for long working durations.
Work surface: Adjusting your chair mostly depends on the working surface. Your working desk should contain adequate space to hold all the important things for you on a daily basis. It should be of an elevation that enables you to put your hands on it for support. It should have rounded ends or prevent automated stresses on your wrist Karwowski & Salvendy, 2011). In case you are using a laptop and a control panel, your hands should be at a seventy five to ninety degrees slanting posture to your superior arms Trzcieliński, 2013).Generally, the kind of job you are doing will distress the depth of the working space.
Foot rests: You might require using a foot rest in case you are unable to get the best adjustments between your siting chairs and working surface (Salvendy, 1997). The foot rest should be capable of angling up to fifteen degrees towards your toe.
Arm rest: Almost all chairs possess arm rests that back the forelimbs. This might minimize fatigue and muscle strains, but only if they are plane and dabbled. When they are hard, they add more stress to the elbows.
Computer monitor: The video button should be positioned in a place where you can swiftly access and view all the features without leaning your body and head off the screen or nearer to it (Karwowski & Salvendy, 2011). In general it should be about 22 inches away from your eyes and the middle of the screen interface should be at about the exact length as your cheek. Position the screen away from lighting sources to minimize scowl on the monitor. In adequate lighting and glare can cause strain.
Conclusion
In conclusion therefore ergonomics enhances a holistic approach in which concerns of rational, physical, organizational, environmental, social and other necessary factors are taken into consideration (Salvendy, 1997). This as stipulated is enabled by the several economic sectors or work domains. Work domains are never mutually exclusive and evolve constantly; new ones are formed and old ones adapt newer perspectives (Karwowski & Salvendy, 2011). If we considered all the above mentioned issues of ergonomics we come to a conclusion that all of them have preventive measures and that the responsibility of preventing them lies in our hands, both employees and employers.
Recommendations
From the above information we realize that ergonomic issues are majorly caused by poor office design, repeated movements, bad sitting postures, office lighting, loud noise and work pressure (Karwowski & Salvendy, 2011). I would thus recommend that every working station should be well inspected to ensure all favorable working conditions are in store and that every reported incident of ergonomic disorder is treated with utmost considerations.
References
Trzcieliński, S. (2013). Advances in ergonomics in manufacturing. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.Duffy, V. G. (2011). Advances in human factors and ergonomics in healthcare. Boca Raton: CRC Press.Karwowski, W., & Salvendy, G. (2011). Advances in human factors, ergonomics, and safety in manufacturing and service industries. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.Helander, M. (2006). A guide to human factors and ergonomics (2nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Taylor & Francis.Salvendy, G. (1997). Handbook of human factors and ergonomics (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.
Aldi history and development
Company analysis – 2130480
Aldi history and development
Aldi started out in 1948 when two German brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht took over from their mother’s Essen grocery store where they began selling basic items at low prices. The economy in Europe was bad then and only few customers had money to spend but there were very few essential products available. These two bothers had the plans to expand the limited range of products they had once there was an improvement in the economy. As the economy of Germany recovered the Albrecht’s realized that they could maintain lower prices compared to their competitors if only they limited their own product selection down to the basics. They chose to focus on low prices and efficient operations and by 1958 the Albrecht’s owned and operated 300 outlets all over Germany and had revenues exceeding 100 million Deutsche marks.
Aldi growth and expansion
Aldi ended up expanding their operations internationally. It was in the late 1960’s when Aldi stores expanded to Austria and by mid-1970 these stores were in operation in Denmark, Belgium and even the Netherlands. Aldi made a huge impact in these first foreign forays and during early 1990’s Aldi held a 5% market share in Netherlands and realized an estimated $1 billion from sales in 260 stores in Belgium by 1992. By 2000, Aldi was a leader among German grocers with 40% of the market share and even inspired its rival Lidl that was owned by Germany Schwarz Unternhmens Treuhand that ended up copying the aspects of Aldi’s operating model. Having captured almost 90% of the shoppers in Germany, Aldi turned to other markets in order for it to grow further (Lane, 2014).
Aldi’s entry into the United Kingdom had to overcome numerous challenges that it had not expected. First of all the U.K consumers had a strong brand loyalty. This brand loyalty among these consumers made Aldi make some changes in its strategy which included a reduction of heavy reliance on private label goods and it began stocking some international brands. Secondly there were a lot of competitors within the local discount chain such as Kwik save. The CEO of kwik save pledged to ensure they match up the prices that Aldi was offering and also buy 100 of the existing retail stores in order to limit any expansion by Aldi. Aldi responded in 1991 with an agreement whereby they opened outlets at the existing gateway footmark sites with the hope that their low prices would appeal to new customers to gateway that offered better selection as compared to Aldi.
Within the first five years of Aldi in the U.K it opened 100 stores and it preserved to open new stores at a compound average rate of between 36% between 1990 and 1999. Aldi opened its first store within the United States in rural Midwest in 1976. Aldi operated about 150 stores in states of Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. Its estimated sales in the U.S by 1989 reached the half a billion dollar range. This led to an increase in the pace of Aldi’s U.S expansion with new stores being added both in the Midwest as well as the East coast ((Lane, 2014).
Aldi internal SWOT analysis
There are several strengths of Aldi that has enabled it to maintain a competitive advantage. Right from when it was founded Aldi has focused on low prices. In fact it is termed as the world’s lowest cost grocery retailer. Aldi’s prices are termed as delightfully as well as breathtakingly low. Aldi offers powerful price points for all its products in their stores. Their products are generally affordable as compared to those sold by their competitors.
Secondly Aldi has Simplicity and cost efficiency when it comes to their operations. This makes it possible for them to maintain low operating costs which trickle down to their customers through affordable prices on their products. Aldi relies on Private label sourcing whereby they operate by a model of ubiquity of private label brands within their stores. They exercise rigorous quality control over these private label items with a daily sampling and lab tests and at the same time comparing with items that are well branded.
Aldi also ahs a strong presence not only in Germany but also all over the world. Aldi boasts of having captured about 90% of the German shoppers. Aldi has about 2500 all over Germany 250o and over 8000 stores in Europe and other countries. Aldi has a strong organizational culture based on cultural rules and values that reflect on the organization’s philosophy. It is well known that the purpose of the organization is to avoid any unnecessary costs and the managers of the company as well as the staff are all cost conscious ; they attach the importance of each of the economic benefits because the organization has a policy of not wasting. A simple rule in the organization is that employees turnoff lights when they can get enough sunlight from outside. This means that the concept of saving costs extends to all areas of Aldi stores which include developing new technologies such as warehouse management or transportation (Corious research,2000).
Weaknesses
One of the weaknesses of Aldi is that it is relatively small as compared to its competitors. Their stores are generally small as compared to their competitors and hence they are unable to stock many products for their customers. Aldi stores are generally located in nondescript areas that are well trafficked but with limited parking. In the stores instead of shelving and aisle end caps their products are displayed on the floors of stores in their cardboard shipping boxes which are stacked atop pallets.
Aldi stores have a limited assortment of products that leads to a limited appeal to customers. There is no variety among their products for the customers to choose from. This discourages many customers who have their specific brands of choice from visiting the Aldi stores because they know they will not get their products from there.
Opportunities
Some of the opportunities that exist for Aldi it are their potential to expand their markets. Aldi can expand into growing economies such as Asia and Africa.
Aldi also ahs the potential of Increase market penetration by entering into new markets. Recently, Adi has been able to successfully enter new markets like Houston and expanded its presence in markets that are competitive such as New York and Florida.
In Aldi they believe that great quality is affordable and hence the company is eager to ensure that they continue to improve quality. This is through their continued lab tests on their products just to make sure that their products are up to standard and of good quality.
Aldi also has the potential to hold tight to low cost positioning which can be achieved through their maintaining low operational (Euromonitor, 2014).
Threats
A threat to Aldi is the fact that other limited assortment companies that understand the business and can operate better are emerging. Aldi cannot cater for customers who are looking for established brands that they know and like. The private label brands offered by Aldi can easily be tossed away by the established brands.
Evaluation of the SWOT analysis. Having looked at the Strengths Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of Aldi we can come to various conclusions. Generally Aldi is in an overall strong competitive position due to the strengths and opportunities that the company has. Aldi boast of numerous strengths that have enabled it to establish a competitive advantage against its competitors. Looking at these strengths we are able to see that they are what have enabled the company to reach the level it is at currently not only in Germany but also in the rest of the world. Aldi can turn the weaknesses to strengths through various ways first they can start building relatively larger stores like those of their competitors. They can also increase the assortment of [products so that their customers can get everything they want at Aldi.
Secondly Aldi has numerous opportunities that they can explore to make the company increase its presence all over the world.
However the weakness that Aldi has can be a factor that can lead to the company going down. These weaknesses are things that Aldi can improve on such as increasing the sizes of the stores and also increasing the variety of brands that are found in their stores. The threats that Aldi faces can lead to the company’s failure. The company should strive to make sure that these threats do not get to the better of the organization and hence lead to its failure. Aldi can turn their threats into opportunities such as through incorporating established brands into their stores. This can be done especially in new markets where people have brand preference.
References
Lane, D. (2014). Aldi: The Dark Horse Discounter.
Corious research.(2000). Aldi in Australia: what
Will be the impact. Retrieved September 4, 2014 from www.coriolisearch.com/pdfs/coriolis_…
MBASkool. (2014). ALDI. Retrieved September 4, 2014 from HYPERLINK “http://www.mbaskool.com/brandguide/lifestyle-and -retail/2014-aldi.html
Research and markets. (2013). Aldi, Inc.-Strategic SWOT Analysis Review. ” http://www.mbaskool.com/brandguide/lifestyle-and -retail/2014-aldi.html
Research and markets. (2013). Aldi, Inc.-Strategic SWOT Analysis Review.
Retrieved September 4, 2014 from www.researchandmarkets.com/…/aldi_inc…
Euromonitor.(2014). Aldi group in retailing. Retrieved September 4, 2014 from www.euromonitor.com/aldi…in…/report
Habitat and Biodiversity Loss
Student’s name
Professor
Course
Date
Habitat and Biodiversity Loss
Smith-Spark, Laura. “Habitat and Species Loss Leaves Just 3% of World’s Land Ecosystems Intact — Study.” CNN, Cable News Network, 15 Apr. 2021, edition.cnn.com/2021/04/15/world/intact-ecosystems-report-intl/index.html.
In this article written by Laura Smith, she talks of a study conducted in which there is research on biodiversity loss and the percentage of the biodiversity which is yet to be lost. The study was posted in the journal frontiers of forests and global change. This study as she evaluates and talks about it is one of the research which is very crucial at this time when the loss of biodiversity and habitat is a very common thing. Lately, it is visible that humans have encroached almost all areas of the world even those places whereby it was thought that human beings would be unable to encroach and therefore this leaves the situation very wanting especially for world animals and naturally focusing habitat. This is because according to this article the animals and nature depend on human beings to at least take care of them if not leaving them alone to exist on their own. The research also focuses on the percentage of the world that is intact and that is not adversely affected by human encroachment and it concludes that only 3% of the world’s ecosystem (land) is not yet encroached by human beings.
Therefore this is a very good article and it is important in this research since focusing on the problem of loss of habitat and biodiversity it will be able to provide the statistics of the lost habitat and biodiversity as well as how human beings have encroached the natural environment and brought in destruction as well as possible measures to avert this as it suggests that re-introduction of animals can make the percentage of the intact environment much higher than the current.
Lewis, David J., et al. “The efficiency of voluntary incentive policies for preventing biodiversity loss.” Resource and Energy Economics 33.1 (2011): 192-211.
This paper states that a person can own large pieces of land as it is a reality in the United States of America and therefore through their ownership they preserve nature, habitat, and biodiversity. However, the federal land does not support a lot of biodiversity as most of it is used and it is used in not very good ways. Therefore the conservation work returns to the private. However, with the wishes and the desire of the government to fully be involved in the conservation process, it offers voluntary incentives to most of the private owners of land and biodiversity. These incentives are an exchange for the government agencies and bodies concerned with environmental care, wildlife, and general biodiversity conservation to be able to use the land for conservation purposes. This research paper discusses the above issues and therefore it is very easy for the government through the involvement of the private sector to be greatly involved in the conservation process and make it possible for the endangered species as well as general biodiversity to be preserved and not to be lost.
This paper, therefore, is necessary to this research as its information is crucial towards the identification of the different ways and methods through which biodiversity is being preserved which is the basic aim of this research. It focuses on the different ways the federal government is involved in conservation and preservation and therefore very necessary to this research. It also educates us and the federal government on possible measures and ways to make sure that the environment is fully taken care of.
Wilkinson, David A., et al. “Habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss and the risk of novel infectious disease emergence.” Journal of the Royal Society Interface 15.149 (2018): 20180403.
This paper brings a new focus to the issue of biodiversity loss and conservation. It talks of how the loss of biodiversity and habitat for most of the animals is a very likely feature related to the very many infectious diseases witnessed in the world today. Giving an example of Ebola this paper states that the loss of biodiversity and the encroachment of human beings into the places where biodiversity used to exist is a very risky practice since not only are humans able to get diseases from the animals but they are also likely to affect the lives of the individual human beings and the general human population as well as the lives of the different species which depended on those habitats and biodiversity for their survival. Even though the corona virus is not mentioned in the research since it was before corona came about the link between Ebola and corona is very strong and therefore it suggests that these two diseases have been caused by the encroachment of human beings into the natural environment thus contracting these diseases from the natural environment.
Therefore the loss of biodiversity means the increase in human diseases and so forth. However, if human beings left the natural environment to stay on their own and flourish in its lone places it means that human infectious disease would not be so many and therefore there would be less suffering on the side of human beings. This paper, therefore, is very important to this research as it brings to the front the relationship between different aspects of biodiversity into the relationship of human beings and wildlife and how this affects the kind of life human beings live. Therefore focusing on this aspect of the loss of biodiversity it will be possible to pursue these kinds of circumstances and problems associated with the loss of biodiversity.
Works Cited
Lewis, David J., et al. “The efficiency of voluntary incentive policies for preventing biodiversity loss.” Resource and Energy Economics 33.1 (2011): 192-211.
Smith-Spark, Laura. “Habitat and Species Loss Leaves Just 3% of World’s Land Ecosystems Intact — Study.” CNN, Cable News Network, 15 Apr. 2021, edition.cnn.com/2021/04/15/world/intact-ecosystems-report-intl/index.html.
Wilkinson, David A., et al. “Habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss and the risk of novel infectious disease emergence.” Journal of the Royal Society Interface 15.149 (2018): 20180403.