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I had the opportunity to lead a session at the Ergo Expo this past month on a topic that should be relevant to all safety professionals and ergonomics process owners. The title of the presentation was Applying ISO 45001 to Manage Your Ergonomics Process. After scanning the titles of other presentations, it was obvious that… read more

What started as a manufacturer of barrel-making tools in 1862, has expanded to be one of the world’s leading providers of industrial and electrical tools. Headquartered in Rockford, Illinois, Greenlee Textron’s innovative product design, manufacturing excellence, and customer satisfaction will keep it at the top of its industry well into the 21st century. Being client-focused… read more

Humantech certified professional ergonomist Blake McGowan shares a simple and inexpensive way to measure forceful exertions in the workplace when a force gauge or other piece of data collection equipment is not available. In summary, the BORG CR-10 Scale is: a formal technique that measures perceived physical or forceful exertions using both ratio and category… read more

At Humantech, we like to keep a close eye on trending topics and technologies that will potentially impact the workplace. One of the hottest emerging technologies these days is exoskeletons. We’ve written about exoskeletons in previous posts and videos and identified that those designed for rehabilitative and military use are now commercially available. However, the… read more

Since the introduction of the notebook or laptop computer in the 1990s, mobile computing has been a part of our daily work life. There are many types of mobile devices on the market, the most popular being the tablet computer. According to a recent study, approximately 14 percent of employers provide tablets to their employees… read more

Whenever we tell people that we’re performing an office ergonomics assessment, oftentimes their first reaction is to sit up straight. The upright posture has been ingrained into society as the proper way to sit, but does science prove that this is the best position to be in? When seated, joints in the back and hips… read more

Recently, I read an article in Sports Illustrated about the reinvention of a 500-year old sport—cricket. Back in 2002, the sport faced waning interest by its fans and sponsors, so the cricket board, based on their research, decided to make the sport faster and more explosive. They introduced Twenty20, which essentially shrinks a contest into… read more

The wrong set of casters on a cart can significantly increase the force exertions required by an operator. Luckily, there are a number of different caster and wheel combinations available that can help push you straight away from those high MSD risks. Here are some  questions to ask your vendor when selecting casters to ensure… read more

Certified ergonomist Blake McGowan shares the results of several studies that found that static stretching conducted prior to physical activity does not reduce the incidence of overuse injuries in this month’s issue. References: Herbert, R. D., and M. GABRIEL. (2002). Effects of stretching before and after exercising on muscle soreness and risk of injury: a… read more

It’s becoming more and more common to use multiple monitors to facilitate work. To avoid injury from awkward postures, watch the video below. These tips will ensure your monitors are set up properly. When using two monitors, the primary should be placed directly in front of the user, with the secondary beside it. For more… read more