Human Factors and Ergonomics

Rules for Tools: Characteristics of Effective Ergonomic Assessment Tools

About the Webinar:

Many ergonomic evaluation and risk assessment tools have been around for decades, and were designed to evaluate single or mono-task work. In practice, there are few single-task jobs. Most work is multi-task, exposing the worker to ergonomic risk factors of different levels (i.e., forces of different magnitude, postures of different severity, etc.). This presentation will review a timeline of the evolution of ergonomic assessment tools, and describe how tools are rapidly transitioning from single-task to multi-task models. Newer multi-task models such...

Hazards in the Craft Brewing Industry: Understanding Injuries through Workers' Compensation Data

About the Webinar:

Workers at craft breweries are an understudied population in a rapidly growing industry. Craft beer is produced through a manufacturing process which exposes workers to numerous occupational hazards including awkward body postures, lifting/carrying heavy loads, sharp edges, and hot surfaces. Unfortunately, national injury surveillance data does not effectively represent craft breweries. The purpose of this study was to characterize injuries specific to craft brewery workers, to identify contributing factors, and to inform practitioners tasked with...

Effects of Chronic Heat Stress and Shift Work on Postural Stability in Firefighters: A Pilot Study

About the Webinar:

Structural firefighters are exposed to many environmental stressors while still expected to make critical decisions on the job. Firefighters are exposed to high temperatures, perform physically demanding tasks, and wear heavy PPE, which all contribute to an increased internal body temperature. Firefighters also work extended shifts, typically as long as 24 hours, where their sleep may be interrupted to deal with emergencies. Fatigue generated from a combination of heat stress, performing physically demanding tasks, and partial sleep deprivation has...

Discovering the Root of Your Back Story: Understanding and Preventing Back Injuries

About the Webinar:

Back injuries are one of the most common forms of farm-related injuries. Protecting the back is vital for producers to stay active on the farm. Men and women are both prone to work-related back pain, with the first episode typically occurring between the ages of 20 and 40. This webinar will focus on effects of whole body vibration (WBV), causes of back injuries/pain, and how to prevent back injuries/pain.

Exoskeleton Use: Perspectives and Challenges based on a National Survey of Construction Workers

About the Webinar:

Construction workers continue to experience high rates of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), with the back and shoulder being the most impacted body regions. Exoskeletons are wearable devices that support the physical capacity of the wearer and offer a promising and innovative approach to reduce WMSD risks, expand accessibility to construction jobs, and enhance performance. This webinar will explore survey data collected from stakeholders in construction on the perceived benefits, barriers, and facilitators of adoption.

Seat Bolster Design and Discomfort in Agricultural Equipment

About the Webinar:

This webinar will examine discomfort related to the design of seat bolsters in agricultural machinery and the scope of an upcoming research study on this topic. This is an under served segment, with little research quantifying the impact of seat bolsters. Learners will explore background information, study design, subjective measurements including the Automotive Seating Discomfort Questionnaire (ASDQ) and the Nordic Questionnaire, and objective measurements including pressure mean and max taken from a seat pan pressure map, and pressure gradient data...

Using Anthropometry, Biomechanics, and Usability to Inform Product Design

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This presentation will cover how anthropometric, biomechanical, and subjective methods can be used to inform product design and/or compare competing product designs.

The Impact of a Scope Stand on Biomechanical Exposures During Simulated Colonoscopies

About the Webinar:

Endoscopists have a high incidence and severity of musculoskeletal pain and injury relative to other medical specialists. This lecture will review recent research regarding the quantification of physical exposures while performing colonoscopies and present an evaluation of a new device designed to mitigate such exposures.

Lean Ergonomics: It's an Efficiency Issue

About the Webinar:

This webinar will review a brief history of the Toyota Production System, the foundation for the University of Kentucky, True Lean Program. Learners will explore the core tenants of True Lean, and how to systematically merge the four categories of risk factors to create measurable process improvement.

Minnesota's Safe Patient Handling Act: Policy, Practice, and Research

About the Webinar:

This session presented by the University of Minnesota and Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry will provide a history of the Minnesota Safe Patient Handling Act, a law designed to protect health care workers from injuries caused by lifting and transferring patients. Learners will explore results from a policy evaluation that measured changes in patient handling injuries before and after the law was enacted. The evaluation also identified characteristics of nursing homes with high injury rates and assessed whether the effects of the law were...