The Chief Human Resources Officer is responsible for:
- Communicating the expectation that ergonomics shall be included in strategic planning for all Human Resources functions.
- Promoting the application of ergonomic resources wherever the opportunity exists to reduce the risk of MSDs and enhance employee performance.
The vice president, Employee Resource Management is delegated the authority and responsibility to administer and evaluate the national safety and health program.
The manager, Safety and OSHA Compliance Programs (SOCP) is responsible for:
- Establishing the integration of ergonomics with other safety and health functions,
- Overseeing all safety and health programs, and
- Interacting with headquarters stakeholders to ensure program and activity support.
The manager, Ergonomics Programs administers the Postal Service’s ergonomics program as an integral part of a comprehensive safety and health strategy and the following ergonomic management functions:
- Ensures the ergonomics program supports compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and practices.
- Maintains communication with other safety and health functions, operations and engineering functions to ensure ergonomic principles are considered in the design and deployment of all equipment and work methods.
- Directs the activities of the ergonomic specialists.
The ergonomic specialists are assigned by area and are the principal ergonomic resource for the area they serve. Their responsibilities include:
- Maintaining regular contact with the manager, Ergonomics Programs, and area safety manager to ensure the integration of ergonomics with safety and health policy.
- Acting as a resource for health and resource management (HRM) and occupational health services (OHS) at the area and district levels, to assist in the integration of ergonomics with HRM and OHS functions.
- Producing regular reports at the area and district level on progress made towards reducing MSD injury and illness (II) indicators.
- Verifying compliance with ergonomics related mandates, regulations, and policies.
- Assisting installation heads, facility safety coordinators and district safety in identifying opportunities for MSD risk reduction and implementation of ergonomic improvements.
- Attending Area Safety Committee meetings at the request of the committee.
- Analyzing MSD data and establishing metrics for targeting high MSD districts/facilities with MSD reduction plans.
- Reviewing documentation of implemented ergonomic improvements and submitting them to the manager, Ergonomics Programs, for archiving and disseminating.
- Working with the manager, Ergonomics Programs, to coordinate the activities of the contract ergonomists, where necessary, in support of the ergonomics program.
- Providing ongoing support to ergonomics teams.
- Developing the ergonomics knowledge base of area and district leadership, area and district safety committees, district and plant safety specialists and operations at all levels within the organization.
Vice presidents, Area Operations are responsible for:
- Providing an effective ergonomics programs in their areas and
- Ensuring compliance with ergonomics directives.
The Area Executive Safety and Health Committee is responsible for:
- Maintaining ergonomics as a permanent agenda item for each meeting.
- Reviewing injury and illness data, recognizing trends related to musculoskeletal disorders, and recommending a focus on ergonomics action plans as appropriate.
- Reviewing status reports from the district managers, Human Resources on the semi-annual District Ergonomics Planning and Assessment (DEPA) sessions.
The area Human Resources manager is responsible for:
- Monitoring the ergonomics program as part of the area safety and health program, and
- Ensuring area safety resources are available in support of adherence to compliance mandates and implementation of ergonomic improvements.
The Area Safety Manager is responsible for:
- Ensuring ergonomics compliance mandates are communicated to district safety personnel.
- Communicating with ergonomic specialists to resolve ergonomic issues within the area.
These functions work closely with the area ergonomic specialist to integrate the use of ergonomic principles with Occupational Health Services and other Health and Resource Management (HRM) functions to resolve ergonomic issues.
The Area Joint Labor Management Safety and Health Committee is responsible for:
- Suggesting inclusion of ergonomics as a permanent agenda item for each meeting.
- Reviewing injury and illness data, recognizing trends related to musculoskeletal disorders, and recommending a focus on ergonomics action plans as appropriate.
- Assisting in making recommendations for ergonomic improvements.
The district manager is responsible for:
- Supporting implementation and monitoring of the ergonomics program within their district.
- Ensuring district resources are available in support of adherence to compliance mandates and implementation of ergonomic improvements.
The District Executive Safety and Health Committee is responsible for:
- Maintaining ergonomics as a permanent agenda item for each meeting.
- Reviewing injury and illness data, recognizing trends related to musculoskeletal disorders, and recommending a focus on ergonomics action plans as appropriate.
- Reviewing ergonomic compliance measures, implementation and follow up on progress.
The district Human Resources manager is responsible for:
- Monitoring the ergonomics program.
- Ensuring district safety resources are available in support of adherence to compliance mandates and implementation of ergonomic improvements.
- Participating as the chairperson in the semi-annual District Ergonomics Planning and Assessment (DEPA) sessions.
- Communicating regularly with the district manager and other key operational managers regarding progress on implementation of measures designed to reduce MSD risk factors.
- Promoting ongoing communication between the district safety manager, manager of HRM and the ergonomic specialist assigned to the area to ensure access to ergonomic resources and ergonomics training.
- Reporting status and results of the DEPA to the area Human Resources manager.
The district safety manager receives MSD data and ensures that ergonomics is recognized as an important component of a comprehensive strategy to reduce injury and illness. The district safety manager’s responsibilities include:
- Participating in the semi-annual District Ergonomics Planning and Assessment (DEPA) sessions.
- Directing district personnel to access available ergonomic resources.
- Referring safety personnel to the area ergonomic specialist as needed for ergonomic assistance.
- Identifying the appropriate resources to address ergonomic site-specific issues found in facilities within their district.
- Reporting on the status of compliance measures addressed during the semi-annual DEPA session at district executive safety and health committee meetings.
The district safety specialist is responsible for:
- Assisting with implementation and monitoring of the mandated ergonomics program for facilities within their geographic boundaries.
- Verifying adherence to compliance mandates.
- Reviewing MSD statistics and identify facilities in need of a plan for risk reduction.
- Advising installation heads and/or their designees to resources supporting efforts to implement MSD countermeasures.
The district health and resources manager is responsible for:
- Participating in the semi-annual District Ergonomics Planning and Assessment (DEPA) sessions.
- Identifying opportunities to apply ergonomics in return-to-work and reasonable accommodation cases.
- Working closely with the area ergonomic specialist to integrate the use of ergonomic principles with Occupational Health Services and other HRM functions.
The Occupational Health Services is responsible for:
- Recognizing potential MSD risk factors when assessing physical demands associated with job tasks.
- Making use of available ergonomic tools and resources when performing assessments, and recommendations in return-to work and reasonable accommodation cases.
The installation head is responsible for:
- Ensuring compliance with safety, operational and maintenance ergonomic mandates as a result of federal regulation and postal policy within the facility.
- Communicating ergonomic compliance mandates to facility managers and supervisors and ensure compliance.
- Communicating with district safety manager on implementation of an MSD reduction plan when the facility has been notified as a result of the DEPA.
- Maintaining documentation of all ergonomic efforts in the facility.
- Communicating with the applicable unions in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreements to establish ergonomic teams as needed for site-specific ergonomic concerns.
- Communicating commitment and supporting employee involvement in the ergonomics program.
- Using existing methods for employees to report work-related MSD injuries and illnesses.
- Investigating work-related MSD injuries and illnesses and taking appropriate action to prevent recurrence.
- Maintaining and analyzing local work-related MSD data and records.
- Maintaining access to the Safety Toolkit.
- Ensuring employees are provided an effective method for communicating ergonomic concerns and improvement ideas (ex: PS Form 1767s, an ergonomics suggestion box, verbally to their immediate supervisor).
Managers and supervisors are responsible for:
- Ensuring compliance with safety, operational and maintenance ergonomic mandates as a result of federal regulation and postal policy within the facility.
- Regularly monitoring workplace practices and activities to identify MSD risk factors.
- Receiving employee ergonomic-related suggestions and following up for assessment and possible implementation.
- Participating in the implementation of changes to reduce MSD risk factors.
- Ensuring all employees have received training in proper work methods.
The facility safety coordinator is responsible for:
- Soliciting and evaluating ergonomic-related input and suggestions from employees.
- Verifying compliance with ergonomic mandates as part of existing methodologies.
- Ensuring MSD risk factors are considered when conducting safety and health inspections, completing general ergonomic checklists or other available resources.
- Promoting the implementation of ergonomic improvements.
- Performing analyses based upon MSD data.
- Using task analysis tools and other resources available to address issues.
- Implementing improvements to resolve or eliminate hazards that have been identified.
Refer to ELM Subchapter 814.2, Responsibilities.
The Local Joint Labor Management Safety and Health Committees are responsible for:
- Suggesting inclusion of ergonomics as a permanent agenda item for each meeting.
- Reviewing MSDs as a part of injury and illness review.
- Reviewing MSD risk factors, brainstorming solutions and advocating for implementation of ergonomic improvements.
- Reviewing employee ergonomic improvement suggestions.
