Design

Another Versatile Mouse Option:  The OysterMouse

Are you one of the millions of people worldwide who use iPads, tablets or reading devices such as the Kindle?  If so, you may be or soon will be suffering from a multitude of musculoskeletal pains and strains.  The use of these devices has exploded over the 12-18 months.  It’s commonplace for me to see them used whenever I’m in coffee shops as well as when I’m visiting business clients.  Initially they were used for personal entertainment and convenience compared to a laptop but now businesses large and small are adopting them.  They haven’t replaced the desktop or laptop computer but they

In my previous blog I discussed the indisputable fact that working extended hours causes worker fatigue and lowers performance.  This was regardless of the time of day that was worked.  Another aspect to consider is the effect of shift work on worker performance.  I will define shift work as either the night shift or rotation shifts working normal amount of work hours (8-10 hours/shift).  A recent study of Canadian workers shows some interesting results in regards to work injuries.  The study covered a 10 year period, 1996-2006, and examined the injury rates of workers differentiated by the

As a consultant, I find myself asking people their beliefs about ergonomics and find their responses to be quite interesting.  It tells me that most have a very limited view of what ergonomics is and where it belongs within their company.

As an ergonomist, one of the most common questions I get asked is what do I think about using exercise balls as chair.  There are definite pros and cons of using an exercise ball.  Let’s first discuss this issue from an employer perspective.

Do you think it’s possible to eliminate work-related injuries (in your company)?  Is your (company) goal to have zero work-related injuries?  I frequently ask these two questions to my clients.  The answers (and looks on their faces) are quite varied.  There are those who immediately answer the first one by saying it’s “impossible” to have no injuries.  I’ve sometimes gotten the sense that they think I’m nuts for even asking the question and thinking that it is possible.  With the given response to the first question, their obvious answer to the second question is “No”.

Have you ever thought about the products you use each day and how and why you use them?  Consumer products are a huge category to tackle so I’m going to focus in on an item that most of use and/or interact in some way:  the car.  The “never event” for a car is pretty easy to see—accidents can cause serious injury and/or death.  The design of cars has significant HF/E involved in them—good and bad.