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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May 10, 2019
Are your ergonomics-related injury claims going wild? A continuous improvement ergonomics process delivers clear, significant, measurable ROI. A dig-in-your-heels approach produces huge costs and enormous waste.
January 4, 2019
The industrial workplace is often littered with complaints of musculoskeletal dysfunction, limited physical function, and painful injuries. This creates increased costs associated with process disruptions, absenteeism, […]
January 2, 2019
Safety experts are familiar with the Hierarchy of Controls, or the Hierarchy of Ergonomics Controls, in this case. That is, once a hazard is identified, we […]
January 2, 2019
By Peter Budnick, PhD, CPE, December 27, 2018 We just added several new Workplace ergonomics assessment and analysis tools to our Ergoweb Enterprise™ software platform: Ohio […]
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 […]
January 2, 2019
Safety experts are familiar with the Hierarchy of Controls, or the Hierarchy of Ergonomics Controls, in this case. That is, once a hazard is identified, we […]
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 […]
November 11, 2014
As we come to the end of 2014, many of us will be finalizing the OSHA 300 and 300A recordkeeping forms to share with employees in […]
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.
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 6, 2014
Hal Hendrick wrote "The Ergonomics of Economics is the Economics of Ergonomics" over 17 years ago, and it remains very relevant today. Peter Budnick reviews the article, including a summary of many ergonomics ROI examples Hendrick collected. As Hendrick said in 1996, "... I know of no profession where so small a group of professionals has such a tremendous potential for truly making a difference ... for virtually every person on this globe."
December 20, 2013
You must understand the basic principles of human-friendly design to evaluate or design workplace equipment. There are no shortcuts or simple tips that replace a firm […]
December 20, 2013
Despite all the advancements in automation and high technology, humans still constitute a decisive factor in production. Whether planning new operations or improving existing ones, it […]
December 20, 2013
Recent decades have witnessed the introduction of an impressive array of strategies to streamline and enhance production. Lean — Focus on adding value and eliminating waste […]
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 26, 2011
OSHA has "temporarily" withdrawn its proposal to restore a column on the work-related musculoskeletal disorders on employer injury and illness logs (300 logs). Newly elected Michigan Governor Rick Snyder vows to fight an ergonomics regulation in his own state, citing it as an example of mandatory and overreaching regulation that drives away employers.
September 9, 2010
A roundup of ergonomics topics: Is there a turf battle brewing in the field of ergonomics? Which side are you on? Plus, OSHA is taking a stand on long working hours for medical residents, and has levied a $50.6 million fine against BP -- and that's for past sins -- they haven't yet hit them for the Gulf oil spill.
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.
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.