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A Publication Featuring The Information
Services Technology of Maine State Government
| Volume VII, Issue 3 | March 2004 |
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As one of several Department of Administration and Financial Services (DAFS) ergonomic volunteers who conduct work station evaluations (WSE) for employees, I have noticed that that the cause of most problems are identifiable as I enter an employees’ work space.
Because no one can see themselves sitting in their office work environments, ergonomic volunteers can often simply "take a look" to see what employees cannot. DAFS’ ergonomic process begins with submitting a request to your supervisor. The request is forwarded to DAFS for entering into a database, and thereafter is routed to Occupational Health and Rehabilitation (OH&R) staff who further process the request. They then contact members of the volunteer resource pool to visit the work station.
The Work Station Evaluation (WSE) process itself begins with an initial "before", photograph. Measurements of work surfaces, chair, elbow and eye heights, as well as monitor height, and distance to the eye measurements are routinely taken. There are guidelines in the work sheet for the measurements. Once the measurements are taken and needed adjustments made, recommendations specific to the evaluation are drafted into report form. A final "after" photograph is taken to document change. The report and both photographs are reviewed by OH&R therapist, Deana Kane, who can request additional measurements or information. Once Deana is satisfied, the finished report returns to DAFS and is forwarded to the employee and their supervisor. If assistive equipment is needed, the supervisor will initiate this process.
DAFS employees may request a WSE at any time from their supervisor. New employees need to have a review conducted within 30 days of hire, or transferring or relocating. The Bureau of Employee Health posts information for new employees at: http://www.maine.gov/beh/Safety/NewEmployee/index.htm.
If you’d like to check on the ergonomics in your own work space, there is an on-line course available from the Department of Labor on-line training library. Check it out at: http://www.maine.gov/labor/bls/saftwkrs.htm.
Marion Bowman has been a DAFS ergonomic volunteer for three years, and also serves as the Bureau of Information Services’ Safety Officer. She may be reached with questions by e-mailing marion.bowman@maine.gov.
