Pilot Credit 44: Ergonomics Strategy

  • Good Ergonomics Important for Worker Health, and Productivity

    This pilot credit is based off the existing LEED interpretation for Commercial Interiors.  It is designed to explain the importance of ergonomics for worker health and productivity.

    Credit Submittals

    General

    1. Register for Pilot Credit(s) here. 
    2. Register a username at LEEDuser.com, and participate in online forum
    3. Submit feedback survey; supply PDF of your survey/confirmation of completion with credit documentation

    Credit Specific

    1. Strategic plan for a comprehensive ergonomics strategy outling how each of the four items will be achieved
    2. Document the two education sessions
    3. Example follow up survey

    Additional Questions

    1. Do the referenced standards adequately address all of the ergonomics needs in your facility?
    2. How difficult was it to document this credit?
    3. Did your business already have an ergonomics strategy in place?  If so, how did it relate to these requirements?

     

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  • Please note: The LEED pilot credits are an innovative path, without previously established practices and steps. On standard LEED credits, LEEDuser provides checklists of how to get things done, but in pilot credits you and other projects are the trailblazers! Please share your experiences in the comments section below.

  • USGBC

    Excerpted from LEED Pilot Credit Library

    COPYRIGHT © 2011 BY THE U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    Pilot Credit 44: Ergonomics Strategy

    Intent

    To promote healthy, comfortable, and productive work by designing the workplace to accommodate its users.

    Requirements


    ESTABLISHMENT

    Develop and implement a comprehensive ergonomics strategy that will enhance health and comfort during daily activity for at least 75% of workers.  This strategy must include the following four components.

    1.    Identify activities and building functions for which addressing ergonomics is both desirable and possible through education and     equipment.

    Project teams must consult current ergonomics standards and guidelines relevant to the tasks that will be performed in the building.  For computer workstations, these include BIFMA G1-2002 (to be superseded by BIFMA G1-2007 when balloted), AN-SI/HFES 100-2007, and CSA Z412-00 (R2005).  For non-computer workstations these include Z1004-09, OSHA 3192-05N(2004) and OSHA 3182 (revised 2009)

    2.    Define performance goals for the ergonomics strategy, addressing productivity, comfort, and health.  Communicate the goals and ergonomics strategy to workers.

    Provide an informal, periodic feedback system to collect anonymous responses and respond to them.

    3.    Maintain ongoing office user access to appropriate ergonomics machine, equipment, tools, work-aids (METWAs), furnishings, and accessories and education and education for all full time equivalent office occupants.

    Provide METWAs, furnishings, and accessories that reduce the risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and are acceptable to a wide range of office users.

    If office users spend 50% or more of their time at computer workstations, address display, computer peripherals (keyboard/mouse), work surface, and chair.

    4.    Provide ergonomics education.  Offer at least two such opportunities at least one of which must be interactive.  Conduct follow-up evaluations.  Ergonomics education opportunities include the following:

    • Classroom sessions conducted by a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE or CCPE) accredited by the Board of Certification of Ergonomics Professionals (BCEP or CBCEP)
    • Regularly schedule workstation evaluations
    • Access to literature on products and basic information relevant to the office user’s tasks;
    • Interactive Internet-based products (e.g., assessment and training tools)

    PERFORMANCE

    Conduct a formal, periodic survey of office user satisfaction. The survey must cover a representative sample of office occupants making up at least 30% of the total occupants.

    Track and report the results of the ergonomics strategy, ensure that the performance goals have been met, and identify areas for improvement.

    Provide for occupant comfort by establishing quality criteria for interior lighting within a space.

     

    Potential Technologies & Strategies

Organizations

LEED Pilot Credit Library

The homepage for the LEED Pilot Credit Library. The LEED Pilot Credit Library is intended to facilitate the introduction of new prerequisites and credits to LEED. This process will allow USGBC to test and refine credits through LEED 2009 project evaluations before they are sent through the balloting process for introduction into LEED.

Articles

Foundations of LEED

Background for the LEED Pilot Credit Library is provided in this foundational document.

8 Comments

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Kirstin Weikert
Jan 26 2012
Guest
13 Thumbs Up

Pilot Credit #44 Ergonomics Strategy - Project Team learnings

Most of the documentation time was spent on creating tool and survey templates. A recommendation for the USGBC is to provide templates and forms under Credit Resources for future project teams.

During design development phase, ask the manufacturers of Workstations and Task Chairs to show how their products compare to the ergonomic standards. Our team found that BIFMA G1-2002 and ANSI 100-2007 standards were more commonly found in task chair product literature and brochures vs. workstations product literature. Other reference standards were not identified at all in any product brochures

Select best products using the products comparison to the ergonomic standards. And then use it as an LEED Documentation exhibit.

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Cindy Davis Associate Principal Callison Architecture
Jan 16 2012
Member
27 Thumbs Up

Pilot Credit #44 Ergonomics Strategy - wall /work surface ratio

I received a second review comment “Documentation demonstrating that on-site measurements or product data for finishes to demonstrate an average wall-surface-to-work surface illuminance ratio does not exceed 3:1 has not been provided.” In the Pilot Credit #44 credit requirements, I never saw a request for this information to be provided as part of the pilot credit requirements and I am unclear how to provide this. Any recommendations?

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Cindy Davis Associate Principal Callison Architecture
Jan 16 2012
Member
27 Thumbs Up

Pilot Credit #44 Ergonomics Strategy - LEED User registration

I received a comment back from our LEED preliminary design review that the 'reviewer' is unclear if the project team representative (me) has registered with LEEDuser, since a completed survey has not been provided.” Yet I had provided them two emails one of which was the “LEED Pilot Credit Confirmation” email as well as the email “Pilot Credit Survey Confirmation” email both of which I received from you – pilot@usgbc.org along with my documentation. Both of these emails were provided as documentation showing my participation in the LEEDuser and the Pilot Credit program. I never got an actual copy of the survey I completed. Is that what they are asking for? I don’t know how to obtain that. Please advise.

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Batya Metalitz Manager, LEED Technical Development, USGBC Jan 27 2012 Guest Expert 715 Thumbs Up

Cindy, sorry for the confusion with this. Your documentation was correct and hopefully future projects will not run into the same issue.

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Cindy Davis Associate Principal, Callison Architecture Jan 27 2012 Member 27 Thumbs Up

Thanks Batya!
Any chance you might have any advice or guidance for the other review comment above regarding the Ergonomics Strategy? Seems like the Reviewer's comment/request is much more related to the Pilot Credit #22 - Indoor Quality Lighting. I do understand the relevance due to glare, but providing an illuminance ratio was never mentioned in the credit requirements.

Thanks again,

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Batya Metalitz Manager, LEED Technical Development, USGBC Jan 30 2012 Guest Expert 715 Thumbs Up

Hi Cindy, this has also been corrected, you're in the first few projects to document this pilot credit and the review language was inaccurate, but hopefully you'll find these issues are corrected now. Thanks for your patience!

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Cindy Davis Associate Principal, Callison Architecture Jan 30 2012 Member 27 Thumbs Up

Thanks Batya,
Can you clarify where these actual corrections to the reviewer's comments are being posted or made? I'm not seeing it posted to my LEED Online project site.

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Linda Miller Principal Ergonomist EWI Works
Sep 22 2011
Member
2 Thumbs Up

LEED and Ergonomics

Seeking your Input:

Does your organization have a policy pertaining to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)? This study may be for you, we are examining how ergonomics is connected to the LEED certification process.

Study Purpose: A doctoral student from Boston University is examining the link between ergonomics and LEED certification in both Canada and the United States.

The study is exploratory in nature, using survey and interview methods. The primary focus will be to determine why project managers did not apply for the innovation in design credit for an office ergonomics strategy in past LEED accredited projects. The goal is to better understand why individuals are not applying for the credit so that an education and training program can be designed to increase participation in the future.

Click on the following link to gain more information pertaining to the study:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VGBNHKC

If you have any questions please contact:

Linda Miller, OT MEDes, OTD (Candidate Boston University)

780-436-0024

llmiller@bu.edu

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