February 2000

Call Center Ergonomics Makes Good Business Sense

by CHRISTINE JACOBS, INTERIOR CONCEPTS

Lost production, higher insurance premiums, OSHA fines, workers� compensation, employee turnover, medical costs � the list goes on. These are just a few of the things employers can look forward to as a result of poor ergonomics.

Ergonomics is the relationship between a worker and his or her work environment or simply �fitting jobs to people.� Unfortunately, all the talk surrounding poor ergonomics is not hype. It�s a real problem that is crippling the lives of the people it affects, many of whom are sitting in the call centers we provide.

The Facts
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, in 1981 there were 23,000 cases of job-related injuries caused by repeat traumas such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Today, that number has soared to 332,000 � more than a 1,400 percent increase. Experts attribute this to the almost universal use of computers in the workplace. These numbers continue to escalate as the world becomes more computer-dependent.

These repeat traumas are not cheap. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, the average carpal tunnel syndrome case requiring surgery costs $35,000.00. What�s more, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) estimates that employers spend about $120 billion a year in direct and indirect costs related to poor ergonomics. Approximately one-third of workers� compensation dollars are spent on repetitive motion injuries; injuries often found in call centers.

There are also several nonquantifiable, indirect costs associated with poor ergonomics. They include higher insurance premiums, higher employee turnover, medical treatments (therapy, medications, surgery), OSHA fines, absenteeism, associated labor costs, production loss, legal fees, personnel replacement, claims, administrative costs, workers� compensation, lost benefits, etc. Because there is no steadfast method of measuring these indirect costs, it is very hard to pinpoint just how much these ergonomic injuries are costing call centers.

Productivity is the staple in a successful call center. Whether it is an inbound, outbound or blended center, without healthy, able-bodied employees, you might as well close your call center�s doors. In fact, it is estimated that ergonomically healthy employees are 20 to 40 percent more productive.

Prevention Is The Best Medicine
Just a few doses of preventive medicine can be thousands of dollars cheaper than the medical costs associated with a cumulative trauma disorder. It is estimated that to pay for one cumulative trauma, a call center would lose the productivity of almost two agents.

There are relatively simple precautions call center administrators can take to safeguard their centers from injuries due to poor ergonomics. They include conducting a site assessment of potentially hazardous work areas, modifying agent work areas to be conducive to good ergonomic positioning and posture, and implementing a training plan for all agents to properly use the ergonomic equipment already in place.

Conducting a site assessment. This is a service usually conducted by an occupational health care organization. Some call center design firms also offer this service. The important thing to remember is to make sure that the person doing the assessment has the correct training and credentials for it to be truly valid.

Usually in a site assessment, the call center site is examined to identify situations that may cause agents to obtain injuries that could otherwise be prevented with ergonomically correct equipment and work practices. In this process, everything should be accurately documented and later evaluated to submit an optimal recommendation for each unique individual.

Modifying agent work areas. After a complete assessment is made of each agent�s work area, you may need to modify the workstations they sit at to make them �ergonomically friendly� to each individual. The most important thing to consider when designing the workstation is that it should have maximum adjustability. This allows each agent on each shift to adjust the workstation for his or her own ergonomic needs.

So, what equipment is essential to promote good ergonomics in a call center?

Adjustable chair. This is the number-one consideration. Since the center will purchase a chair for each agent anyway, it is important to take the time to research which chair fits your center�s specific needs. The most important feature to look for is maximum adjustability.

Adjustable keyboard mechanism. The keyboard mechanism selected should also allow for maximum adjustability. The keyboard should tilt and adjust to accommodate each agent�s needs.

Wrist rest. Although not resting the wrists on anything is optimal, human nature is to practice what is comfortable, which includes resting the wrist on the work surface. This puts unnecessary pressure on the wrist area. The best wrist rests should allow for some �give,� such as the gel-filled rests. They provide a comfortable feel in the neutral position without putting unnecessary stress on the carpal area.

Adjustable-height monitor riser. A monitor riser can save much of the stress put on an agent�s neck and eyes. It is important that the monitor is not put in an awkward head position. Monitor risers are available with adjustable arms, optimal for multishift call centers, or with simple riser blocks.

Headsets. When agents must hold onto a telephone receiver, it is difficult to use a computer at the same time. As a result, agents often squeeze the hand piece between their ear and shoulder. This puts excessive pressure on the agent�s neck. Headsets not only provide an ergonomic solution, they also allow the agent to be more productive.

Other items such as adjustable height workstations, footrests, glare screens and document holders assist in good ergonomics. The foremost thing to consider is that the ergonomic equipment is tailored to the agents who will be using it, creating an exact ergonomic match to each person�s specific needs.

Implement a training plan. Although poor site design is a contributing factor to serious injuries, 80 percent of all injuries are caused by damaging work behaviors. Call centers can equip their agents with all of the right equipment, but without proper training, it is all fruitless. The site assessment will point out which type of training program will fit your needs best. It�s very important to not only implement the training program, but also to use a follow-up plan that will continue to reinforce what the agents have been taught. Training is not expensive. On average, basic training costs about $17.00 per person.

Pay Now Or Pay Later
By now you may be thinking, �My budget is slim as it is. How can I afford to implement an ergonomics program?� With the escalating costs of cumulative trauma injuries, you probably cannot afford not to implement a program.

The return on investment (ROI) alone is enough incentive to implement an ergonomics program in your call center. The average annual labor cost for a 100-seat call center is about $2.4 million (including benefits). The one-time cost to ergonomically equip a workstation is approximately $350 per workstation (this includes an adjustable monitor stand, adjustable keyboard mechanism, a wrist rest and a footrest). This equates to a total one-time investment of $35,000, precisely the estimated cost for just one carpal tunnel syndrome case requiring surgery. And according to a 1995 OSHA study, it is estimated that over a five-year period, one in six employees who uses a PC more than two hours a day will acquire carpal tunnel syndrome, costing a 100-seat call center around $560,000.

Implementing an ergonomics plan not only makes good business sense, soon the law will mandate it. OSHA has proposed, and is currently pushing through Congress, a new set of ergonomic standards for all businesses nationwide, including call centers. The new standards mandate all businesses to implement a workplace safety and health program to prevent occurrences of work-related musculoskeletal disorders. When this legislation has passed, all businesses must adhere to this directive.
There is good news though. Employers who have implemented a safety and health program before the effective date of the rule may continue to implement their current program if it satisfies the parameters of the Act. By implementing your call center�s ergonomics program now, you may be able to be �grandfather claused� out of the new legislation and avoid costly governmental fines down the road.

In short, in an industry that relies so heavily on its labor pool, it is important that its laborers are in the best possible physical and mental condition. By providing a work area that is ergonomically friendly and that the agents are correctly trained to use, you not only are saving their bodies, you may also be saving your call center thousands of dollars. Prevention, in this industry, just makes good business sense.

Christine Jacobs is marketing manager for Interior Concepts, a custom manufacturer of furniture for call centers.

Editor�s Note

A timely topic has raised its head to address this month�s �Building the Perfect Call Center.� On November 23, 1999, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) put forth its most comprehensive ergonomics proposal yet. To most people, OSHA is only associated with obviously hazardous jobs such as those found in the chemical or manufacturing industries. However, if passed, this new proposal will reach into America�s offices in an attempt to protect workers from the estimated 300,000 musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) contracted per year in everyday work environments. The call center has been identified as one of those work environments likely to induce MSDs such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis. At press time, OSHA�s legislation had not yet become policy, but it is expected to. The organization recently introduced a proposal requiring companies to be responsible for the ergonomic health of employees working from their homes. The measure was quickly withdrawn, but it implies that the climate for ensuring workplace ergonomic health is heating up. The following article by Christine Jacobs of Interior Concepts informs call center managers how to prevent job-related MSDs in the call center and, as a result, keep OSHA from stepping in and enforcing its regulations personally. More information on OSHA�s Ergonomics proposal can be found in the Corpus Juris column of this month�s issue and from OSHA�s Web site at www.osha.gov.