ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – In the 30 years that ergonomists have been working at the Army Public Health Center, they have certainly garnered a positive reputation. Military commanders and leaders across the world see the ergonomists as the go-to professionals if they need to assess a work environment and provide recommendations to reduce exposure or provide expertise related to work related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) risk factors. They know these ergonomic professionals are focused on reducing workplace injury.
But some may not realize the number of WMSD risk factors found throughout Army and DOD work environments and how many capabilities are provided by Army ergonomists.
“We provide consultation, policy, and installation level ergonomics services and training for the U.S. Army as well as the DOD and other government organizations,” said Dr. John Pentikis, manager of the Army Public Health Center’s Ergonomics & Engineering Branch, Industrial Hygiene Field Services Division. “Our services include worksite assessments to identify musculoskeletal disorder hazards associated with work tasks Soldiers and Civilians perform and engineering services to mitigate those hazards.”
Kelsey McCoskey, an APHC ergonomist, also enjoys discussing the diversity of work that happens in the Ergonomics Branch.
“Unfortunately, when the general public hears the word ‘ergonomics,’ they frequently think of office chairs and sit-stand desks,” said McCoskey. “However, exposure to work-related musculoskeletal disorder risk factors occurs in nearly all work environments, and the majority of work related musculoskeletal disorder risk factors, such as force, repetition, duration, posture, compression, vibration -- are found in industrial settings such as vehicle maintenance and construction; services industries such as maintenance, food service, and environmental services; and healthcare industries such as dentistry, patient handling, and laboratories.”
Ergonomic services provided by APHC began in 1991 when the Industrial Hygiene Special Services Program began to focus on preventing injuries in Army workplaces. “I was the first ergonomist hired by APHC -- then Army Environmental Hygiene Agency,” said Pentikis, as he recalled his early days of working for the Army.
He said by 1996, the official Army Ergonomics Program was stood up. Over the next few years, this program benefitted the Army through the reduction of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
“These disorders include workplace injuries such as upper extremity tendonitis or back injury that are often associated with repeated traumas to the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system when the job does not match the worker's capabilities,” said McCoskey.
McCoskey says that, historically, these injuries have accounted for some of the largest costs in injury claims and lost work time in the DOD. According to a 2018 article in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, more than 50 percent of Soldiers sought medical care for any musculoskeletal injury, resulting in more than two million medical encounters. The same article also stated that work-related tasks were the second leading cause associated with loss duty days.
McCoskey states that the ergonomists at APHC have helped the DOD combat this problem.
“Our staff have been dedicated to decreasing those costs, reducing worker pain and suffering, and enhancing mission readiness,’ said McCoskey.
In the fall of 2022, the APHC merged with the Defense Health Agency. Pentikis said he expects to see an increase in workload for his team.
Many of our sister services do not have an organization like the APHC Ergonomics Branch where people can go to get answers to ergonomics issues. We see this merge as an opportunity to expand our customer base to provide expertise and impact work environments more widely throughout the DOD said Pentikis.
He says that the Ergonomics team at the APHC has expertise in many work environments and provides education and assessment of a variety of WMSD related topics.
“We have an on-line applied ergonomics course that offers 25 modules,” said Pentikis. “We also have a face-to-face ergonomics program development course that offers a hands-on approach to assist an installation or tenant activity stand up an ergonomics program. Finally, we instruct the Occupational Ergonomics course at Uniformed Services University in support of their Public Health program.”
The APHC ergonomists represent over 100 years’ worth of Army and DOD ergonomic experience and expertise. Pentikis described some of the unique skill-sets in the Ergonomics Branch. These personnel are often consulted on various ergonomic and specialty WMSD assessment and reduction related topics.
“Steve Chervak is involved with collecting hand tool and vehicle vibration data to assist installation level industrial hygienists in determining if workers are being overexposed,” said Pentikis. “Kelsey McCoskey is the Army’s subject matter expert on safe patient handling and mobility issues; Kevin Purcell is an expert in the applied use of exoskeletons; and Lauren Costanzi brings an acquisition and biology background to the assessment of work places and systems related to WMSDs.”
As an expert on safe-patient handling and mobility, McCoskey said that one of the highlights of her career has been being able to see the impact of engineering controls and SPHM program elements on various medical settings across the DOD. By helping Army medical staff reduce the need to manually lift and move patients, the risks of injury to both caregiver and care recipient are reduced.
“It is always a pleasure working on these work related musculoskeletal disorder reduction efforts,” said McCoskey. “I am excited to see that the word is getting out that our impact and expertise is far greater than computer desks and office chairs.”
For more information on the APHC Ergonomics Branch or to enroll in a course, please visit their website: https://phc.amedd.army.mil/topics/workplacehealth/ergo/Pages/default.aspx
The Army Public Health Center enhances Army readiness by identifying and assessing current and emerging health threats, developing and communicating public health solutions, and assuring the quality and effectiveness of the Army’s Public Health Enterprise.
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