Success Brief:Three years after being invited to
join the Maine 200 program this institution’s ergonomics program had reduced their lost work-day injury
rate and total lost work-days by over 95 percent. Their workers' compensation insurance
costs had decreased by over $100,000 per year.
The Problem
In 1993 the high levels of occupational injuries
(primarily musculoskeletal) experienced by
Colby College led to an invitation for them to
partner with OSHA in a voluntary effort to
reduce these injuries.
The Solution
They established an ergonomics assessment and
implementation team to analyze their injury and illness data and identify when,
where, and how their injuries were occurring. The ergonomic concerns they
identified were addressed with job redesigns, equipment changes, training, and
warm-up exercise programs. They stressed employee involvement in all phases of
their program.
The Impact
Three years after being invited to join the Maine
200 program, the institution's ergonomics program had reduced their lost work-day
injury rate and total lost work-days by over 95 percent. Their workers'
compensation insurance costs had decreased by over $100,000 per year.
In 2002, Colby’s ergonomics program continues to help keep lost time
injuries and their associated costs low. A workers’ compensation mod factor of
.52 means that money formerly spent on insurance premiums now goes to the
College’s bottom line.
Source:OSHA case files; Updated October 2002,
Bruce McDougal, CSP, Director of Safety, Colby College.