Raz Osman is a Senior Health and Safety Manager at Amazon and, just as importantly, he’s an ergonomics expert. His list of qualifications is as daunting as it is impressive! He kicked off his education at Loughborough University, where he studied Ergonomics. Since then he’s gained a professional Diploma in Occupational Safety, Health and Environmental Management, and become a chartered member of both IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety & Health) and CIEHF (Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors).
These are the two leading professional institutions in the UK for Health and Safety and Ergonomics, so Raz has certainly earned his safety stripes!
Most people have probably never even heard of ergonomics. So what is it and why does it matter?
Ergonomics is the study of the human body, psychology and how people interact with the world around them. At Amazon, that means putting people first. We give special attention to the design of a workplace or process, to the smallest detail, and make sure it is the best possible fit for each person and their well-being.
When analysing a workplace, Raz needs to consider a wide range of factors, such as the equipment required, shift patterns, and the physical environment, through to a person’s body size, posture, training and experience. With so many variables to account for, ergonomics requires a scientific approach.
Raz can draw on his 16 years’ experience working in the health and safety industry in which, prior to Amazon, included consulting roles for the police and the fire service. Since joining Amazon in 2011, his career has progressed from managing Health and Safety for a single fulfilment centre to now managing a network of six fulfilment centres across the country.
Raz says that one of his proudest moments at Amazon has been developing Amazon’s manual handling guidelines – which have now been successfully rolled out to 50 fulfilment centres across Europe. And Raz is continuing his hard work in this area.
We fine-tune our processes every day. We’re currently exploring how vision technology can be used to understand the way our associates move during work. We can then analyse that data to reduce any potential risks they may encounter and prevent potential injuries. When it comes to ergonomics, the smallest details really matter.
Read Recognising World Day for Health and Safety at Work 2019 to learn more about Health and Safety at Amazon.
If you want to come and see what it’s like to work in an Amazon fulfilment centre, you can register for a tour.
