Ergonomic Evaluation of Emergency Veterinary Clinic Operations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gangakhedkar S ; Kaber D ; Rogers M
• Description:
  Veterinary operations have been found to pose substantial risks for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The objective of this research was to identify ergonomic risks associated with small animal operations and to provide recommendations of ergonomic interventions. A field study was conducted at a local emergency veterinary clinic. Identification of risk factors followed a structured approach including problem area identification, critical task identification, task analysis, job screening for risk factors, review of high-risk jobs, and ergonomic data collection. The data and subsequent analyses revealed four tasks posing high risks for WMSDs, which included transportation of animals, pre-surgery preparation and animal restraint techniques on the floor and on a table. Engineering, administrative, and PPE recommendations were formulated for the clinic toward mitigating ergonomic risk factors. Examples included using "slide-out" cages to minimize unsupported patient transport with substantial hand-to-body distance and using adjustable height tables to minimize leaning when restraining a patient. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Animals Ergonomics Health Personnel Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Veterinarians

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• Keywords:
  Animal Handlers MSD Musculoskeletal System Disorders Personal Protective Equipment PPE Risk Factors Veterinary Medicine
• Publisher:
  GOErgo, the Global Organization of Ergonomics, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; Georgia ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  27
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054200
• Citation:
  The 14th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference 2011: Practitioners talking to practitioners, March 21-24, 2011, Orlando, Florida. Norcross, Georgia: GOErgo, the Global Organization of Ergonomics, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, 2011 Mar; :27
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2011
• Performing Organization:
  University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  The 14th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference 2011: Practitioners talking to practitioners, March 21-24, 2011, Orlando, Florida
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:410627b41ea6cca5719bae64268295bda51fd3825e9e682aedb9f91f1cfb8c5916863e1e5dc65377bd4ab38558e085a5912c4e20a1ec8055f45b267d68703d94
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216812/cdc_216812_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.92 MB ]