Ergonomics Today™

Seminar: Office Inactivity and The Sitting Disease Tsunami

April 25, 2012
ErgoAdvocate's Gene Kay will present a free seminar in Cupertino, CA, that will explore Metabolic Syndrome and the twin epidemics of obesity and inactivity. Attendees will learn the basic causes and physiology of sitting disease, and then will join the instructor in exploring a number of approaches that can be used to mitigate the potential impact of this cluster of diseases. The goal is to create a more active work life for the office worker. This may include a combination of work practice, workstation, and social changes. The session will be held this Friday, April 27, 2012.

Study: Psychosocial Factors Significantly Related to Shoulder Pain

April 18, 2012
This article, reprinted from The Ergonomics Report, summarizes a research article that showed that marked shoulder pain occurred three times more frequently among hotel room cleaners when psychosocial risk factors were present according to a University of California investigation. Sometimes, risk factors alone are not the source of perceived pain or injury.

Questions and Answers: Improving Outcomes -- Office Ergonomics Success Stories

April 10, 2012
On March 21, 2012, Ergoweb held a webinar titled "Improving Outcomes -- Office Ergonomics Success Stories." Attendees asked many questions -- far too many to answer during the webinar -- so we've compiled and answered the questions in this article, including laptops vs. desktops, how to convince management to invest in ergonomics, budgeting, liability, costs, ROI, sit-stand, chairs and more.

Evidence: Investing in Adjustable Workstations Produces Healthy ROI

April 4, 2012
This article, reprinted from The Ergonomics Report, summarizes an internal corporate study of 6200 financial services call center staff found that over a three-year period employees in non-adjustable workstations had 5-times more injuries and 20 times more Worker Compensation injury costs, as compared to employees in user-adjustable workstations. Furthermore, the non-adjustable workstations had higher costs associated with routine moves and making ergonomic adjustments.

Ergoweb Representatives to Speak on Global Ergonomics, Office Ergonomics, Job Analysis Tools and More at AEC 2012

March 21, 2012
Ergoweb's Peter Budnick and ErgoAdvocate's Gene Kay will make a series of presentations at the Applied Ergonomics Conference, to be held in Nashville, TN, March 26-29, 2012. The companies will also participate as exhibitors. Their presentations and topics will include ...

Submit Your Product for the 2012 Stanley H. Caplan User-Centered Product Design Award

March 20, 2012
The Product Design Technical Group (PDTG) of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society welcomes submissions for its 11th Annual Stanley H. Caplan User-Centered Product Design Award. The award emphasizes innovative and user-centered approaches to HF/E and industrial design. The topic for this year’s prize is the human factors/ergonomics science behind product design ...

Submit Your Product Design Research for the Human Factors Prize

March 20, 2012
The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society welcomes your submission for the 2012 Human Factors Prize: Recognizing Excellence in Human Factors/Ergonomics Research. The prize winner will receive $10,000 and publication in the Society’s flagship journal, Human Factors. Plan to submit your work between June 1 and July 1, 2012 ...

Successful Strategies to Prevent Prolonged Disability for Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs)

March 15, 2012
In this article, originally published in The Ergonomics Report, guest contributor Iuliana Nastasia summarizes the results of an extensive review of the scientific literature related to return to work following a work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WRMSD). It's no secret among ergonomics practitioners that a small portion of injured workers account for a large portion of workers compensation burden, and an effective return-to-work process is essential to controlling those costs. In this article, Nastasia reviews the key findings and identifies 5 key strategies for success in preventing prolonged disability in workers compensated for WRMSDs.

Webinar: Improving Outcomes -- Office Ergonomics Success Stories

March 8, 2012
This webinar will feature two speakers who will share their experience in the development, management and day-to-day participation in award winning office ergonomics programs. Keith Osborne, HSE Site Specialist at Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc., will explain how he helped start and grow a program that has now become a Honeywell best practice, helped earn OSHA VPP Star status, and earned him a President's Award for HSE. Gene Kay, President, ErgoAdvocate LLC, will explain his experience with American Express's award winning enterprise-wide office ergonomics program, and share successful program statistics associated with web-based program management tools, including training, tracking, and improving outcomes.

Applied Ergonomics Conference Takes New Approach

March 7, 2012
The Applied Ergonomics Conference Committee has spent months conducting research to identify ways to make the conference better than ever. They interviewed numerous attendees, talked with industry experts, benchmarked other conferences and developed an entirely new approach to enhance this already highly acclaimed event. Armed with this information, this year’s conference, scheduled for March 26-29 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., will feature the latest ergonomics methods and research and two of the most respected and relevant ergonomics leaders in the field.

Job Announcement: Atlas Ergonomics Seeks Director of Ergonomic Services

February 27, 2012
Atlas Ergonomics is seeking a Director of Ergonomic Services.

Who Knew Ergonomics Was This Much Fun!?

February 16, 2012
Ergoweb is participating in the 18th World Congress on Ergonomics, being held in Recife, Brazil, and it has been a week of serious hard work as ergonomists from around the world share and learn, but last night our Brazilian hosts set a whole new standard for the social component of a professional conference, and we have pictures to prove it ...

Ergoweb Forms Joint Venture to Advance ErgoAdvocate

February 16, 2012
Recife, Brazil -- 16 February 2012 -- Ergoweb today announced the formation of a joint venture, ErgoAdvocate LLC, at the 18th World Congress on Ergonomics. Ergoweb and ErgoAdvocate are USA based companies serving an international customer base.

Ergoweb's Peter Budnick to Participate in Ergonomics Certification Around the World Special Session at International Ergonomics Conference

February 9, 2012
Peter Budnick, Ergoweb's Co-Founder and CEO, will moderate and participate in a special session focusing on ergonomics certification programs from around the world. The session will take place next week at the 18th World Congress on Ergonomics, sponsored by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA), in Recife, Brazil. The primary focus of the session will be the question of mutual recognition among the various IEA endorsed and recognized certification bodies.

Evolution of an Ergonomics Process Success Story

February 1, 2012
This article, which was originally published in The Ergonomics Report, reviews the evolution of an ergonomics process that was developed and promoted internally by Keith Osborne, a Honeywell HSE specialist. The process took some years to build, and Osborne shares how he won early successes that were used to gain management support and grow the benefits and value of ergonomics, and how he leveraged success to continuously improve and grow the process. The program now produces a significant ROI, helped gain the site OSHA VPP Star status, and has been adopted as a Honeywell best practice.

A Safe Place to Learn

January 26, 2012
GOErgo’s 15th annual Applied Ergonomics Conference and Expo 2012 is right around the corner, and Ergoweb Community members, including you, are eligible to receive discounted registration -- see this article for details.

Ergoweb's Peter Budnick to Participate in Current Trends in Ergonomics Webinar

January 5, 2012
On January 13, 2012, Budnick, along with Bill Boyd of CNA Insurance, will participate in a free webinar called "Current Trends in Ergonomics." The presenters will also provide an overview of their featured conference presentations.

Best of Ergoweb 2011

January 3, 2012
Find out what topics were accessed the most by Ergoweb's 280,000 web site visitors in 2011. At the close of each year we review the previous year's web site statistics to learn what topics drew the most attention. We're always surprised -- and sometimes even dismayed -- by what we learn. These were the most read Ergoweb articles and discussions in 2011 ...

Product Review: OrthoMouse

December 20, 2011
Developed by an orthopedic surgeon, the OrthoMouse is designed to complement the anatomy and the "position of function" of the human hand. It has interchangeable sizing adaptors designed to fit a variety of hand sizes, and has a positive rating (4.6 from a variety of computer users).

Job Opening: Safety Specialist-- New Jersey, Mt. Laurel area

December 15, 2011
TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, is hiring a Safety Specialist. TD Bank's Safety Team provides services that help ensure the workplace safety and well-being of our U.S. employees. Ergonomics will be part of the successful candidate's responsibilities.