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Open Access Articles

October 9, 2012

MSD Checklist Reliability and Validity for Ergonomics Practitioners

In this reprint from The Ergonomics Report Archives, guest contributor Thomas J. Albin writes, "Checklists come in all forms and shapes: they may be self-developed, public or proprietary. We may call them surveys, risk identification forms, screening tools, assessment tools, or something else, but their purpose is to identify risk factors that put jobs 'at-risk'. Some checklists may have been validated for various contexts of use, others not at all ... we need to manage the use of checklists ... by collecting information on their reliability and validity just as one would gather information to manage any other manufacturing process. This can be done simply and dynamically by any practitioner in a way that is specific to the worksite for which they are responsible."
October 4, 2012

Response: A Strategy for Human Factors/Ergonomics as a Discipline and Profession

Spurred to write by our recent article, "A Strategy for Human Factors/Ergonomics as a Discipline and Profession (Reprint)," guest contributor Kieran Duignan offers his thought provoking ideas on why, "... regrettably the strategy paper by Jan Dul and others ... is unlikely to go near to where its authors aspire," because, "their aspirations for the HFE community ... fail to even mention the core challenge facing all forms of business and organisational consulting now, namely building trust with stakeholders." Duignan proposes a macroergonomics approach with a focus on the ergonomics community improving its collective "social intelligence."
October 3, 2012

Patient Handling Ergonomics Investments Produce Healthy Returns

In this reprint from The Ergonomics Report, a well formulated and executed ergonomics program is once again shown to be a significant contributor to the organizational bottom line. This recent evidence comes from research conducted by University of Wisconsin based researchers Garg and Kapellusch who tracked key business metrics at seven health care facilities with ergonomics programs that included patient handling equipment. While safe patient handling has become an important topic in many health care facilities, and regulators, the proven benefits of an ergonomics program are transferable to any workplace or industry.
September 26, 2012

CPH-NEW Responds to: Wellness — Why Ergonomists Need to Get Involved

A previous article, "Wellness: Why Ergonomists Need to Get Involved (Reprint)," by Jill Kelby, has drawn a spirited response from Laura Punnett, Robert Henning and Nicholas Warren, ergonomists from The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workforce (CPH-NEW). They argue, contrary to Kelby's assertion that ergonomics is being "co-opted" by "others", that they have been involved in the NIOSH Total Worker Health (TWH) program, and that they have "made it our responsibility to educate others within TWH about the field of ergonomics," and encourage others to join them.
September 19, 2012

A Strategy for Human Factors/Ergonomics as a Discipline and Profession (Reprint)

Ergoweb's Peter Budnick reviews and offers his opinions on a recent report by The Future of Ergonomics Committee, under the direction of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA). The report summarizes a strategic initiative for the world-wide promotion of the ergonomics discipline and profession in order to reach global excellence in HFE (human factors and ergonomics). The report does a nice job of summarizing the field of ergonomics, and specifies numerous specific values we can and should produce.
September 18, 2012

Effect of Chair Designs on Sitting Tissue Pressure and Perfusion

Ergoweb's Peter Budnick reviews a recently published study comparing 5 office chair designs. As he explains, "I found it challenging to sift through the results section and piece together a coherent description of their findings ... this article kept making me ask more questions than it was answering." He also uncovers a connection to same or similar research referenced as a 2008 study, describing benefits of a specific chair by a specific manufacturer, leaving him with additional questions and prompting him to reach out to the researchers and the manufacturer for additional background and interpretation. This article will be continued ...
September 13, 2012

All About Keyboard Trays (Reprint)

In this article, reprinted from The Ergonomics Report, guest contributor Janet Peterson provides a concise, useful guide to keyboard trays as a means to add adjustability to a fixed height desk or work surface. She provides actionable advice on when a keyboard tray may be the right solution, what "must-have" features to look for, and which optional features will improve workstation ergonomics. She also offers considerations for corner and "U" shaped work stations, and provides wise words of caution regarding keyboard trays advertised as "sit/stand" or "sit-to-stand".
September 6, 2012

Improving the Occupant Experience in LEED Buildings: It’s Time for Ergonomics (Reprint)

In this article, reprinted from The Ergonomics Report, guest contributors Linda Miller and Lucy Hart provide an update on the emergence of ergonomics as a points category in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building rating system. Over a decade ago, a coalition of building industry leaders in the U.S. created building design and construction guidelines for the environmental assessment of buildings. The LEED Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based standard that evaluates the environmental performance of a building over its entire life cycle. The primary goal of LEED is to promote building practices that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy for its building occupants, and Miller and Hart explain how ergonomics is gaining a solid footing in the LEED rating system.
October 9, 2012

MSD Checklist Reliability and Validity for Ergonomics Practitioners

In this reprint from The Ergonomics Report Archives, guest contributor Thomas J. Albin writes, "Checklists come in all forms and shapes: they may be self-developed, public or proprietary. We may call them surveys, risk identification forms, screening tools, assessment tools, or something else, but their purpose is to identify risk factors that put jobs 'at-risk'. Some checklists may have been validated for various contexts of use, others not at all ... we need to manage the use of checklists ... by collecting information on their reliability and validity just as one would gather information to manage any other manufacturing process. This can be done simply and dynamically by any practitioner in a way that is specific to the worksite for which they are responsible."
October 4, 2012

Response: A Strategy for Human Factors/Ergonomics as a Discipline and Profession

Spurred to write by our recent article, "A Strategy for Human Factors/Ergonomics as a Discipline and Profession (Reprint)," guest contributor Kieran Duignan offers his thought provoking ideas on why, "... regrettably the strategy paper by Jan Dul and others ... is unlikely to go near to where its authors aspire," because, "their aspirations for the HFE community ... fail to even mention the core challenge facing all forms of business and organisational consulting now, namely building trust with stakeholders." Duignan proposes a macroergonomics approach with a focus on the ergonomics community improving its collective "social intelligence."
October 3, 2012

Patient Handling Ergonomics Investments Produce Healthy Returns

In this reprint from The Ergonomics Report, a well formulated and executed ergonomics program is once again shown to be a significant contributor to the organizational bottom line. This recent evidence comes from research conducted by University of Wisconsin based researchers Garg and Kapellusch who tracked key business metrics at seven health care facilities with ergonomics programs that included patient handling equipment. While safe patient handling has become an important topic in many health care facilities, and regulators, the proven benefits of an ergonomics program are transferable to any workplace or industry.
September 26, 2012

CPH-NEW Responds to: Wellness — Why Ergonomists Need to Get Involved

A previous article, "Wellness: Why Ergonomists Need to Get Involved (Reprint)," by Jill Kelby, has drawn a spirited response from Laura Punnett, Robert Henning and Nicholas Warren, ergonomists from The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workforce (CPH-NEW). They argue, contrary to Kelby's assertion that ergonomics is being "co-opted" by "others", that they have been involved in the NIOSH Total Worker Health (TWH) program, and that they have "made it our responsibility to educate others within TWH about the field of ergonomics," and encourage others to join them.
September 19, 2012

A Strategy for Human Factors/Ergonomics as a Discipline and Profession (Reprint)

Ergoweb's Peter Budnick reviews and offers his opinions on a recent report by The Future of Ergonomics Committee, under the direction of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA). The report summarizes a strategic initiative for the world-wide promotion of the ergonomics discipline and profession in order to reach global excellence in HFE (human factors and ergonomics). The report does a nice job of summarizing the field of ergonomics, and specifies numerous specific values we can and should produce.
September 18, 2012

Effect of Chair Designs on Sitting Tissue Pressure and Perfusion

Ergoweb's Peter Budnick reviews a recently published study comparing 5 office chair designs. As he explains, "I found it challenging to sift through the results section and piece together a coherent description of their findings ... this article kept making me ask more questions than it was answering." He also uncovers a connection to same or similar research referenced as a 2008 study, describing benefits of a specific chair by a specific manufacturer, leaving him with additional questions and prompting him to reach out to the researchers and the manufacturer for additional background and interpretation. This article will be continued ...
September 13, 2012

All About Keyboard Trays (Reprint)

In this article, reprinted from The Ergonomics Report, guest contributor Janet Peterson provides a concise, useful guide to keyboard trays as a means to add adjustability to a fixed height desk or work surface. She provides actionable advice on when a keyboard tray may be the right solution, what "must-have" features to look for, and which optional features will improve workstation ergonomics. She also offers considerations for corner and "U" shaped work stations, and provides wise words of caution regarding keyboard trays advertised as "sit/stand" or "sit-to-stand".
September 6, 2012

Improving the Occupant Experience in LEED Buildings: It’s Time for Ergonomics (Reprint)

In this article, reprinted from The Ergonomics Report, guest contributors Linda Miller and Lucy Hart provide an update on the emergence of ergonomics as a points category in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building rating system. Over a decade ago, a coalition of building industry leaders in the U.S. created building design and construction guidelines for the environmental assessment of buildings. The LEED Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based standard that evaluates the environmental performance of a building over its entire life cycle. The primary goal of LEED is to promote building practices that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy for its building occupants, and Miller and Hart explain how ergonomics is gaining a solid footing in the LEED rating system.