3.2. The use of ergonomic measures and facilitating factors and
barriers for their use
At baseline, 21 respondents (3%) reported that they (almost)
never used any of the ergonomic measures. At follow-up, this
number was 26 respondents (4%). According to 59e65% of the respondents,
depending on the type of ergonomic measure, the unavailability
of the ergonomic equipment is the main barrier for
using them. The other reasons are less often mentioned (18e23%,
unfamiliarity; 11e17%, impractical; 10e18%, costs too much time;
14e16%, too expensive).
At follow-up, 19e24% of the respondents, depending on the
type of ergonomic measure, reported using them (almost)
always. Measures for horizontal and vertical transport were used
by 69% and 71% of the workers, respectively. Measures for
positioning or installing of materials are regularly or more often
used by about half of the workers (54%). More than half of the
respondents (55e73%) who use ergonomic measures reported
that lightening the physical load is the most important reason
for using ergonomic measures, irrespective of the type of measure.
Working more practically (33e37%) and faster (24e38%)
are other reasons for the respondents to use ergonomic
measures. Fewer respondents indicated that they perceived the
quality of the work to be better when using the ergonomic
measures (5e8%) or that the use of the measures was compulsory
(16e21%).
At the individual level, we found that a quarter of the total
population decreased their use of ergonomic measures, irrespective
of the type of measure. In total, 29e34% of the respondents
increased their use of ergonomic measures. For the ergonomic
measures used during vertical transport, the difference was statistically
significant: 34% of the respondents increased their use of
measures, compared with 25% of the respondents who decreased
their use of measures for vertical transport (Table 2).