Before You Buy New Equipment: 7 Workplace Ergonomic Problems Worth Checking First
Seven situations worth checking on the floor first — what to look for, a possible adjustment, and when to bring in an ergonomic assessment.
A packing station can look organized and still make every employee reach too far. A cart can carry the load and still require excessive effort to move. A tool can be new and still be a poor fit for the task.
Before approving another equipment purchase, take a closer look at how the work is actually performed. An ergonomic assessment starts with the relationship between the task, the worker, and the workspace. NIOSH describes ergonomics as designing work to fit workers' capabilities.1
That does not mean equipment is unnecessary. OSHA favors physical changes that reduce ergonomic hazards where feasible. The purpose of an assessment is to identify which change addresses the problem before money is spent.2
For manufacturing, warehousing, and other physically demanding workplaces, these seven situations are useful starting points.
Reaching across a workstation on every cycle
Watch where employees place their hands during normal production. Do they lean across a bench for components, stretch toward a conveyor, or repeatedly retrieve a tool from the far side of the station?
Repositioning materials or a work surface can reduce excessive reaching. OSHA includes workstation repositioning and conveyor changes among its examples of ergonomic engineering controls.2
- What to check
- Observe a complete work cycle, including replenishing supplies and handling finished products. Ask which items employees use most often and which are awkward to retrieve.
- A possible adjustment
- Trial a closer location for frequently used parts, with employee input. Confirm that the change preserves machine guarding, access, and safe movement.
- When to seek an assessment
- The reach is built into the equipment layout, differs substantially between workers, or cannot be reduced without changing the production process.
Work surfaces that force bending or raised shoulders
A fixed-height workstation may fit one person and leave another working in an awkward posture. The work itself matters too: an inspection task and a forceful assembly task may need different arrangements.
OSHA's computer-workstation guidance illustrates the same problem in offices: a surface that is too high or too low can produce awkward wrist, arm, and shoulder positions. Adjustability helps accommodate the worker and task.3
- What to check
- Look for sustained forward bending, elevated shoulders, and difficulty positioning the work where it can be seen and handled comfortably.
- A possible adjustment
- Evaluate an adjustable surface or a secure fixture that positions the work appropriately. Avoid improvised platforms or supports that introduce instability or trip hazards.
- When to seek an assessment
- Different shifts share a station, the task requires significant force, or changing height would affect nearby equipment.
Frequently handled materials stored at difficult heights
A storage plan may use space efficiently while making daily handling unnecessarily demanding. The important question is how often workers must retrieve items from each location.
OSHA identifies overhead reaching, bending, lifting, and repetitive material handling as warehouse ergonomic risk factors.4
- What to check
- Compare storage position with item weight, size, handling frequency, and available grip. Include the changing height of a pallet as it is loaded or emptied.
- A possible adjustment
- Review whether frequently handled loads can be placed in more accessible locations or handled with an appropriate lifting or positioning device. NIOSH's manual-handling guide discusses reducing floor-level lifts and improving load position.5
- When to seek an assessment
- Materials are bulky or unstable, storage changes could affect rack safety, or the task involves repeated lifting throughout the shift.
Twisting while lifting or transferring products
Follow the product through the station. Does the employee repeatedly lift from one side and deposit on the other while remaining in the same position?
The Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation evaluates more than object weight. It accounts for factors including reach, lift height, travel distance, asymmetry, frequency, and grip quality.6
- ReachHow far from the body the load is held
- Lift heightWhere the hands are at the start and end
- Travel distanceHow far the load moves up or down
- AsymmetryHow far the body twists
- FrequencyHow often the lift is repeated
- Grip qualityHow well the load can be held
- What to check
- Note the pickup and placement locations, space to move, and how the task changes when production accelerates.
- A possible adjustment
- Evaluate whether the flow of materials can be rearranged to reduce twisting or whether a suitable positioning device is needed.
- When to seek an assessment
- The transfer combines twisting with a long reach, frequent lifting, or a load that is difficult to hold.
A useful fact: the equation's 51-pound load constant applies to ideal conditions within the method's scope. It is not a universal safe lifting limit. Less favorable task conditions reduce the recommended weight, and the method has defined applications and limitations.6
Tools that demand awkward wrists or excessive grip
Instead of asking whether a tool is marketed as ergonomic, watch how it works in the employee's hand.
OSHA identifies handle shape, span, orientation, and contact pressure as potential issues. Its guidance also emphasizes suitable tool selection and maintenance.7
- What to check
- Look for bent wrists, repeated forceful squeezing, uncomfortable handle contact, and tools that are difficult to control. Ask employees how the tool feels after sustained use.
- A possible adjustment
- Compare suitable tool and fixture options using the actual task. Include required gloves in the trial, and check maintenance before assuming replacement is the only answer.
- When to seek an assessment
- The task involves vibration, substantial torque, sustained force, or a powered alternative that could introduce additional hazards.
Carts that take too much effort to start or steer
Replacing carrying with a cart does not eliminate every material-handling risk. A cart's wheels, handles, load, and route affect the effort required.
OSHA notes that damaged wheels, poorly inflated tires, awkward handles, and rough terrain can increase demands on workers.8
- What to check
- Observe starting, turning, stopping, and crossing thresholds with the normal load. Include ramps, crowded areas, and visibility around stacked materials.
- A possible adjustment
- Address worn components, evaluate load size and wheel suitability, and review the route. Consider powered assistance where the task warrants it.
- When to seek an assessment
- Employees must use abrupt whole-body effort, loads are hard to control, or slopes and traffic complicate handling. A cart's rated carrying capacity alone does not establish that it is appropriate for a person to push.
Repetition without enough variation or recovery
A light task can still deserve attention when it is repeated for long periods. NIOSH identifies intensity, frequency, duration, awkward posture, and force among the conditions relevant to work-related musculoskeletal disorders.1
- What to check
- Observe the task across a meaningful portion of the shift. Ask whether job rotation actually changes the physical demands.
- A possible adjustment
- Review task design, workload, recovery opportunities, and staffing. OSHA recommends that rotation move employees between jobs using different muscle groups, rather than simply changing stations.2
- When to seek an assessment
- Several jobs stress the same body areas, discomfort continues despite rotation, or a production change increases the pace.
Turn observations into a workable improvement plan
A walkthrough is most useful when it produces a decision and a follow-up date. Start with a task that employees identify as difficult or that repeatedly generates concern. For each one, record:
- Task and conditions What is happening, and under which production conditions?
- Employee feedback Which part is difficult, and when does discomfort occur?
- Proposed change Which specific demand should the change reduce?
- Responsibility Who will implement and check the change?
- Follow-up Did it help, and did it create another problem?
Test changes with the people who perform the job. Evaluate the revised task during normal operation, not only during a demonstration. A successful change should be practical enough to use consistently.
Worker training can support an improvement, but it should accompany appropriate task design. A reminder to use good posture cannot relocate a bin or reduce the force required by a poorly maintained cart.
Sources
- NIOSH — About Ergonomics and Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders
- OSHA — Ergonomics: Solutions to Control Hazards
- OSHA — Computer Workstations eTool: Keyboards
- OSHA — Warehousing: Hazards and Solutions
- NIOSH and partners — Ergonomic Guidelines for Manual Material Handling. Publication 2007-131; established guidance, not a new injury-statistics report
- NIOSH — Applications Manual for the Revised NIOSH Lifting Equation. Revised September 2021; see the equation, task variables, and limitations
- OSHA — Solutions for Electrical Contractors eTool: Using Tools
- OSHA — Solutions for Electrical Contractors eTool: Pushing, Pulling and Carrying
Sources checked November 3, 2026.