As part of a regulatory Cost- Benefit Analysis, a team of economists and ergonomists from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries estimated the benefits of ergonomic interventions by evaluating the literature on actual ergonomics programs in the workplace. This team reviewed 63 articles on the topic of ergonomics and found:
- Average reduction in number of work-related Musculoskeletal Disorder (WMSD) injuries was 50%, while the average reduction in WMSD costs was 64%.
- A decrease in the severity of WMSD injuries that were reported after implementation of ergonomic programs, as seen in the reduction in days per injury and cost per claim.
A Government Accountability Office review of ergonomics programs from five major employers found these efforts resulted in a 36% to 91% reduction in workers’ compensation costs.
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