Welcome to the Ergoweb® Learning Center
Our passion is to help companies and individuals succeed by delivering sustainable ergonomics solutions that not only reduce employee risk, but also increase productivity and deliver a higher quality product. With that in mind, we created this learning center to offer our visitors solutions and resources that maximize their health and well being.
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October 11, 2017
How much should we budget for ergonomics? Who should pay for it? Do we really need it? What value can we expect from our investment? These […]
June 27, 2017
By Peter Budnick 27th June, 2017 Sustainable sounds like one of those corporate buzzwords that come and go, but the meaning behind it will always ring […]
June 23, 2017
Continuous improvement, or continual improvement, is the ongoing improvement of products, services or processes through incremental and breakthrough improvements.1 What do Lean, Six-Sigma, Total Quality Management, Performance […]
May 23, 2017
Team Ergoweb 23rd June, 2017 Applying workplace ergonomics through a continuous improvement process is essential for enterprise sustainability. A good ergonomics process plays a key role in […]
March 28, 2017
Christensen (1987) points out that the importance of a “good fit” between humans and tools was probably realized early in the development of the species. Australopithecus […]
August 10, 2015
Last Fall we observed the untimely death of Thomas (“Tom”) Waters, a man who made significant contributions to our understanding of risk related manual material handling tasks, including […]
December 6, 2011
This article, which was originally published in The Ergonomics Report, reviews the evolution of an ergonomics process that was developed and promoted internally by Keith Osborne, a Honeywell HSE specialist. The process took some years to build, and Osborne shares how he won early successes that were used to gain management support and grow the benefits and value of ergonomics, and how he leveraged success to continuously improve and grow the process. The program now produces a significant ROI, helped gain the site OSHA VPP Star status, and has been adopted as a Honeywell best practice.
August 24, 2009
Jennifer Anderson 24th August, 2009 One prototype of a new technology for manufacturing so-called bendy displays wraps around a thumb, and bus-sized applications are not out […]
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?
March 26, 2013
Workplace problems must be addressed in context, and the key to understanding context is careful and respectful listening. In this reprint from The Ergonomics Report, renowned Ergonomist Andy Imada shares workplace experiences and solutions with journalist Jennifer Anderson. Imada's insights take us well beyond a typical ergonomics risk factor focus by considering psychosocial factors that often trump workstation-based improvement efforts. For example, according to Imada, "people will not remember you for what you did, or what you said or how many millions of dollars you saved. They will remember you for how you made them feel."
March 13, 2013
Common wisdom says we should lift with our legs, not our backs. Some companies mistakenly base much of their ergonomics strategy on training employees to "lift with your legs." This research study sheds light on why many people typically don't lift with their knees, and instead use a back-lift strategy. In this article, reprinted from The Ergonomics Report, study reviewer Peter Budnick offers his thoughts on how companies can apply this new knowledge.
January 10, 2013
Reprinted from a 2002 issue of The Ergonomics Report: Any team presented with a big project that seemingly becomes more and more complex might groan at the prospect of putting ergonomics into the mix. But with a Six Sigma project, ergonomics neither conflicts with nor takes resources from other management or process systems that may already be implemented within a company. Instead it adds to the proper execution of the Six Sigma process. Authors: Jeanie Croasmun, Rachel Michael. Contributors: Ben Zavitz, Mike Wynn.
January 9, 2013
Following up on his popular Participatory Ergonomics webinar, Peter Budnick further discusses the importance of Respect for People in Continuous Improvement systems like Lean, arguing that it's impossible to achieve Operational Excellence without Ergonomics, and that Ergonomists can play a valuable leadership and participation role in such initiatives. He illustrates the importance of Respect for People with examples from his work with Ergonomists Without Borders, and also shares his slides and a recording of the webinar for interested readers.
April 10, 2012
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.
August 2, 2011
This article, reprinted from The Ergonomics Report, summarizes an internal corporate study of 6200 financial services call center staff found that over a three-year period employees in non-adjustable workstations had 5-times more injuries and 20 times more Worker Compensation injury costs, as compared to employees in user-adjustable workstations. Furthermore, the non-adjustable workstations had higher costs associated with routine moves and making ergonomic adjustments.
August 30, 2010
A recent RAND Corporation study of Pennsylvania firms that had state Certified Safety Committees showed mixed results in reducing company injury rates. The study found that employers that joined the CSC program did not experience a reduction in lost work time injury/illness rates when compared to similar firms who were non-CSC participants.
June 9, 2010
This week's Ergonomics Roundup, including an OSHA focus on the hospitality industry, and Hispanic housekeepers in particular, claims that OSHA is facilitating union organizing in that industry by using ergonomics enforcement tactics, and ergonomic guitars / guitar making.
June 2, 2010
OSHA has a long history with ergonomics. This article revisits that history and reviews recent comments from OSHA officials that suggest where the agency is headed. Will there be a new attempt to promulgate an "ergonomics standard?" Where does OSHA's aggressive pursuit of the new Injury and Illness Prevention Program standard fit in?
March 10, 2010
A summary of ergonomics in the news, including the political debate surrounding OSHA's proposal to reinstate an MSD recordkeepong column on the OSHA 300 Log; ergonomics and human factors engineering that improves patient safety and healthcare performance, Bill Stumpf and Julia Child on kitchen ergonomics, and healthy vision in the workplace.
February 16, 2010
Analysis of multi-year data recorded on the OSHA 300 logs from 50 large hotels reveals a picture of injury risk related to job, gender, and race/ethnicity.
February 10, 2010
A new political battle is brewing as OSHA seeks comments on it's proposed musculoskeletal disorder recordkeeping rules. This debate will have a significant impact on the practice and profession of ergonomics. This article provides insight into the coming debate, and serves as a call to action for all who are interested in the future of ergonomics.
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.
June 4, 2002
I hear about stretching exercise programs being used as an ergonomics intervention, and it causes me to pause. Is a program based on stretching exercises really an effective and valid ergonomics approach? My answer is "no," for two reasons.
December 26, 2001
The creation of control options depends on the experience and imagination of the analyst. Although specific solutions vary, there is a standard thought process that can be applied.