Ergoweb® Learning Center
We’ve published and shared thousands of ergonomics articles and resources since 1993. Search by keyword or browse for topics of interest.
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October 10, 2019
Effective ergonomics processes emphasize both improvement and prevention – reducing ergonomics risks in existing operations while ensuring the ergonomics acceptability of new products and equipment. Ergonomic […]
September 26, 2019
Successful ergonomics improvement programs include at least these 4 steps: Identifying Potential Ergonomics Issues Ergonomics Assessment Tools Controlling Ergonomics Risks Cost Justifying Ergonomic Improvements If your […]
September 18, 2019
Successful workplace ergonomics programs drive improvements that reduce ergonomics risk while making jobs easier, effective and less painful for workers. Since Lean and Six Sigma programs […]
September 11, 2019
Successful ergonomics initiatives are designed to drive workplace ergonomics improvements that reduce risk while making jobs easier and less painful for workers. A robust approach that […]
July 18, 2019
What’s the difference between an ergonomics checklist and an ergonomics assessment tool, and when should one or the other be used? In general, they may seem […]
July 17, 2019
Ergonomics can be challenging, particularly when trying to assess ergonomics in non-repetitive (non-cyclical) jobs. Here we offer a few tips you can start using today. For […]
July 1, 2019
Ergonomics is an improvement process that, when successful, achieves meaningful outcomes such as less muscle fatigue, increased productivity, and reduced number and severity of work-related MSDs […]
June 20, 2019
What can you control? Improving ergonomics for field workers pays back by reducing risk exposure and improving job performance. This infographic captures the main things you […]
June 17, 2019
Ergonomics assessment of repetitive work – where the work area, materials, and tools are consistent and cycles are short enough that you can observe the activity […]
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February 6, 2013
Researchers have devised new methodologies and metrics to analyze patient migration while laying in hospital beds. The results of the study reviewed here should help hospital bed designers better understand patient migration patterns and influence new designs that will reduce migration, as well as reducing the pressure ulcers and skin tears migration can cause, and reducing the caregiver patient repositioning tasks that lead to high rates of back injury among nurses.
February 1, 2013
While a staple of many health and safety programs, the value of back injury prevention training is strongly challenged by a review of eleven recent studies.
January 30, 2013
Applied researchers Otten, Karn and Parsons where tasked with designing a handheld consumer camera requiring thumb operated controls. They were surprised to find that very little data was available for such devices, so they embarked on a collaborative research and design project to collect their own data, which they later shared in the published journal Human Factors. Peter Budnick reviews their work, describing it as a good example of "informed design," which he describes requiring an ergonomic, human-centered approach. The researchers also used novel techniques to collect thumb reach distance and envelope data, and also applied the "Mr. Potato Head" method to investigate control location preferences.
December 3, 2012
University of Michigan based researchers Neal Wiggermann and W. Monroe Keyserling conducted an experiment to investigate the effects of "anti-fatigue" mating on the perceived discomfort and weight shifting during prolonged standing. Their results are of great interest to ergonomists and employers seeking to reduce discomfort related to long duration standing. This article reviews the state-of-the-art understanding of the relationship between floor surface and standing discomfort and concludes with applicable recommendations for selecting anti-fatigue mats.
November 30, 2012
In this reprint from The Ergonomics Report, Gene Kay and Peter Budnick review a research article summarizing the findings of a team of researchers from India that performed a study looking at various associations between body mass index BMI, musculoskeletal discomfort, and occupational stress among computer workers. Their results add to the growing understanding that being overweight can have a significant effect on musculoskeletal discomfort and occupational stress measures.
April 18, 2012
This article, reprinted from The Ergonomics Report, summarizes a research article that showed that marked shoulder pain occurred three times more frequently among hotel room cleaners when psychosocial risk factors were present according to a University of California investigation. Sometimes, risk factors alone are not the source of perceived pain or injury.
January 25, 2012
RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) is an assessment method often discussed and applied by occupational ergonomists. In this article, reprinted from The Ergonomics Report Archives, Ergoweb's Peter Budnick reviews the popular method, recognizing its strengths, but also noting that it has limitations and can be -- and perhaps often is -- horribly misapplied, misrepresented, and misinterpreted without adequate training, experience, and professional perspective.
January 30, 2008
A study presents an office ergonomics self-assessment checklist that demonstrates good reliability and validity. Can this checklist replace the need for an office ergonomist?