November 23, 1999
Contact: Andrew Careaga
573-341-4328
[email protected]
PROPOSED ERGONOMICS STANDARDS MAY HELP BUSINESSES IN LONG RUN
ROLLA, Mo. -- Proposed federal standards for ergonomics may cost businesses money in the short run, but will benefit them in the long run, says a certified ergonomist at the University of Missouri-Rolla.
Dr. Bahador Ghahramami, an associate professor of engineering management at UMR, explains that the ergonomics program proposed on Monday, Nov. 22, by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration will help small businesses.
"In the long run, good ergonomics will help small business," says Ghahramani, who is a certified professional ergonomist. "The costs of implementing such a program are minor in comparison to the liability and disability costs that result from workplace injuries.
"A good keyboard may cost you $50 or $75, and a good computer table may cost you $300 or $400, but the cost of a carpal tunnel injury surgery will be perhaps $2,000 or $3,000 -- or more," Ghahramani says.
"It is more essential and critical for small businesses to adhere to ergonomics principles in work environments than it is for major Fortune 500 companies," he adds, "because most small businesses are surviving on marginal profits. They cannot afford the liabilities, disabilities, loss of work and other problems associated with poor ergonomics."
Ghahramani is certified by the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics, based in Bellingham, Wash. He also was an institutional member of the Executive Council of the International Foundation for Industrial Ergonomics and Safety Research from 1991 to 1994. At that time, he was a distinguished member of the technical staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories. He has been a member of the UMR faculty since 1996.
Ghahramani has written extensively in the area of ergonomics. His recent publications include:
-- "Ergonomic Analysis of Exposure to Carcinogens in Work Environments" and "Ergonomics in the Developing Nations," both published in June 1998 in Advances in Occupational Ergonomics and Safety 2.
-- "An Ergonomics Model to Analyze Working Conditions and Problems of Developing Nations" and "Ergonomics Analysis of Ship Operations in Humid Areas: Healthful Work Environments in Confined Spaces," both published in June 1997 in the proceedings from the International Society for Occupational Ergonomics and Safety.
-- "Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Issues in the Communications Industry," a chapter in the book "Hazard Assessment and Control Technology in Semiconductor Manufacturing II," published in 1993.
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