28/09/2026
One of the biggest OHS blind spots is still being treated as somebody else’s problem.
Workload. Role clarity. Worker control. Leadership behaviour. Support. Organisational change.
These are not normally the first things people think about when they hear ergonomics.
But they should be part of the conversation.
South Africa’s Ergonomics Regulations go much further than chairs, lifting and posture.
An ergonomic risk includes workplace characteristics, actions or conditions that may impair human well-being and overall system performance.
Where employees may be exposed to ergonomic risks, an assessment must be performed by a competent person before the work starts, as far as reasonably practicable, and reviewed at intervals not exceeding two years.
It must also be reviewed sooner when circumstances change — including changes to work methods, ineffective controls, incidents, new technology or adverse health effects linked to ergonomic exposure.
That shifts the question from:
“Do we have an ergonomics assessment?”
to:
“Have we properly assessed how the work system affects the people operating within it?”
That can mean looking beyond the physical workstation:
• Is workload realistically achievable?
• Are roles and responsibilities clear?
• Do employees have sufficient control over their work?
• Can people raise concerns without negative consequences?
• Does production pressure routinely override established controls?
• Are organisational changes assessed before they alter how work is actually performed?
The Department of Employment and Labour has also highlighted the physical, cognitive and organisational dimensions of ergonomics, including psychosocial factors within the working environment.
This does not mean every workplace frustration is automatically an OHS contravention.
It does mean that reducing ergonomics to “lifting technique and workstation posture” misses a significant part of the discipline.
A useful starting point is understanding the environment management has created.
Our free Safety Leadership Check looks at decisions under pressure, worker voice, resources, leadership visibility and accountability.
It is a screening tool — not an ergonomic or psychosocial risk assessment — but it can help identify where a deeper review may be warranted.
Good ergonomics is not only about fitting the workstation to the person.
It is about designing work that people can perform safely, effectively and sustainably.
