This position supports all sites supporting St Joseph, St Michael's and Providence Hospitals and based at St Michael's Department Workplace Health Safety & Wellness at Unity Health Toronto works to protect and maintain the health and safety of hospital staff in a manner consistent with professional practices, hospital values and policies, government legislation, guidelines and best practices. The department provides compassionate specialized programs and services to employees, physicians, learners and volunteers at Unity Health Toronto. We aim to improve work-life experiences by promoting the health and wellness of every individual and strengthening our safety culture. We are committed to achieving excellence through education, innovation and continuous improvement.

Duties Reporting to the Manager, Safety & Wellness, the primary role of the Ergonomist is to contribute to the design and evaluation of tasks, jobs, environments and systems in the hospital to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders by ensuring job tasks and workstations are compatible with the needs and abilities of people.

The selected applicant will also supervise student placements in ergonomics and Kinesiology.

Responsibilities

• The Ergonomist will conduct job demands analyses; ergonomic workstation assessments; human factors risk assessments; and accident/injury investigation and prevention.
• The Ergonomist will also be required to develop and deliver training and education to front line staff. Education and training include but not limited to Safe Patient Handling, Manual Material Handling, and General ergonomics at the workstation, MSD risk assessments and post injury prevention measures.
• Provide ergonomic consultations to Abilities Coordinator, Safety Specialists, Occupational Health Nurses, Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC), managers and staff
• Participates in the planning and purchasing of new equipment, and planning and designing of new facilities or spaces to ensure human factors are considered
• Conduct ergonomic assessment of the task/job or workstations
• Conduct Jobs Demands Analysis (JDA) for all positions in the hospital
• Produces written report of JDA assessments and consultations completed for stakeholders
• Makes recommendations to stakeholders based on results of analysis, investigations, changes to the law/best practices.
• Conducts monthly training on body mechanics for new nurse orientation
• Conducts training/education on proper body mechanics, office ergonomics, mechanical lift training, manual material handling, safe patient handling and MSD prevention
• Develops educational materials (i.e. training contents, brochures, posters, booklets, etc.) as needed
• Investigate workplace incidents and to determine root causes and determine corrective actions
• Develops plan with manager or other parties involved to discuss/initiate steps to complete corrective action
• Assists with corrective action where necessary (training/retraining, equipment recommendations, etc.)
• Ensures corrective actions are implemented
• Generate reports from Parklane and conducts trends analysis to look for learning opportunities and corrective actions
• Participate in JHSC meetings
• Participate in Ministry of Labour (MOL) inspections and follow-up on orders as needed
• Develop policies, procedures and guidelines related to ergonomics and occupational health and safety;
• Documents activities into Parklane or other electronic system
• Maintains ergonomic equipment used in assessments (e.g. force gauge meter)
• Helps maintain database of JDAs
• Create reports for sharing information

Knowledge

• Experience conducting Job Demands Assessments and office workstation assessments in a hospital
• Proficiency in applying Snook’s Table, NIOSH,RULA/REBA Analyses and other ergonomic tools
• Principles of occupational health and safety; and hierarchy of controls;
• Familiar with the Ontario Occupational Health & Safety Act, associated regulations, and ergonomic guidelines

Skills

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Must be able to work independently as well as a team player
• Exceptional organizational skills
• Computer literate in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Power Point)
• Analytical and critical thinking
• Must be professional and reliable
• Strong attention to details
• Adhere to hospital policies and procedures - appreciation for the value of diversity in the workplace;

Qualifications

• Bachelors in Human Health Sciences i.e. Kinesiology is mandatory
• Canadian Registered Safety Professional preferred
• Certified Canadian Professional Ergonomist is required or working towards it.
• Self-directed with the ability to exercise independent decision making and discretion.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills required.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills.
• Satisfactory attendance record.

Unity Health Toronto is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive organization. We strive to provide a recruitment process that is barrier-free and in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code. We understand that you may require an accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process. When you are contacted, please inform the Talent Acquisition Specialist and we will work with you to meet your accommodation needs. We want to emphasize that all accommodation requests are handled with the utmost confidentiality, respecting your privacy and dignity.