Workplace safety and OSHA
Ergonomics and Manual Material Handling
Recognize the job features that cause strain injuries, set up your workstation and handle loads without hurting yourself
Awareness · 1 hour · Certificate does not expire
Back strains, sore shoulders, tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome rarely come from one accident. They build up from the way a job is set up: the reach to a parts bin, the angle of a microscope, the height of a pallet, the force needed on a crimp tool. This course teaches you to recognize those risk factors and what to do about them.
You will learn the five main ergonomic risk factors (force, awkward posture, repetition, vibration and contact stress), the early symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders and why reporting them early matters. You will learn how ergonomics is regulated in the US: there is no federal OSHA ergonomics standard, but OSHA enforces serious ergonomic hazards under the General Duty Clause, and states such as California (8 CCR 5110) and Minnesota have their own requirements. You will set up benches, microscopes and inspection stations for neutral posture, choose hand tools that reduce strain, and learn how the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation and its 23 kg (51 lb) load constant are used as a job design tool rather than a legal limit. The final module covers team lifts, carts and lift assists, the hierarchy of controls, OSHA recordkeeping of MSDs and your responsibilities.
The course is for operators, assemblers, inspectors, machinists, warehouse staff and supervisors in electronics assembly, aerospace machining, metal fabrication and warehousing.
What this course does not do. It is general awareness training. It does not assess your workstation or your lifts, and it does not qualify you to perform ergonomic assessments. Your employer must still evaluate its own jobs, provide controls, explain its own ergonomics program and reporting route, and train you on any hoists, lift assists or powered handling equipment before you use them. Where a state rule such as Cal/OSHA 8 CCR 5110 applies, the employer must meet its specific requirements. Employers outside the US follow their own national regulations.
The course closes with a 10-question examination drawn from a bank of 20. On passing you receive a PlanetISO Certificate of Completion for the online instruction, with lifetime access to the course. The certificate does not expire.
What people learn
- Identify the five main ergonomic risk factors in manufacturing and warehouse tasks.
- Recognize the early symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders and explain why they should be reported early.
- Explain how ergonomic hazards are regulated in the US, including the General Duty Clause and Cal/OSHA 8 CCR 5110.
- Set up a bench, microscope or inspection station for neutral posture and choose hand tools that reduce strain.
- Explain how the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation is used as a job design tool and why its load constant is not a legal limit.
- Apply safe lifting practice and choose team lifts, carts or lift assists where a load calls for them.
- Apply the hierarchy of controls to an ergonomic hazard and describe how MSDs are handled under OSHA recordkeeping.