April 10, 2012

Questions and Answers: Improving Outcomes — Office Ergonomics Success Stories

On March 21, 2012, Ergoweb held a webinar titled "Improving Outcomes -- Office Ergonomics Success Stories." Attendees asked many questions -- far too many to answer during the webinar -- so we've compiled and answered the questions in this article, including laptops vs. desktops, how to convince management to invest in ergonomics, budgeting, liability, costs, ROI, sit-stand, chairs and more.
April 4, 2012

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

The Future of Ergonomics Committee, under the direction of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA), has published a report summarizing 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. Ergoweb's Peter Budnick reviews the report and offers his opinions.
March 20, 2012

Submit Your Product Design Research for the Human Factors Prize

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society welcomes your submission for the 2012 Human Factors Prize: Recognizing Excellence in Human Factors/Ergonomics Research. The prize winner will receive $10,000 and publication in the Society's flagship journal, Human Factors. Plan to submit your work between June 1 and July 1, 2012 ...
March 20, 2012

Submit Your Product for the 2012 Stanley H. Caplan User-Centered Product Design Award

The Product Design Technical Group (PDTG) of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society welcomes submissions for its 11th Annual Stanley H. Caplan User-Centered Product Design Award. The award emphasizes innovative and user-centered approaches to HF/E and industrial design. The topic for this year's prize is the human factors/ergonomics science behind product design ...
March 14, 2012

Effective Office Ergonomics

Many of us have the daily challenge of helping employees get their best fit at work so they can resolve musculoskeletal discomfort and become more productive. Recent research, and much experience, tells us that simply providing equipment with ergonomic features may not be enough. In this reprint from The Ergonomics Report, Gene Kay provides practical, actionable advice for office ergonomics practitioners.
March 7, 2012

Research: Measuring Slip Potential for Walking Surfaces

In this study University of Alberta, Canada based researchers Osis, Worobets and Stefanyshyn set out "to examine ground kinetics early in stance while walking on a contaminated surface and assess the potential of kinetics to quantify risk of slipping." The authors indicate that previous research has focused primarily on what is referred to as the utilized coefficient of friction (UCoF) between the floor surface and the foot/shoe interface. This study, which focused on the very early stages of a slip, immediately following heel-strike, suggests shear force may be a better measure, and therefore predictor, of a slip/fall accident.
March 7, 2012

Applied Ergonomics Conference Takes New Approach

The Applied Ergonomics Conference Committee has spent months conducting research to identify ways to make the conference better than ever. They interviewed numerous attendees, talked with industry experts, benchmarked other conferences and developed an entirely new approach to enhance this already highly acclaimed event. Armed with this information, this year's conference, scheduled for March 26-29 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., will feature the latest ergonomics methods and research and two of the most respected and relevant ergonomics leaders in the field.
March 1, 2012

Applying Ergonomics to Improve Care Quality and Safety in Hospitals

Researchers developed a problem reporting system framework that dramatically improved the number and quality of problem reports, allowing the hospitals to better understand and address patient, staff and process problems rooted in human factors/ergonomics. This article, reprinted with permission from The Ergonomics Report, reviews the research and summarizes the application benefits for hospitals that take the same or a similar proactive improvement approach.
February 16, 2012

Who Knew Ergonomics Was This Much Fun!?

Ergoweb is participating in the 18th World Congress on Ergonomics, being held in Recife, Brazil, and it has been a week of serious hard work as ergonomists from around the world share and learn, but last night our Brazilian hosts set a whole new standard for the social component of a professional conference, and we have pictures to prove it ...