It is well known that obesity is an epidemic in America with over 60% of Americans either overweight or obese. (1) Recently there have been two studies published which caught my attention due to fact that both were in regards to obesity and driving. Both studies left me to believe that ergonomics and wellness are imperative for employers as well as communities. Let me explain why.
Staring at the computer monitor several hours each day can have a detrimental effect on one’s vision. Common complaints and symptoms of eye strain are dry and itchy eyes, blurred vision, headaches and neck/upper back discomfort. There is a direct correlation between the amount of discomfort and the amount of computer, i.e. the longer you are on the computer, the more symptoms you have.
“To Err is Human.” That statement is known and appreciated by quality, production and safety managers. That we all make mistakes is certainly nothing new. Operational failures occur across all industries but the impact of errors can vary greatly between industries and companies. The healthcare industry has perhaps the best known impact of errors. Medical errors resulting in patient injury or death are quite costly. The Institute of Medicine published are report back in 2000 (To Err is Human) that stated these errors cost the in
Why does there still remain a chasm between productivity and prevention? In the great majority of companies I’ve worked for and others I’ve known they maintain separate departments and personnel on productivity and prevention, i.e. operations, quality/lean vs. EHS, risk management. There is little, if any, overlap or regular collaboration between them. This disconnect often results in work policies, procedures and design that are less than optimal for employee performance.
I recently gave a presentation on ergonomics from the shop floor to the office to a manufacturer’s work group. One of the attendees asked a question on where he could find ergonomic tools to assess work areas. The single best website that contains several quantitative and qualitative tools is offered by the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida. Here you will find basic tools and tools that focus specifically on the back, upper extremities and whole body. There are other websites that offer free ergonomic tools but this one contains the most on a single web page.
This is the sixth blog in the series on deer hunting and Lean, Ergonomics (Human Factors, Six Sigma and Systems Thinking (L.E.S.S.). In my last blog I discuss how I’ve applied process improvement principles to individual components of deer hunting. In this part I want to focus on systems thinking and systems approach to deer hunting—the final “S” in L.E.S.S.
This is the fifth blog in the series on deer hunting and Lean, Ergonomics (Human Factors, Six Sigma and Systems Thinking (L.E.S.S.).
This is the fourth blog in the series on deer hunting and Lean, Ergonomics (Human Factors, Six Sigma and Systems Thinking (L.E.S.S.).
In my last blog I explained how a couple of Lean principles are used pre and post-hunt. Well, those same principles can be used once the hunter arrives in the woods. As a reminder, two of the primary principles Lean are to reduce waste and non-value added activities. The goal of hunting is to spend as much time as possible hunting, i.e. in the stand/blind, and minimize the time spent on preparation.
Final pre-hunt preparation
This is the third blog in the series on deer hunting and Lean, Ergonomics (Human Factors, Six Sigma and Systems Thinking (L.E.S.S.).
This is the third blog in the series on deer hunting and Lean, Ergonomics (Human Factors, Six Sigma and Systems Thinking (L.E.S.S.).
In my last blog I spent time talking about how I adjusted my rifle to fit me. In this blog I want to discuss two other items—tree stands (physical ergonomics) and my crossbow (human factors).
