Force and repetition are two well-known risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Contributor Sean Gallagher shares the key points and findings resulting from a recent review of scientific articles he and study co-author John Heberger performed. They note that many current ergonomic tools and guidelines consider the factor of repetition to have the same impact on MSD risk no matter the level of force involved. However, their review, published in the journal Human Factors, indicates that it may be the way these two factors are combined that is most important in the development of MSDs.

The advent and prevalence of mobile phones, texting, and interactive vehicle dashboards have brought concerns over driver distraction to the forefront. Peter Budnick reviews new research that attempts to investigate the relationship between eye-glance duration, location and history to driver distraction and the likelihood of a crash. The authors rely on real-world driver data collected before the prevalence of mobile devices, but they're biggest finding is that we need better real-world driving data before we can precisely understand eye-glancing as it relates to driver distraction and resulting crashes.

This is an updated version of guest contributor Janet Peterson's 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".

There are many potential benefits from sit-to-stand and user adjustable furniture, including lower total cost of ownership, fewer MSD's, higher productivity, improved satisfaction, etc. However, to get the greatest benefit for the employee and the company, you need to ensure that you deploy the right equipment to the right population, and then support roll-out by giving users encouragement and guidance in how to be comfortable and successful with the new equipment. This article provides background for the benefits of sit-to-stand workstations, and guidance on how to effectively implement them on a small or large scale basis.

Guest contributor Janet Peterson, PT, DPT 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".