COKO Occupational Health and Ergonomics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'presenteeism' in the context of occupational health?
- An employee always arriving to work on time
- Being physically present at work while performing at reduced capacity due to health issues (Correct answer)
- A program to reward employees for attendance
- The practice of monitoring employee presence electronically
Correct answer: Being physically present at work while performing at reduced capacity due to health issues
Presenteeism refers to the lost productivity that occurs when employees come to work but are not fully functioning due to illness, injury, or other health conditions.
Question 2: In a graduated return-to-work (GRTW) program, what is the primary approach?
- Immediately returning an injured worker to full pre-injury duties
- Progressively increasing work hours and duties as the worker recovers (Correct answer)
- Permanently modifying all job tasks to accommodate the worker's limitations
- Replacing the injured worker until full recovery is achieved
Correct answer: Progressively increasing work hours and duties as the worker recovers
A GRTW program involves progressively increasing a recovering worker's hours, tasks, and physical demands over time, facilitating safe and sustainable return to full duties.
Question 3: Which ergonomic assessment tool uses body part discomfort ratings combined with task observation to identify MSD risk?
- The Borg Scale
- The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) (Correct answer)
- The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
- The Oswestry Disability Index
Correct answer: The Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA)
RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) is a validated observational tool used to assess postural risk and upper limb MSD exposure in the workplace.
Question 4: What does WSIB stand for in Ontario's occupational health system?
- Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (Correct answer)
- Workers' Standard Injury Benefits
- Workplace Services and Injury Bureau
- Workers' Safety and Injury Baseline
Correct answer: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
WSIB stands for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, which is Ontario's no-fault insurance system providing compensation and support to workers injured on the job.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes an 'administrative control' in ergonomic risk management?
- Redesigning equipment to reduce physical demands
- Providing personal protective equipment to workers
- Rotating workers among different tasks to reduce repetitive exposure (Correct answer)
- Installing ergonomic workstation furniture
Correct answer: Rotating workers among different tasks to reduce repetitive exposure
Administrative controls, such as job rotation, modify how work is organized or scheduled to reduce individual worker exposure to ergonomic risk factors without changing the physical environment.
Question 6: When assessing cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs), which combination of factors is considered the 'ergonomic triad'?
- Force, repetition, and awkward posture (Correct answer)
- Noise, vibration, and temperature
- Stress, fatigue, and poor nutrition
- Age, gender, and body mass index
Correct answer: Force, repetition, and awkward posture
The ergonomic triad refers to force, repetition, and awkward posture as the three primary biomechanical risk factors that combine to cause cumulative trauma disorders.
Question 7: In occupational kinesiology, what is the purpose of a 'work hardening' program?
- Training supervisors in enforcing safety rules
- Preparing injured workers to return to physically demanding jobs through structured exercise and work simulation (Correct answer)
- Hardening equipment surfaces to prevent workplace injuries
- Teaching workers to tolerate pain in the workplace
Correct answer: Preparing injured workers to return to physically demanding jobs through structured exercise and work simulation
Work hardening is a structured rehabilitation program that uses real or simulated work activities to restore physical, behavioral, and vocational function to return an injured worker to employment.
COKO Occupational Health and Ergonomics 2
What is 'presenteeism' in the context of occupational health?