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Good Ergonomics Important for Worker Health, and Productivity
This pilot credit is based off the existing LEED interpretationLEED Interpretations are official answers to technical inquiries about implementing LEED on a project. They help people understand how their projects can meet LEED requirements and provide clarity on existing options. LEED Interpretations are to be used by any project certifying under an applicable rating system. All project teams are required to adhere to all LEED Interpretations posted before their registration date. This also applies to other addenda. Adherence to rulings posted after a project registers is optional, but strongly encouraged. LEED Interpretations are published in a searchable database at usgbc.org. for Commercial Interiors. It is designed to explain the importance of ergonomics for worker health and productivity.
Credit Submittals
General
- Register for Pilot Credit(s) here.
- Register a username at LEEDuser.com, and participate in online forum
- Submit feedback survey; supply PDF of your survey/confirmation of completion with credit documentation
Credit Specific
- Strategic plan for a comprehensive ergonomics strategy outling how each of the four items will be achieved
- Document the two education sessions
- Example follow up survey
Additional Questions
- Do the referenced standards adequately address all of the ergonomics needs in your facility?
- How difficult was it to document this credit?
- Did your business already have an ergonomics strategy in place? If so, how did it relate to these requirements?
USGBC
Excerpted from LEED Pilot Credit Library
COPYRIGHT © 2011 BY THE U.S. GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDPilot 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 For computer workstations, these include BIFMA G1-2002 (to be superseded by BIFMA G1-2007 when balloted), AN-SI/HFES 100-2007, and CSA Z412-00 (R2005).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.
LEEDuser is produced by BuildingGreen, Inc., with YR&G authoring most of the original content. LEEDuser enjoys ongoing collaboration with USGBC.
23 Comments
Ergonomics Strategy IEQpc44 - Question on CIR 2238 Wording
When I was researching this credit, I used CIRCredit Interpretation Ruling. Used by design team members experiencing difficulties in the application of a LEED prerequisite or credit to a project. Typically, difficulties arise when specific issues are not directly addressed by LEED information/guide 2283. Under requirements, it states that the "strategy must include the five components listed below". I only see 4, unless there was a typo in the CIR itself. Can someone help me find out the 5th requirement (is there even one)?
Krystie, it looks to me like a typo. I can only see items labeled from 1 to 4 in Interpretation 2283. There are some sub-components labeled a to e, but that seems different.
the next step in ergonomic excellence
I just wanted to check in with all you bright folks about strategies that are on the up and up. Our project was inclusive of adjustable task seating, full articulating equipment and adjustable task lighting....but what else have you gotten positive feedback for that is not part of our quintessential designer's checklist just yet?
You may also want to have some small ergo equipment in stock for your employees' usage, like, Ergo Laptop Stand, Mouse Pad with Wrist Support. In addition, the regular ergo training and feedback survey from employees are necessary.
Feedback Survey
Where can I get a copy of the feedback survey? The link above is broken. Thanks in advance.
Melissa, the link is working fine for me. Try again, or let me know what happens when you click on it?
Ah. The problem was that I was linking through Firefox. It worked fine from Internet Explorer.
Documenting the two education sessions
How have people been documenting the two education sessions? Are we to document the material that will be used in future education sessions? Because this is a new construction project the building will not be occupied and therefore the education sessions will not occur until after we submit the credits.
You are correct. The educational programs shall occur during occupancy, so it is an "on your honor" requirement to implement them after LEED certification is complete. Similar to the thermal comfort survey. We had this pilot credit awarded recently. We provided a detailed narrative describing how the educational programs will be implemented. Also, we noted anticipated dates of implementation. Here are a few examples. (1) A welcome packet shall be emailed to each employee upon arrival to the new space with video tutorials on how to adjust their tools; (2) HR provides monthly educational sessions with employees and one of the sessions shall be focused on ergonomics; (3) Trained ergonomist shall lead classroom-style ergonomics training followed by individualized workstation fittings.
LEED Online/Adobe Forms for Pilot Credits
Has the USGBC/GBCI developed LEED Online forms for these pilot credits? I didn't find any in the Pilot Credit Resources page on USGBC's website.
Hi Melissa -
Pilot credits are submitted through the IDc1 form in LEED Online, so they don't have their own form. Instead, the items listed above (under General and Credit Specific) should be uploaded under IDc1 and will be reviewed as part of the standard project review. On the Resources page (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=2515) you will find a link to registration and the survey though.
Thanks, Batya. I've documented many ID credits with the current form, but was hoping another template had been created to upload as support documentation. I registered for the Pilot credit a while back and will be sure to include that comment in the survey.
Hopefully in the future we can standardize the pilot documentation more, but because pilot credits are so dynamic, it makes it difficult to develop forms for each one and keep up with the changes to the credits. That's why the documentation is more open ended. With standard LEED credits that type of form development takes many months of designing, building and testing.
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.
In response to Kristin's post, it can be very time consuming to develop the survey, but there are some established tools out there. Definitely check out the website for Cornell University's Human Factors and Ergonomics Research Group (CHFERG), directed by Professor Alan Hedge.
http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/default.htm
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?
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.
Cindy, sorry for the confusion with this. Your documentation was correct and hopefully future projects will not run into the same issue.
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,
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!
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.
I have the same problem and will try to clarify it for the final review.
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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