A participatory ergonomics approach to prevention of musculoskeletal disorders in Portuguese small and medium enterprises: Ergo@Office

Abstract

A participatory ergonomics program enables a company to engage employees in its preventive strategy. This paper presents [email protected], an integrated methodology devised for promoting continuous implementation of preventive measures while monitoring their effectiveness over time in a participatory manner. It consists of a straightforward and cost-effective resource which is primarily aimed at supporting the identification of the need for implementation of interventions for strategic prevention of musculoskeletal disorders. As a practitioner tool, [email protected] guides the deployment of a participatory approach to ergonomics in both the analysis as well as in the intervention phase. The implementation of the measures envisaged in this planning support framework result from teamwork between the OSHS (Occupational Health and Safety Services) and the employee whose work is under focus. The implemented measures should then be monitored, which will enable assessing their effectiveness and their adjustment to the labour setting in an up-to-date manner.