There are times when I have a few free moments that I will ‘surf the net’ and see what headlines grab my attention. I was doing this last week when I came across this headline “AIG’s Benmosche, Speaking From His Seaside Villa, Says World Will Need To Retire At 80” which was posted on www.zerohedge.com. Mr.
I recently attended ASSE’s Safety 2012 PDC. It was the first time attending this conference. I was impressed with the expansive exhibit hall. There were a few products which caught my attention which I will highlight in this and upcoming blogs.
I’m attending and presenting at ASSE Safety 2012 this week. The speaker of one session I attended yesterday said something that really got my attention. He was talking about how to influence employee behavior in order to achieve better safety performance. He was explaining that it is difficult to get employees to behave safely. Then he said this, “We (meaning safety professionals) have to admit that it is harder (for employees) to work safer than not.” I was taken aback from that statement. Working safely shouldn’t be harder than working unsafe–unless, of course, the work environment,
In my previous blog I described the how behavioral based safety and ergonomics are not the same and definitely do not utilize the same approach. That being said, companies are really good at identifying “bad” employee behavior and using policy, observations and enforcement to correct it. So the question becomes how do companies who aren’t versed in ergonomics learn how to change behavior through workplace design? Let’s start with a simple framework on which built upon.
There are basically 7 steps to determining design solutions to change behavior.
I recently attended a presentation in which the speaker was trying to make the case that behavioral safety and ergonomics are virtual the same and go hand in hand together. He started off by saying that bad behaviors are caused by bad ergonomics and that good ergonomics can produce wanted (good) behaviors. I totally agreed with him but then he gave the following example:
It’s getting to be that time of year when people get started on their gardening. Gardening is fun and it’s great exercise. Yard work such as raking, hoeing and carrying various things improves strength and endurance while other tasks help maintain flexibility. Not only is it good for the body but also for the mind! Gardening gets you outside in the sunshine and fresh air which serves as a great stress reliever from job pressures.
Electro Kinetic Technologies offers an array of battery powered solutions for material and “people” handling. A couple products stood out: The motorized scissor cart and electric patient transport chair.
Standing has become the thing (preferred posture) to do at the office these days thanks to all of the attention and hype on “Sitting Disease”. When working with office-based clients the question that always comes up from the office manager is how they can cost effectively provide standing workstations since the majority of their workers are now requesting standing workstations. When I teach my office ergonomics class on “How to make your workstati
“Location, location, location!” We’ve all heard those words when it comes to real estate. The same house located on a lake is of more value and therefore worth much more than when it is located on a street in the city. The same can be said for where the roles and responsibility of an ergonomic program resides. The value to company can rise and fall depending on the location. If you read this month’s (December 2011) feature article you probably have a good idea on the best location. The most common location for ergonomic programs is in EHS or HR.
