Why Ergonomics Awareness Training Matters: Knowledge Comes Before Behaviour Change (Part 1)
Article by Dr. Ts. Hari Krishnan
Why Ergonomics Awareness Comes First
Many workplace injuries don’t happen because people intentionally take risks. They happen because people simply don’t know what is happening inside their bodies while they work.
This is why ergonomics awareness training is so important.
What Poor Posture Does to the Body
Most employees are unaware of the effect that poor posture has on the spine. For example, many people believe that a slipped disc only occurs when someone lifts a heavy object. While heavy lifting is certainly a risk factor, it is not the only cause.
In reality, prolonged poor posture can be just as damaging.
Understanding Spinal Disc Pressure
Take spinal disc pressure as an example. When standing upright, the pressure on the spinal discs is considered the baseline at 100%. When sitting, the pressure increases. When sitting in a forward-bending posture, the pressure can rise to almost 190% compared to standing.
Yet many office workers, engineers, technicians, drivers, and even students maintain this posture for hours every day without realizing the stress they are placing on their spine.
From Awareness to Behaviour Change
Throughout my years of conducting ergonomic assessments, I have encountered numerous cases where employees developed back problems and slipped discs, not because they were lifting excessively heavy loads, but because they repeatedly adopted poor working postures over long periods.
This is why awareness is the foundation of prevention.
When people understand what happens inside their body, they begin to appreciate why good posture matters. That knowledge changes their perception. Once perception changes, behaviour begins to change. Employees become more conscious of how they sit, stand, lift, reach, and organise their work.
Knowledge Is the Foundation of Prevention
Engineering controls and workplace redesign are essential, but they are far more effective when employees understand why those changes are necessary.
Knowledge creates awareness.
Awareness changes behaviour.
Behaviour prevents injuries.
Ergonomics is not just about adjusting chairs or workstations. It is about helping people understand their own bodies so they can make healthier decisions every day.
Part 2: I’ll discuss another important reason why ergonomics awareness training should be the first step in every workplace ergonomics programme. i want to have like section title but i dont know where to separate