The Ergonomics Report™ Extras
April 19, 2006
Control Tower Talk; New Research; New Book; and, Updates on the $100 Laptop

The Ergonomics Report™ Extra
April 12, 2006
No More Pencils, No More Books in Schools? … A Look at the Future

Dr. David Meister Remembered
April 11, 2006
One former associate, Steven Casey, Ph.D.,CPE, remembers Dr. Meister as “the most prolific writer in the history of the profession and one of the field's greatest philosophers.

Forklifts – A Study in Flawed Ergonomics
April 5, 2006
Low lifters, stackers, telenecks, order pickers, reach trucks and their cousins in the forklift family tree are rolling hazards. They can crush operators, strike nearby workers and collide with moving or stationary objects.

Research Summary: Are Physical Work Factors Predictors of Future Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Development?
March 29, 2006
Repetitive tasks and heavy lifting performed at work in 1984 had an inverse relationship to the development of carpal tunnel syndrome over the subsequent 17 years in a prospective study.

The Ergonomics Report™ Extras
March 22, 2006
IEA2006 Is Just Around The Corner; Robots and Usability; and, Bullying Down Under

Safe Patient Handling Program Training and Other Initiatives
March 15, 2006
Patients can’t be lifted like boxes. This fact drives the new “Safe Patient Movement and Handling” training program and other initiatives to reduce MSDs that plague the health care profession, according to Dr. Tom Waters.

Fit to Print? OSHA Unveils New Printing Industry Ergonomics eTool
March 14, 2006
America's printing industry has a new resource to help keep workers safe on the job - Ergonomics in the Printing Industry eTool - the latest interactive web-based training tool unveiled this week by OSHA.

Overcrowded Hospitals and Poor Hospital Food Making Headlines
March 8, 2006
The week brought two news items that promise to give hospital administrators, ergonomists and others pause for thought.

Distal Upper Extremity Neuropathy Related to Duration of Computer Activity
March 8, 2006
Research Summary: Distal upper extremity neuropathy was prevalent among 13 percent of engineers who perform computer activities at least 15 hours per week in a cross-sectional study by Conlon and Rempel.

A Call for RSI Legislation in Ontario
March 1, 2006
With freezing winds whipping their faces, the group, made up of injured workers, trade unionists, occupational health and safety advocates and others, shouted for the Ontario government to stand up, open their ears and listen to the problems of the people.

Intangible Risk Factors and the Exploration of Outer Space
March 1, 2006
The astronauts and cosmonauts who venture to Mars and beyond can expect a bombardment of risk factors. A review of the literature on the preparations for exploring outer space makes it clear that the race to distant parts of the Universe will be won by the agency with the best grasp of a host of intangible endurance factors.

The Ergonomics Report™ Extra: AIHA Comments on Immigration “Sting”
February 22, 2006
AIHA expresses concern and opposition to recent reports that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Bureau may continue their impersonation of OSHA personnel to target illegal workers.

Research Summary: Movement Needed In Addressing Forklift Operators Musculoskeletal Disorders
February 22, 2006
Seven epidemiological studies demonstrated a significant association between forklift operation and low back pain when Waters et al. statistically combined study findings to calculate a meta-odds ratio of 2.13. Surprisingly, no studies were found that examined neck or upper extremity disorders relative to forklift operators.

Ontario's New MSD Prevention Campaign
February 15, 2006
Employers and many legislators on both sides of the 49th Parallel are heavily armed against ergonomics programs, regarding them as regulation by stealth. So why wasn't the Province of Ontario's "Pains and Sprains" campaign used as target practice when it was introduced in January? The Ergonomics Report™ goes 'inside' the issue to find out.

The Ergonomics Report™ Extras
February 8, 2006
Hearing loss due to headsets; Canadian webinar on musculoskeletal disorders

Research Summaries: Workstyle and Upper-Extremity Symptoms; and, Pathomechanics of Peripheral Nerve Loading
February 8, 2006
Tim Villnave takes a closer look at two timely topics from current ergonomic research

Industry and Research Updates
February 1, 2006
Ian Noy to replace Tom Leamon at Liberty Mutual; Cost of Absenteeism and Presenteeism Underestimated; Cell Phones Given Clean Bill of Health; Study Finds Link Between Work Stress and Heart Disease-Diabetes Syndrome

Senators Probe Two Coal Mining Accidents in West Virginia in Past Three Weeks
January 24, 2006
A United States Senate inquiry opened on January 23 into two accidents in West Virginia in the first three weeks of January that killed 14 coal miners.

Research Summary: The impact of overtime and long work hours on occupational injuries and illnesses: new evidence from the United States
January 24, 2006
Working extended or overtime hours was strongly associated with increased incidence of work related injury/illness according to a Dembe et al. analysis of 13 years of data collected by a national survey.