In part 1 we looked at current business disciplines, their associated strengths and weaknesses and the reason for why a new strategy and approach is need for proactively and reactively solving productivity, efficiency and safety issues. In part 2 we are going to explore the power of L.E.S.S. ™
The Power of L.E.S.S. ™
Normally communication is a good thing, actually a necessary thing in order for work to get done properly and in a timely manner. In fact, I encourage my clients to evaluate and improve their communication and communication processes with their employees. This makes rolling out new initiatives (such as Lean, Ergonomics, etc.) as well as general everyday work go smoothly with minimal frustrations, misconceptions or “mis-work”.
The above title was the headline from an article that appeared on EHS Today online. The article gave an overview of a study conducted by Duke Medicine (Duke National University of Singapore) researchers that found the costs associated with medical and prescription drug claims gradually rose with each unit increase in BMI (body mass index), specifically the increases began with a BMI above 19 (A healthy or normal BMI is 19 to 24, while overweight is 25 to 29 and obese is 30 and above, i.e.
Psychosocial factors are present in every job; however, they are commonly overlooked as a contributor or cause of low performance or injuries in workers. Employers that ignore them can miss the root or adjoining cause of productivity and safety issues. Psychosocial factors can include:
A new study showed three different participatory intervention strategies to reduce the amount of time people spend sitting at work appeared to be effective. However, the total amount of reduction averaged 1-2% of the work day (~ 8 minutes/day).
Background information of prolonged sitting
With the fairly recent identification of “sitting disease” and the focus on improving employee performance, health and wellness there has been a number of sit-stand computer workstation devices to hit the market. Recently I had the opportunity to see, experience and evaluate a relatively new computer workstation sit-stand device called the VARIDESK. I’ve seen the VARIDESK online before but never in person until now. The VARIDESK website describes it as an “adjustable height stand-up desk that allows you to transform your workspace by switching from
The CDC’s statistics regarding obesity in America is sobering when one considers the impact on our healthcare system and for employers who need to provide jobs that accommodate the physical characteristics that occur with obesity. According to the CDC, the percentage of Americans adults over age 20 who are obese is 35.9%. The percentage essentially doubles if t
