Two Companies Win Outstanding Office Ergonomics Award

May 15, 2000
The Center for Office Technology awarded Prudential and Seattle City Light for their outstanding efforts with workplace ergonomics.

Prudential, an insurance and financial services company based in Newark, N.J., and Seattle City Light, a public power utility based in Seattle, Wash., are the winners of the Center for Office Technology'' (COT) annual Outstanding Office Ergonomics Award.

The two awards are based on demonstrated program results, breadth, longevity, innovation and sharing both within the organization and with other in the field.

"These successful programs addressed core ergonomics elements in a variety of ways to meet unique organizational needs," said PJ Edington, COT executive director. "These varied approaches demonstrate that positive ergonomic results can best be achieved by allowing employers to choose from a wide range of options when implementing programs."

Prudential''s quick response efforts to reported increases in the number of complaints about musculoskeletal pain began in 1990.

Through work with a number of interdisciplinary teams, training programs were developed along with a "Train the Trainer" program.

Ergonomic education has been provided to Prudential''s more than 60,000 employees in 30 countries via the corporate Internet, corporate newsletter and a guide booklet.

The company also established 800 numbers for worker compensation reporting and as a means to order ergonomic equipment.

Collaborative programs with furniture suppliers allowed them to pilot new products and make improvements to existing chairs, cubicle designs and keyboard trays.

Seattle City Light was recognized for its proactive efforts to reduce workplace hazards and train its employees.

The Seattle City Light program incorporates several injury prevention/intervention strategies including a fully integrated comprehensive ergonomic process.

Other safety and health strategies include an on-site work conditioning program for injured employees; an on-site, on work-time employee stretching program; on-site exercise facilities; and an aggressive return to work program using a team approach to claim management.

Seattle''s program customizes the ergonomics approach for each employee through specific job functions because it believes that one size and one ergonomics fix does not work for all employees.

by Virgina Sutcliffe

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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