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Case study:
Waste Management Industry Training & Advisory Board (WAMITAB)
WAMITAB was established in 1989 to determine and advise on policy and standards of education, qualifications and training for employees in the Waste Management Industry.
The need:
WAMITAB has seven permanent staff, all of whom work at computers. They have a modern office and furniture though work station risk assessments needed to be done, so when upgrading all the computer equipment coincided with a senior member of staff experiencing pain in the shoulder and wrist, Dr Lawrence Strong, Director General, seized the opportunity to use Etcom’s combination of diagnostic and preventative training skills.
The solution:
Etcom attended for a day, gave everyone the 90 minute workshop, then went to each workstation in turn for the individual preventative training. When these were finished, Dr Strong decided to take up the offer of a special session on laptops for the three members of staff who spend a lot of time on the road. As with the main session, individual training was given as well as group, and this was topped off with training at the steering wheel.
The effect:
Dr Strong: “I was impressed, although I already knew something about the training by hearsay, there was more to it than I had envisaged and so it exceeded my expectations. Quite a lot happens ‘behind the scenes’ in addition to the training – preparation, reports and so on. The training day was very full, but ran smoothly. It affected people in areas they had not foreseen, being of practical use in everyday life, especially the laptop users and those spending lots of time in cars.
And for the company:
“From my point of view as a responsible employer, my duty of care in respect of musculo-skeletal health has been properly satisfied. Not just the office staff, but the travellers, too. While our employees are travelling on duty, we must still care for them and I am very glad we took that opportunity on the day. We will also be following up on the equipment recommendations made.”
The future:
Dr Strong again: “Like all training, there is a need for reminders. Etcom has given us plenty of information and guidance to be going on with, including their recommendations and their exercise and reminder sheets which we will laminate and have on display. The Etcom Alert software prompts people to get up and move around, and being a small office we can all see each other and point out if someone is not doing what was suggested on the training. And, of course, we have the choice of asking Etcom back if we feel the need. “
Didcot, May 2005
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