ERGONOMIC RISK ASSESSMENT
An ergonomic risk assessment identifies and ranks the ergonomic risks in each task, and every employer whose employees may be exposed to them needs one. Those risks include lifting and carrying, awkward postures, repetitive movements, forceful gripping and poorly set-up workstations. The Ergonomics Regulations, 2019 require the assessment before the work starts.
A sound assessment covers every task with ergonomic risks, including maintenance, cleaning, office and night-shift work. We observe each task on site and talk to the people who do it. Then we rank the risks so you know what to fix first. We are based in Pretoria and work in all nine provinces.
WHY ERGONOMIC RISKS MATTER
Poor ergonomics harms people gradually. Repeated lifting, twisting, reaching and gripping can lead to musculoskeletal disorders of the back, neck, shoulders and upper limbs, and to repetitive strain injuries. Poor ergonomics can also cause fatigue, discomfort and reduced concentration. Without a formal assessment, this damage can go unnoticed.
The business pays through absenteeism, lost productivity and higher injury and compensation costs. Weight alone is a poor guide to risk. A light box lifted from floor level hundreds of times a shift can be riskier than a heavier item moved once a day. Complaints of back, neck, shoulder or wrist pain are worth checking against your assessment.
Regulation 6 of the Ergonomics Regulations, 2019 requires an ergonomic risk assessment before work that may expose employees to ergonomic risks starts. It must be repeated at intervals not exceeding two years. A competent person must do it: someone with knowledge, training and experience in ergonomics who knows the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 and the regulations. The regulations do not require an approved inspection authority.
The employer must consult the health and safety committee or representatives first (regulation 6(1)(b)). The assessment must identify the hazards, who may be affected and how, then analyse, evaluate and prioritise the risks (regulation 6(2)(b)).
Review it sooner if controls stop working or the work methods, type of work or control equipment change (regulation 6(3)). An incident or medical surveillance finding linked to ergonomic risks also triggers a review. Controls must follow the hierarchy of controls (regulation 7). The regulations set no maximum lifting weight. Keep the assessment for at least 40 years (regulation 10). Our free Compliance Gap Assessment shows which assessments your workplace needs and which are overdue.
WHAT THE ERGONOMICS REGULATIONS REQUIRE
HOW WE CONDUCT AN ERGONOMIC RISK ASSESSMENT
We assess each task where it is done, with the people who do it. Christo de Wet leads every assessment. He is an occupational hygienist registered with the Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene (SAIOH), ROH 0953, with 15 years of experience.
Before the visit, send us a list of job types and tasks, and arrange access to employees while they work. Consult your health and safety committee or representatives, as regulation 6(1)(b) requires.
On site, we watch each task during normal work. For manual handling, we look at the load, how often it is moved, the distances, the start and end heights and the postures it forces. We also look at repetition, force, recovery time, work heights, reach distances, seating, screens, hand tools and work pace. We note where vibration, poor lighting, heat or cold make a task harder.
After the visit, we rate each task for posture, force, repetition and duration. We combine REBA, RULA, the NIOSH lifting equation, the Key Indicator Method (KIM) and the Manual Handling Assessment Charts (MAC) to suit each task. Then we rank the tasks by risk. Our recommendations follow the hierarchy of controls: removing a lift or adding a mechanical aid comes before training, and personal protective equipment comes last. We can also cover ergonomics within a wider occupational health risk assessment. On mines and quarries, we assess surface operations only, under the Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996.
- • The areas, job types and tasks assessed
• The ergonomic hazards in each task, who may be affected and how
• A risk rating per task for posture, force, repetition and duration
• Manual handling findings: loads, frequency, distances, heights and postures
• The tasks ranked by risk, so you know what to fix first
• Practical controls in hierarchy order, from removing a lift to mechanical aids, layout changes and job rotation
• A report written for management, SHEQ teams and auditors
What affects the quote: the time on site, which depends on the size of the site and the number of job types or tasks to assess, and travel to site. If you add other assessments, each appears as its own line item on the quotation.
WHAT YOUR ERGONOMIC RISK ASSESSMENT INCLUDES
- How often must an ergonomic risk assessment be done?
Before any work that may expose employees to ergonomic risks starts, then at intervals not exceeding two years (Ergonomics Regulations, 2019, regulation 6). Review it sooner if controls stop working, the work methods or type of work change, or an incident is linked to ergonomic risks.
Who may do an ergonomic risk assessment?
A competent person with knowledge, training and experience in ergonomics. No approved inspection authority is needed. The explanatory notes allow a competent employee who knows the task to do it. Complex tasks may need a health and safety professional.
Is there a maximum weight an employee may lift?
Not under the Ergonomics Regulations, 2019. Neither the regulations nor their explanatory notes set a kilogram limit. A figure on a poster or in a training course is not a limit set by these regulations. The risk depends on how often the lift is done, the load's distance from the body, its start and end heights, twisting and grip.
What happens after the assessment?
Put the recommended controls in place, top of the hierarchy first, and keep them in good working order (regulations 7 and 9). Employees must be trained before they start the work (regulation 3). Where the assessment indicates it, medical surveillance follows (regulation 8).
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Free online tool: Compliance Gap Assessment. See what is due at your workplace
Occupational hygiene for warehousing, logistics and distribution
Occupational hygiene for automotive plants, spray booths and workshops
Occupational hygiene for abattoirs and meat processing
What does an ergonomics risk assessment cover?
Manual handling: practical ways to cut lifting injuries
What is an AIA inspection in South Africa, and which AIA do you need?
FREE TOOL AND ARTICLES
REQUEST A QUOTE
Send us your list of job types and tasks, and we will quote an ergonomic risk assessment for your site. Travel is quoted upfront, wherever you are in South Africa.
