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People + Process = Performance

human factors

Injuries: Are They Process Issues or People Issues?

Injuries can be very costly to companies.  Not only can they result in increased workers’ compensation insurance rates but can also cause staffing difficulties, decreased employee morale, and depending on the type and severity of the injury bring an unwanted visit by OSHA.  Often times the employee who gets injured is assigned all or partial blame for the incident.  You are probably very well versed in the typical reasons why s/he got hurt:  s/he should have known better; s/he did have common sense; s/he didn’t use the provided equipment to do the job safely; s/he was tired and not thinking

Tags
employee injuries
process issues
workers compensation
safety
human factors

L.E.S.S. ™: The Case for a New Strategy and Approach to Productivity, Quality and Safety-Part 2

Submitted by JillK on Mon, 01/27/2014 - 00:00

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. ™

Is there such a thing as too much communication?

Submitted by JillK on Mon, 01/06/2014 - 00:00

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”.

“Study: The Heavier the Employees, the Heftier the Health Care Costs”

Submitted by JillK on Mon, 12/30/2013 - 00:00

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.

Study showed reduced sitting time at work achieved through participatory interventions

Submitted by JillK on Thu, 12/12/2013 - 00:00

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

Impact of Obesity on Productivity

Submitted by JillK on Mon, 07/29/2013 - 00:00

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

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