It was “practitioners talking with practitioners” last week in Dallas, Texas, as people in all levels of ergonomics participated in the Sixth Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference.
Kicking off on Tuesday morning, March 10, the annual conference and exhibition opened with keynote speakers John Howard, M.D., Director of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Jim Fograscher, Field Office Director with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Doctor Howard gave an update on where NIOSH wanted to go with ergonomics, while Fograscher spoke from years of experience with management’s role in a successful ergonomics program.
Attendees were also able to review competitors and vote for their favorites in the Ergo Cup competition, an annual ergonomics competition that rewards the most innovative and practical designs, ideas and ergonomics solutions put into practice in the workplace during the past year. Categories for the competition included Workplace Solutions I (for large companies), Workplace Solutions II (for companies of 500 or fewer employees) and Training and Education (see Honda and Ford Take Home Ergo Cups).
As part of the conference, attendees could participate in local industry tours, an exhibitor showcase and prize drawings including a bingo-style scavenger hunt where participants vied for a new office chair by gathering signatures of fellow attendees who “graduated from a Big 10 university,” “thinks ergonomics actually is rocket science,” “is a first-time attendee,” or even “works in the health care industry.”
“This conference has been our best ever,” said conference chairperson Tim McGlothlin. “We had a great group of vendors. Attendees have been treated to a variety of outstanding sessions, benchmarking and networking opportunities. We look forward to meeting again next year in Orlando.”
The conference wrapped on Thursday, March 13.