Ergonomic Interventions in Shipyards

Ergonomic Interventions in the Building, Repair, and Dismantling of Ships

Due to the high injury and illness rates in the ship building, ship repair, and ship dismantling industries, a research study was undertaken to better understand the relationship between these high rates as noted in the OSHA 200 logs, and the associated job risk factors. Once this association was better understood, effective ergonomic intervention strategies, in the form of best industrial practices, were developed to reduce these injuries and illnesses. The purpose of this website is to present effective ergonomic solutions from various shipyards that have been implemented to address specific ergonomic concerns; many examples are from Japan.

This research study was being conducted in two phases. The objectives of Phase I, the qualitative assessment of job risk factors, were to: 1) conduct walk-through surveys of approximately 20 shipyards to examine injury and illness databases to determine trade-specific incidence rates, 2) conduct qualitative job risk factor assessments of the various trades in several shipyards, and 3) determine if specific job risk factors can be associated with available injury and illness information. Phase II, the quantitative assessment of engineering and administrative controls is completed. The objectives of Phase II were to: 1) quantify job risk factors in the various trades, 2) recommend specific engineering and administrative controls to reduce those risk factors, 3) follow interventions to determine their effectiveness, and 4) conduct workshops with industry and labor to develop a best industrial practices guide for ergonomic interventions in the ship building, ship repair and ship dismantling industries.