Worker Education and Behavior Change in Ergonomics

This course examines how worker education, communication, and behavior-change strategies can support effective and sustainable ergonomics. Participants learn why simply providing information or teaching "proper body mechanics" is often insufficient to change workplace behavior and how worker engagement can be used more effectively as part of a broader ergonomic intervention strategy.

Participants examine the role of education within the hierarchy of controls and learn to distinguish problems that can reasonably be influenced through worker behavior from those that require changes to workstation design, equipment, workflow, production systems, or other aspects of the work environment. Emphasis is placed on avoiding the common mistake of using training to compensate for an exposure that should be addressed through engineering or administrative controls.

The course explores practical approaches to ergonomics education, including adult learning principles, task-specific instruction, demonstration, coaching, feedback, and reinforcement. Participants learn to connect education to the worker's actual job and identified exposures rather than relying on generic ergonomics presentations or one-time training.

Worker participation is addressed as an important component of successful ergonomic change. Participants examine strategies for involving workers in identifying barriers, developing solutions, testing proposed changes, and providing feedback on whether interventions are practical within the realities of the job. Attention is also given to the influence of supervisors, peers, organizational expectations, and workplace culture on adoption of ergonomic practices.

Participants learn to consider the factors that influence whether a new behavior or work practice will be adopted and sustained, including perceived value, ease of use, competing production demands, established habits, reinforcement, and consistency of leadership support. Strategies for addressing resistance and improving adoption are explored without placing responsibility for poorly designed work on the individual worker.

The course concludes by examining how to determine whether worker education and behavior-change efforts are actually working. Participants learn to look beyond training completion and evaluate changes in worker knowledge, participation, behavior, use of controls, and workplace practices over time.

Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on using education and behavior change where they are appropriate while continuing to prioritize improvements to the work system itself. The goal is not simply to teach workers how to work differently, but to create the knowledge, engagement, and organizational support necessary for effective ergonomic improvements to be adopted and sustained.

Target Audience:

Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Athletic Trainers, Occupational Health Nurses, Safety Professionals, Human Resources Professionals, Line Leaders, Supervisors, Safety Team Members, and other licensed rehabilitation professionals involved in work rehabilitation, functional restoration, and return-to-work decision-making.

Instructional Level:

Intermediate

Prerequisites:

Foundational knowledge of workplace injury mechanisms and WMSDs and basic ergonomic principles is recommended. This course builds on prior understanding of ergonomic exposure and control strategies and focuses specifically on worker engagement, education, and sustainable behavior change.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Explain the role and limitations of worker education and behavior change within a comprehensive ergonomics strategy.
• Distinguish ergonomic concerns that may be appropriately addressed through education or work-practice change from those requiring engineering or administrative controls.
• Apply adult learning and task-specific education principles to develop practical workplace ergonomics training.
• Use coaching, feedback, reinforcement, and worker participation strategies to support adoption of ergonomic practices and controls.
• Identify individual, job, supervisory, and organizational factors that may facilitate or interfere with sustainable behavior change.
• Develop strategies for engaging workers in the development, implementation, and refinement of ergonomic solutions.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of ergonomics education and behavior-change efforts using measures beyond training completion.

Educational Methods:

Didactic instruction, workplace examples, case-based analysis, worker-engagement scenarios, education and coaching exercises, and applied development of ergonomic behavior-change strategies.

Continuing Education Units / Contact Hours:

1.5 hours. Full Attendance Required.

Sponsors:

This program is not sponsored by any commercial entity. No commercial support has influenced course content.

Disclosure Statement:

All faculty and planners have disclosed relevant financial and non-financial relationships. Any potential conflicts of interest have been reviewed and mitigated in accordance with continuing education standards.

Cancellation & Refund Policy:

Refunds are available in accordance with Matheson's cancellation and refund policy. Please refer to our Cancellation Policy for full details.