Pushing and pulling is involved in many tasks and jobs in a wide variety of industries. In order to avoid injuries and optimize efficiency it is important to properly design pushing and pulling tasks. A good online resource that explains the ergonomics of material handling in general and then goes into the details of pushing and pulling tasks is called “
Light—it’s necessary for humans. It effects people mentally, physically, physiologically and their overall performance. The impact of lighting in the workplace is very important to understand—not only to achieve energy savings but also to influence worker performance. Intuitively we know that lighting is of value but it is often overlooked in the workplace, especially the value related to productivity.
As an ergonomist, I am often asked what my opinion is on post-offer, pre-work (POPW) screens for new hires. My first response is to ask why they are asking that question. The normal answer is because they have a injury rate higher than what they’d like and wonder if it’s related to their workers’ fitness for work. I have several follow up questions that help me understand the root cause of their injuries. As much as possible work should be designed so that the majority of the population can perform the job. This is becoming more and more important and imperative to organizations due t
Productivity and efficiency—two buzz words that are talked about and heard continually from large to small businesses. Why? The productivity and efficiency of people and operations can make or break a business. Unfortunately we can’t snap our fingers and make high productivity happen all by itself. However, significant improvements are common when you apply the right principles, guidelines and tools to your business systems and processes.
Although sit-stand workstations have been around for several years their popularity has only recently grown. This has been primarily due to research on the negative effects of prolonged sitting which has been labeled “Sitting Disease”. To combat sitting disease in an office/computer work environment employers and employees should modify the work environment and tasks to allow for a reduction in the amount of time spent sitting and increase the amount of time spent standing and/or walking—hence the upsurge in demand for and use of sit-stand computer workstations.
This is the final blog in the 4 part series on the 4 M’s to effective ergonomics systems. The 4th M stands for Momentum! Momentum or energy is continually needed to drive the system on a continual basis. First, momentum is needed in you (me) both inwardly and outwardly. The keys to inward momentum are:
This is the third part out of four in the article series on the 4 M’s to effective and sustainable ergonomics systems. The third M stands for Mindset. According to the Merriam Webster’s online dictionary, mindset means “mental inclination, tendency, or habit”. Another definition is offered by thefreedictionary.com, “A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person’s responses to and interpretations of situations.” Mindset is the third key principle on which successful ergonomics systems are built. One must determine whose mindset must be understood.
This is the second of the 4 part blog series on the 4 M’s to Effective Ergonomics Systems in the Short and Long Term. The second “M” is Marketing. By marketing I mean that the ergonomics systems and associated projects should have a brand. Consider the following: What company name comes to mind based on the following: a Swoosh and the tagline “Just Do It”? Or what company comes to mind if I tell you the logo is a red bullseye? If you said Nike and Target you’d be correct. What about the company you work for? Does it have a brand—a logo and/or tagline?
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.
