http://www.ergoweb.com/news/index.cfm Ergoweb is the place for all ergonomic-related news. Fri, 25 Oct 2013 01:20:00 MST Fri, 25 Oct 2013 01:20:00 MST http://www.ergoweb.com/images/ewlogo100x100.jpg http://www.ergoweb.com/news/index.cfm 100 100 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2733 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2733 In this reprint from The Ergonomics Report Archives, guest contributor Thomas J. Albin writes, "Checklists come in all forms and shapes: they may be self-developed, public or proprietary. We may call them surveys, risk identification forms, screening tools, assessment tools, or something else, but their purpose is to identify risk factors that put jobs 'at-risk'. Some checklists may have been validated for various contexts of use, others not at all ... we need to manage the use of checklists ... by collecting information on their reliability and validity just as one would gather information to manage any other manufacturing process. This can be done simply and dynamically by any practitioner in a way that is specific to the worksite for which they are responsible." Wed, 23 Oct 2013 01:20:00 MST http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2732 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2732 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. Mon, 07 Oct 2013 01:20:00 MST http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2731 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2731 Low back pain remains the number one musculoskeletal disorder among nurses, and is widely attributed to patient handling activities. A number of ergonomic interventions have been developed to reduce the occurrence of back pain in patient handling activities. However, the actual implementation of ergonomic interventions in health care settings remains difficult. This study evaluates both individual and organizational factors that influence the use of safe patient handling equipment during patient handling activities -- information you can use when devising an effective safe patient handling process. Wed, 25 Sep 2013 01:20:00 MST http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2730 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2730 On Tuesday September 24, 2013 Ergoweb hosted a Best Practices web meeting for select ErgoAdvocate clients. Company representatives demonstrated ongoing system improvements and new features, then opened a discussion through which clients using the powerful office ergonomics management system shared successful strategies and best practices, including some compelling ROI. Tue, 24 Sep 2013 01:20:00 MST http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2729 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2729 Peter Budnick, PhD, CPE, Ergoweb's Co-Founder and CEO, and Gene Kay, MS, CEA, President, ErgoAdvocate LLC (a division of Ergoweb), will speak at several conferences over the next week. Peter will participate in Globalization of Ergonomics, a panel session taking place at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting. Gene will speak at the 2013 Midwest Regional Occupational Health Conference and participate in a panel discussion at the Minnesota State Agency - Safety & Loss Control Conference. Tue, 24 Sep 2013 01:20:00 MST http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2728 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2728 Peter Budnick reviews an important research article written by well-known ergonomics researcher William Marras. In this seminal paper, Marras summarizes the state of our understanding of the factors that contribute to low back pain and disorders, charts a course for future research, and recommends that ergonomics practitioners, among other things, take a broader systems approach that goes beyond traditional physical loading risk analysis to include mental and wellness components. According to Marras, "... one needs to consider the social, occupational, spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, financial, mental, and medical aspects of the environment if one is to truly minimize the risk of low-back problems." Wed, 11 Sep 2013 01:20:00 MST http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2727 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2727 Researchers Boda, Bhoyar and Garg conducted a study with the intention to validate the ability of the NIOSH Revised Lifting Equation and the University of Michigan 3D Static Strength Prediction Model (3DSSPP) to predict the future occurrence of work-related low back pain (WLBP). In this research review reprinted from The Ergonomics Report, reviewer Peter Budnick describes the results as mixed, bringing into question both the methods used to validate complex human-system models, and the ability of ergonomists to evaluate lifting/lowering tasks and predict associated risk of WLBP with certainty. Wed, 28 Aug 2013 01:20:00 MST http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2726 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2726 In this reprint from The Ergonomics Report Archives, guest contributor Ian Chong says, "You know, I really hate being lied to - especially by ill informed sleazy salesmen who are trying to sell me some snake oil touting features and benefits that are either non-existent ... the term �ergonomically designed� is without a doubt an insidious term used by those with a massive advertising budget who would push products onto those unaware." Wed, 14 Aug 2013 01:20:00 MST http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2725 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2725 When Jack Kelley began his career as a furniture designer in the 1960s, he had never heard of ergonomics. Few furniture designers had. Interviewed for The Ergonomics Report� in 2005, Kelly talked about his years as a designer, including his work with recently deceased inventor if the computer 'mouse', Dr. Douglas Englebart, which influenced early designs of what we might call "active workstation" designs today. Wed, 31 Jul 2013 01:20:00 MST http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2724 http://www.ergoweb.com/news/detail.cfm?id=2724 In this reprint from The Ergonomics Report, Peter Budnick sets out to document the underlying ergonomics theories behind the design of various styles of the ubiquitous computer mouse. Tracing its beginnings back to the 1960's, he attempts to categorize them by style, such as forearm flat, forearm angled, specialized grips, touch pad, foot mouse, etc., offering a high-level opinion regarding the potential benefits and concerns for each. Wed, 17 Jul 2013 01:20:00 MST