This is the first follow-up article in a series started by guest contributor Ian Chong. In his first article, Ian wondered whether it is "just a fad to replace $800 office chairs with a $24.99 as seen on TV type of ball?" Or is using an exercise ball as a chair really an ergonomic intervention that professionals have overlooked? To answer the questions, Ian polled an informal task force consisting of "some users, Certified and Associate Ergonomists, physical therapists, engineers, occupational therapists, and exercise physiologists -- all professionals and all, not surprisingly, with opinions." Read on to learn their results ...

GOErgo, the Global Organization of Ergonomics, presents the 14th annual Applied Ergonomics Conference (AEC). GOErgo is a worldwide resource for the ergonomics profession dedicated solely to the support of the profession and individuals involved with improving workplace performance, quality, sustainability, and employee availability.

Still in its formative stages, Ergonomists Without Borders (a project of the Foundation for Professional Ergonomics) had a very productive 2010. A number of milestones were achieved last year and the future is looking bright for 2011. Here's a re-cap and a look ahead ...

Guest contributor Eric Durak throws his hat into the debate over the use of balls as chairs by sharing an internal survey study he and colleagues conducted at the University of Santa Barbara. Their focus was not ergonomics per se; their objective was to conduct a survey of staff that had used the ball over longer time frames in order to see if the ball had any impact on work status and any postural changes. They report positive results.

The market for ergonomically designed technology is heating up. In this example, a safe patient handling equipment startup company, Technimotion

It's always interesting to learn what news and discussion content becomes the most popular, or at least the most read. After all was said and done in 2010, here are the top five results for Ergonomics Today

Guest contributor Ian Chong wants to get to the bottom of the 'is a ball an ergonomic chair' question, and he wants your help: "Have the physiologists and exercise gurus really uncovered something applicable that has been staring us in the face ...? ...we put together a small task force made up of users, Certified and Associate Ergonomists, physical [and occupational] therapists, engineers ...