Wholesale and Retail Trade: NORA Sector Council Bulletin

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  This NORA sector research program addresses the needs of wholesale and retail trade (WRT) for a safe future. This bulletin contains information about: 1. Is your job affecting your health? - NIOSH research has confirmed that "the workplace has become the single greatest source of stress". Symptoms of work stress are seen both physically and mentally. Persistent stress can result in cardiovascular disease, weaker immunity system, frequent headaches, stiff muscles and backache, and digestive problems. Mentally, chronic stress can result in poor coping skills, irritability, jumpiness, insecurity, exhaustion, concentration difficulties, anxiety and depression. The NIOSH WorkLife Program emphasizes the promotion of workplace programs, policies, and practices that result in healthier, more productive employees through a focus on disease prevention, health promotion, and accommodation to age, family, and life stage. 2. NIOSH Research and Projects: Workers Compensation Research & Order Picking Research - a) The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (OBWC) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are partnering on a number of research projects to improve health and safety while reducing workers comp cases and costs in Ohio wholesale retail trade (WRT) companies. During the last decade, there has been a rapid evolution of order picking technologies used in retail distribution warehouses. Improvements in speech-to-text and text-to-speech technology have made the application of voice systems more feasible. As a result, paper-based checklists and electronic product scanners are being replaced with wireless voice-directed systems. Companies that have switched to voiced-directed picking systems have seen faster and more accurate order picking. But this increase in efficiency may have come with some unintended costs. Other than a few anecdotal case studies or industry white papers, there have been no published scientific studies on the performance, health, and safety effects of the newer voice-directed order picking technologies. To fill this gap in the scientific literature, NIOSH in-depth retrospective and prospective studies will be conducted across several large retail distribution centers. Research Objectives: a) Study the health, safety, and performance-related effects of a voice-directed manual order-picking operation in retail distribution centers; and b) Identify elements of order-picking processes that are predictive of adverse performance, health, and safety outcomes. 3. Inside the Manual Materials Handling (MMH) workshop planning committee - Four Agenda Themes: a. How is equipment used in the environment and what are some common user characteristics? b. How do we show improved productivity and justify it? c. What are the new technologies? d. How do we justify and get support for these new tools? 4. Do you need a ROI calculator? - To help practitioners better quantify the benefits of ergonomics, some have developed a cost-benefit calculator. Preventing Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Wholesale and Retail Trade Industry - NIOSH Study Findings: Wholesale and retail trade (WRT) workers are at risk for developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). NIOSH recommends appropriate engineering controls, work practices, hazard communications, and training to prevent MSDs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Body Height Ergonomics Health Promotion Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Mental Health Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Nervous System Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Staff Development Stress, Psychological Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Equipment Design Guidelines Health Programs Health Promotion Height Factors Information Dissemination Injury Prevention Job Stress Lifting Manual Lifting Manual Materials Handling Materials Handling Materials Handling Equipment Materials Transport Medical Research Mental Health Mental Stress MSD Musculoskeletal System Disorders Occupational Diseases Occupational Hazards Occupational Health Occupational Health Programs Occupational Safety Programs Partnership Physical Fitness Physical Stress Retail Workers Return On Investment ROI Safety Education Safety Measures Safety Practices Safety Programs Safety Research Technology Transfer Training Voice Communication Warehousing Website Wholesale And Retail Trade Sector Research Program Work-life Balance Work Environment Worker Health Worker Safety Workers Compensation Work Performance

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• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  EID - Education and Information Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-2
• Volume:
  1
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051049
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Wholesale and Retail Trade Sector Research Program, 2010 Fall; 1(3):1-2
• Contact Point Address:
  Vern Anderson, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  VAnderson@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• NORA Priority Area:
  Wholesale and Retail Trade
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:100be5d6fc510e2c67a16706951d1eedbc6c98e72dcc8d1e0715b5e4006876bc7be014c29472e06d426819e691391a8b23c3dc8eb30a3d29aa36c9869c36cf88
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211183/cdc_211183_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 97.45 KB ]