Finding good workers is half the battle — then you need to keepthem healthy and productive. Today about 20% of days of missedwork are due to injuries that happen as a result of poor officedesign. Companies that consider their employees' work environmentand how it can affect health and efficiency — known as ergonomics —can potentially reduce workplace injuries.

Most organizations see the frequency of ergonomic-relatedinjuries and costs grow each year. But the simple fact is thatpeople need to perform physical work, whether at a factory, a storeor an office.

Statistics fromthe Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) underscore this. Forexample:

• Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account forone-third of worker injuries and illnesses annually — the mostfrequently reported.
• Ergonomics-related injuries require more time off than otherworkplace injuries and illnesses.

OSHA and Liberty Mutual also found that overexertion injuries — lifting, pushing, pulling, holding,carrying, or throwing — cost businesses $13.8 billion everyyear.

Additionally, an estimate of the total economic burden of serious, nonfatalworkplace injuries as measured by workers’ compensation costs is nearly $60 billion.

Related: Sit up straight: Millennials, safety andergonomics

Turning losses into a win-win

Creating operations based on good design that benefits theentire workforce is an easier solution than you might think. One ofthe effective ways to do this is through a continuous improvementmethod known as a kaizen event.

Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “good change.” These eventshelp make employees’ jobs safer and more efficient through the study oftheir work activities and small, simple improvements in theirenvironment. The focus is on immediate action rather thanlonger-term, costly alternatives.

Related: Top 5 ergonomic trends redefining the workplace

Daily and long-term improvements

Kaizen events can help reduce your total cost of risk and yourergonomic-injury costs while boosting your bottom line andproductivity. Take these real-life examples:

• Adjusting the parts bin on an assembly line reduced reaching by50%, which cut ergonomic risk to workers’ shoulders and improvedassembly speed by 4%.
• Placing pallets closer to the point of use eliminated the needfor workers to carry 22 pound boxes 15 feet more than 200 times pershift.
• Lowering employees’ computer monitors reduced backward neckbending and therefore neck and upper back discomfort.

Although there are numerous ways to tackle ergonomic-related injuries, a kaizen event is a simpleand effective approach that enables employees to improve safety andefficiency. When conducted regularly in conjunction with othercasualty risk reduction programs, kaizen events can help yourorganization achieve safety excellence.

Related: A safe workplace: The ‘secret weapon’ for hiring and keepingemployees

Jeffrey Smagacz is senior vice president, Global Ergonomistfor Marsh. This article first appeared on Marsh.com and isreprinted here with permission. Visit the Marsh Risk in Context blog for the originalpost.