Ergonomics Strong in Military Applications
June 17-21, 2002, defense system designers met for the Eurosatory International Defence Exhibition. Ergonomics has long been an important feature of military design and this year was no different. Companies showed off their latest technology and products, many claiming to be ergonomic. For example, TRW Aeronautical Systems showcased its range of joysticks and control handles for weapon aiming and target designation. TRW claims that they have studied pilot grip characteristics during air fighting making the joysticks ergonomic.
Bond VS. Breaux
In response to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee passing a bill requiring the DOL to implement ergonomics guidelines, Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) stated he would firmly oppose any effort to advance the Breaux bill. “Congress overturned the Clinton ergo rule with resounding, bipartisan certainty. The Breaux Bill would mandate that the invalidated Clinton ergonomics standard be resurrected from the dustbin of bad government policy,” Bond said. “The last thing our Main Street economy needs now is a colossal step backwards to embrace this job-killing, regulatory poison.”
2002 National Safety Week
The National Safety Council (NSC) has designated the week of June 23-29, 2002 as Workplace Safety Week. During this week, the NSC and Liberty Mutual Group will focus on safety leadership as a key to
keeping workers safe. “All organizations can realize greater productivity and profit by keeping an organization and its employees safe and healthy,” said National Safety Council President
Alan C. McMillan. Liberty Mutual estimates that the total financial impact of both direct and indirect costs of workplace injury/illness (lost productivity, overtime, et cetera) to be as much as $240 billion.
Usability and Web Design Lecture Series
Dr. Pawan Vora, co-founder and general chair of the Internet Technical Group (ITG), an organization
associated with the Human Factors & Ergonomics Society (HFES), and webmaster for HFES will conduct a four-city tour, September through November, to lead a Web application usability workshop series presented by the Institute for International Research (IIR). Dr. Vora’s workshop series, “Designing Web Applications: Drive Business Results By Exceeding User Needs,” promises to provide attendees with the best practices available today in human factors engineering and information architecture.