How to Conduct a Simple Ergonomic Risk Assessment in Your Workplace

Kendra S.
Apr 17
6 min read

Reducing injuries starts with understanding how work is really done.

Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) remain one of the most persistent and costly challenges facing Canadian workplaces today. Often invisible until they manifest as pain, fatigue, or lost productivity, these injuries are not caused by a single incident but by a build-up of poor posture, repetitive motion, and awkward movements over time. According to the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada, MSIs consistently account for more than 40% of all lost-time claims nationwide. That’s not just a statistic—it’s a wake-up call.

Fortunately, these injuries are highly preventable. The key is catching them early. This is where ergonomic risk assessments come in. A structured ergonomic assessment helps employers and safety professionals identify the physical demands of a job, understand how they affect the human body, and pinpoint areas for improvement—before someone gets hurt.

You don’t need to be an expert in biomechanics to get started. With a clear process, the right questions, and the willingness to observe real work in action, you can uncover risks that might otherwise go unnoticed. And with tools like Vergo’s AI-driven platform, that process becomes even more accessible and scalable.

What Is an Ergonomic Risk Assessment?

At its core, an ergonomic risk assessment is about aligning work with the capabilities of the human body. It involves evaluating how a task is performed, identifying physical demands that could lead to injury, and recommending adjustments to reduce those risks. While safety checklists and compliance tools are helpful, an ergonomic assessment goes deeper—it focuses on how workers interact with their tools, equipment, and environment in real-time.

This type of assessment looks at risk factors such as repetitive movements, awkward postures, static positions, forceful exertions, and environmental elements like lighting, workstation height, or floor conditions. What sets ergonomic risk apart from other safety issues is that it's cumulative: the damage builds gradually, often without immediate symptoms.

Step 1: Choose the Task Wisely

The first step in any assessment is deciding what to evaluate. While it might be tempting to start with the most complex task, it's often more effective to begin with jobs that are physically demanding, involve frequent repetition, or have been associated with previous injury reports or discomfort complaints. For example, warehouse workers performing frequent lifts, healthcare workers involved in patient handling, or manufacturing operators performing repetitive assembly tasks are ideal candidates.

If your organization is experiencing increased absenteeism or has seen a rise in WCB claims tied to specific departments, these areas are natural starting points. Even without recent injuries, assessments can be used proactively to monitor jobs that are physically intense or newly introduced into your workflow.

Step 2: Observe the Work as It’s Actually Done

Too often, workplace procedures are evaluated based on how they’re supposed to happen—on paper. But ergonomic risk lives in the real world, in the subtle ways workers adapt tasks to meet production pressures, compensate for poorly designed tools, or find shortcuts that save time but increase physical strain. That’s why observation is the most important step in the process.

Watching a task being performed in real-time or via recorded video allows you to identify postural deviations, awkward reaching, excessive bending or twisting, and other movement patterns that can cause long-term strain. It’s also helpful to observe multiple employees performing the same task, as each person may have different techniques—some safer than others.

Vergo, for instance, leverages short video clips to automatically analyze joint angles and postural risk using computer vision. By capturing a simple 30–60 second clip of a real task, safety managers can generate detailed posture maps and risk scores across the body.

Step 3: Talk to the People Doing the Work

While observation reveals visible risks, conversations uncover hidden ones. Workers often develop adaptations or "workarounds" when tools aren’t working properly or when tasks are uncomfortable. Over time, they normalize pain or discomfort and may stop reporting it altogether—especially if they believe it’s just part of the job.

That’s why it’s vital to engage the people actually doing the work. Ask them what parts of their day leave them feeling sore or fatigued. Encourage them to point out tasks that feel awkward or physically demanding. These insights often reveal high-risk movements that wouldn’t be obvious from a top-down audit alone.

This participatory approach not only strengthens your assessment but also builds trust. When workers see that their input leads to real improvements, they become active partners in promoting safety culture.

Step 4: Identify and Analyze Risk Factors

Once you’ve gathered your observations and feedback, it’s time to evaluate the ergonomic risks present in the task. This involves understanding how posture, repetition, force, and duration contribute to strain. For instance, are workers regularly bending at the waist to lift heavy objects? Are they reaching above shoulder height to access shelves? Are repetitive motions being performed for hours at a time without variation?

Several tools exist to guide this analysis. One of the most accessible is WorkSafeBC’s Ergonomic Assessment Tool, which helps you break down postural risks and assign them a rating of low, moderate, or high. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also provides a lifting equation to determine safe load limits based on height, distance, and frequency.

In more complex environments, Vergo’s AI posture analysis can serve as a virtual ergonomist—automatically measuring joint positions and movement patterns, scoring ergonomic risk in real-time, and providing data-backed visuals to support your conclusions.

Step 5: Document and Recommend Changes

A strong ergonomic risk assessment isn’t complete until it’s documented and followed by actionable recommendations. Your report should describe the task assessed, summarize the physical risks identified, and include visuals or screenshots if possible. Most importantly, it should provide practical suggestions to reduce those risks—without necessarily requiring major capital investments.

Many ergonomic improvements are surprisingly simple. Raising work surfaces, providing anti-fatigue mats, adjusting shelf heights, or introducing lightweight tools can make a dramatic difference. For tasks involving heavy lifting or sustained postures, job rotation or rest breaks can be introduced. The key is making changes that fit the reality of the workflow—not just the ideal.

Step 6: Implement and Follow Up

One of the most common mistakes organizations make is completing an assessment—and then leaving it on a shelf. Ergonomics isn’t a one-time project. It requires follow-up to ensure that changes are implemented effectively and that they actually lead to a reduction in risk.

Check in with workers after changes are made. Ask if discomfort has been reduced, and monitor if injury rates decline over time. Reassess tasks periodically, especially when workflows, equipment, or personnel change.

Vergo simplifies this ongoing process by storing each posture analysis, generating downloadable reports, and tracking progress over time. It enables safety leaders to revisit risk patterns and adjust their strategies without starting from scratch.

Why Vergo Makes It Easier

Traditional ergonomic assessments require expertise, time, and in-person observations. For many organizations—especially those with multiple job roles or high turnover—that’s a logistical barrier. Vergo’s AI-powered platform removes those barriers.

With Vergo, all you need is a short video of a real task. Our platform analyzes posture, joint angles, and ergonomic risk across multiple regions of the body. You receive an automated report showing high-risk movements and a clear breakdown of where interventions are needed. And for long-term impact, Vergo includes a microlearning video library to train workers on movement techniques that reinforce healthy habits over time.

Whether you’re running a warehouse, overseeing a construction site, or managing a long-term care facility, Vergo gives you the tools to take ergonomic safety from reactive to proactive.

Final Thoughts

A simple ergonomic risk assessment has the power to prevent injuries, improve efficiency, and build a culture of care within your organization. It doesn't require a massive investment—just a commitment to paying attention to how people move and designing work in a way that supports long-term health.

By integrating ergonomic assessments into your safety routine and leveraging tools like Vergo, you take the guesswork out of injury prevention. You also send a powerful message: that your organization values its people not just as workers, but as humans with bodies that deserve to be protected.