Category: Resosurces

Ergonomics Resources

New Ergonomic Resources from OHCOW

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We are pleased to inform you about a valuable resource from The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc. (OHCOW) that can significantly enhance your knowledge and practices in workplace ergonomics. OHCOW is a prominent organization dedicated to improving workplace health and safety in Ontario, Canada, and its focus on ergonomics provides critical insights and practical solutions to prevent occupational injuries and diseases.

Injury Prevention through Ergonomics

OHCOW’s Injury Prevention page is an excellent resource highlighting the importance of ergonomics in the workplace. Poor ergonomic practices are a leading cause of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), and OHCOW provides comprehensive information to help mitigate these risks. The page covers:

  • Ergonomic Risk Factors: Identification of repetitive motions, awkward postures, and excessive force as key contributors to MSDs.
  • Practical Solutions: Guidelines for proper workstation setup, tool and equipment adjustments, and safe manual handling techniques.
  • Ergonomic Assessments: Expert evaluations of workplace setups with tailored recommendations for improvement.
  • Educational Materials: Brochures, guides, and checklists that serve as useful references for ongoing ergonomic enhancements.

These resources are designed to help workers and employers create safer and more comfortable work environments, reduce the incidence of MSDs, and promote overall workplace health.

Ergonomics Podcasts

OHCOW also offers an engaging podcast series featuring several episodes specifically on ergonomics. These podcasts provide in-depth discussions and practical advice from experts in the field:

  1. Ergonomics in the Workplace
    This is an overview of workplace ergonomics, including the importance of ergonomic design, proper posture, and regular breaks to avoid repetitive strain injuries.
  2. Office Ergonomics: Creating a Healthy Workspace
    Tips for setting up an ergonomic office environment, addressing the correct placement of computer monitors, keyboards, and chairs, and the impact of prolonged sitting.
  3. Manual Handling and Ergonomics
    There are strategies for minimizing injury risks in manual handling jobs, including proper lifting techniques, the use of assistive devices, and the importance of training.
  4. Ergonomic Solutions for Remote Work
    This article provides advice on setting up a home office to address the unique ergonomic challenges of remote work. Emphasis is placed on selecting ergonomic furniture and equipment and incorporating regular breaks and physical activity.

These podcasts are an excellent way to stay informed about the latest trends and best practices in ergonomics, helping you create safer and more comfortable work environments.

The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc. (OHCOW) provides essential resources that can benefit all members of the Federation of European Ergonomics Societies. Their comprehensive injury prevention programs and engaging podcasts offer valuable information and practical solutions to enhance workplace health and safety. We encourage you to explore these resources and integrate their insights into your practices.

For more information and to access these resources, please visit OHCOW’s website.

Summer School in DHM and Simulation 2024

Gyula Szabo Leave a comment

The University of Antwerp’s Centre for Health and Technology (CHaT) is excited to announce the Summer School in Digital Human Modeling and Simulation 2024. This event offers an international platform for researchers and professors to share and teach the latest innovations, discuss the state-of-the-art in the field, and exchange ideas and visions in all areas of digital human modelling research and applications.

Event Details

  • Dates: Monday, 23rd September to Wednesday, 25th September 2024
  • Location: University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Building R
  • Format: Hybrid (both online and onsite participation available)

Registration Fees

  • Academics (Online and Onsite): €300
  • Non-Academics (Online and Onsite): €600
  • Discount: Members of the Belgian Ergonomics Society or other Ergonomics Societies receive a €50 discount.

Program Schedule

23rd September

  • 10-11 AM: Introduction to DHM, Prof. Sofia Scataglini
  • 11-12 AM: Comfort and Discomfort, Prof. Xuguang Wang
  • Lunch Break
  • 1-2 PM: Extended Reality in Medicine, Prof. Marco Mandolini
  • 2-3 PM: Modelling the Hand, Prof. Esteban Peña Pitarch
  • 3-4 PM: The Role of Diagnostic Imaging (in silico medicine), Prof. Francesco Feletti
  • 4-5 PM: Design and Analysis of Mechanical Devices with Musculoskeletal Models, Prof. Michael Skipper Andersen
  • 5-6 PM: Biomechanical Perception Models Predicting Motion Comfort and Sickness in Automated Driving, Prof. Riender Happee

24th September

  • 10-11 AM: Neuroergonomics, AI and Passive Brain-Computer Interface (pBCI) for Enhanced Human Performance, Prof. Umer Asher
  • 11-12 AM: Computer-aided Technologies (CAD/CAM/CAE) for Prosthetics, Prof. Gregor Harih
  • Lunch Break
  • 1-2 PM: DHM in the Product Realization Process, Prof. Dan Hogberg
  • 2-3 PM: Human-Centred Robotics, Prof. Giacomo Palmieri
  • 3-4 PM: Inclusive Design in DHM, Prof. Silvia Imbesi
  • 4-5 PM: Human-Autonomous Systems, Prof. Simone Borsci
  • 5-6 PM: DHM and EEG, ECG, Posturography Affection, In-Cockpit Motion Modeling, Pilot Studies, Prof. Vladimir Socha

25th September

  • 10-11 AM: Modeling and Simulation of Movement for Stroke, Prof. Redha Taiar
  • 11-12 AM: DHM and Anthropometry, Prof. Erik Brolin
  • Lunch Break
  • 1-2 PM: DHM for Human-Centric Engineering and Medicine, Prof. James Yang
  • 2-3 PM: DHM and Infrared Thermography, Prof. Ameersing Luximon
  • 3-4 PM: Digital Work Planning: Integrating Ergonomics, Productivity, and Age-Appropriate Production Design using ema Work Designer, Michael Spitzhirn
  • 4-5 PM: DHM and IMMA, Prof. Lars Hanson

Registration

Please visit our registration page to register for the Summer School in Digital Human Modeling and Simulation 2024.

For further information, contact:

  • Prof. Sofia Scataglini (Chair of TC DHM at IEA, International Coordinator of 4D4ALL)
  • Prof. Steven Truijen (Chair of 4D4ALL)

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field and connect with peers worldwide. We look forward to seeing you there!

The gap between a “human” and a “person”

Pedro Ferreira

By Pedro Ferreira

The continuous and accelerating rate of change seems to be the new normal for every profession and work context. This much can also be said about our own lives. It seems increasingly difficult to make sense of the boundaries between family, personal life, and work. We struggle to make sense of the organisation around us and the roles we are meant to be fulfilling seem increasingly blurry or hybrid.

Ergonomics has evolved across many boundaries, both scientific and professional practice. In my mind, this has always been one of the key challenges when conveying to stakeholders the relevance and added value of ergonomics. Exchanges with different colleagues worldwide have further reinforced this belief. The blurriness and dynamics at the boundaries of ergonomics seem an unsurmountable problem.

Recently, I have come to question these assumptions: How is this a problem? How does it really manifest itself? As you explore such questions, a much better understanding of the situation and its context emerges. Rather than looking outwards for causes and solutions, I started to focus on my own perceptions and perspectives. What has always appeared like an impossible challenge feels increasingly like an open array of opportunities.

It’s not about the tools and methods but rather the methodology itself. While I’ve always advocated my methodology as one that focuses on the person and its context at work, my self-questioning led me to realise how much I had allowed myself to be drawn into this inescapable tendency to look at the person as yet another part of a system. Much is said today about “technical, organisational and human factors” or even “organisational and human factors”. But ask yourself how much these common expressions do not push you towards levelling out the existing and fundamental differences despite placing these factors in “different boxes”?

The ultimate question is, what differences do I see between a “human” and a “person”? If we aim to explain performance and behaviour, and look at these as the result of a combination of body and brain activity, then little opportunity is there to understand the person. The richness of ergonomics, particularly its multi and inter-disciplinarity, lies in the ability to see the person as more than a mechanistic set of physiology and cognition. Communicating the value of ergonomics must not come from an (implicitly or explicitly) oversimplification of the person but rather by challenging the beliefs of stakeholders in regard to what a person is. In the end, what ergonomics practitioners share with their stakeholders is the desire to make better use of the unique human abilities to cope with the high complexity and uncertainty of our world. This can only be pursued by understanding the persons far beyond the generic human standards.

How to avoid being burnt in a hotel bathroom?

Bernard Michez Leave a comment

This event happened during the last seminar of FEES. Meeting at breakfast time, two executive board members told the others that they had been burnt by the shower (in fact, alternatively burnt and frozen). For the two members, the design of the water mixer tap was counter-intuitive, although for the others, it was regular. The exchanges showed that the two members had never been confronted with the water mixer tap without signs on it (red or blue). They told the story: “I went in the shower area and saw the taps, one at each extremity of the ramp. I was under the main shower head, immediately over my head. As there was no indication on the taps, I began with the right one. I turned it upside down and was surprised and frozen by the very cold water from the main shower. I immediately turned it the opposite, and then the flow came to the small shower head, heading to the wall. It was still cold water. Then I tried the left tap. As nothing was indicated on the tap, I turned it upside, then downside, and settled it to the desired temperature. Then, I changed the orientation of the flow to the main shower head on the ceiling. It worked…. Until someone in the rooms around mine used its shower. The flow instantly changed from warm to iceberg.

Surprised, I put my hand on the left tap and tried to raise the heat…. But too strongly. Ouch!”

Train4Work webinar

Gyula Szabo Leave a comment

Train4work – a training tool on HFE for non-specialists that is useful for HFE promotion, on the 14th of November at 13h UTC.

Webinar Series on tools fostering the development of ergonomics and human factors, organized by the Federation of European Ergonomics Societies (FEES), an IEA regional network, and the Safety and Health Technical Committee of the IEA.

Register for this webinar.

Presenters:

  • Pedro Ferreira, Federation of European Ergonomics Societies (FEES), Treasurer, and Professor at Centre for Marine Technology and Ocean Engineering (CENTEC), IST, University of Lisbon, Portugal.
  • Mercedes Sanchis Almenara, Head of Innovation, Occupational Safety and Health Promotion- Institute of Biomechanics (IBV), Polytechnical University of Valencia, Spain.

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Duration: 90 mins

The goal of this online webinar is to present the Train4work product, which is available in 4 languages (English, Spanish, German, and French)

  • Its contents
  • How to use it
  • How it helps in practice

Webinar Chair: Bernard Michez, president of FEES

Zoom link for registration. Registration is free to all interested people. The webinar will be recorded and published on YouTube. Registration permits live interaction with the presenters via Q&A. Register for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Register for this webinar.

Ergonomics, Human Factors and Machinery

The European Machinery Directive – webinar

Gyula Szabo Leave a comment

The European Machinery Directive, Webinar on the 21st of November 13h UTC.

The Federation of European Ergonomics Societies (FEES), an IEA regional network, and the IEA Safety and Health Technical Committee organised the series on tools fostering the development of ergonomics and human factors.

Register for this webinar.

Presenters:

  • Pascal Etienne, Federation of European Ergonomics Societies (FEES), executive board member, pascal.etienne0@orange.fr
  • Aleksandar Zunjic, FEES General Secretary, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Serbia.
  • Pedro Ferreira, FEES Treasurer, CENTEC, IST, University of Lisbon, Portugal
  • Bernard Michez, FEES president, CEO Ergotec company, France
  • Gyula Szabó, FEES executive board member, Faculty of Mechanical and Safety Engineering, Óbuda University, Budapest, Hungary
  • Jochen Eckhart, International Organisation for Standardization (ISO/CEN)
  • Peter Nickel International Social Security Association (ISSA), International Prevention Section on Machine and System Safety

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Duration: 90 mins

The goal of this online webinar is to present and discuss the EU Machinery directive

  • Its application
  • The specific rules such as « forecast the forecastable misuse… »
  • Its utility for designing working situations

Webinar Chair: Bernard Michez, president of FEES

Zoom link for registration. Registration is free to all interested people. The webinar will be recorded and published on YouTube. Registration permits live interaction with the presenters via Q&A. Register for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Register for this webinar.

Musculoskeletal health promotion starts at school

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According to EU-OSHA, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in children and young people and young workers are worryingly high. Involving schools in occupational safety and health issues can help prevent this. Integrating safety and health in education is essential in developing a culture of prevention for students.

A new report offers approaches to ‘health-promoting schools’ and examples of good practices in Europe to get people moving and prevent MSDs. The report presents success factors and obstacles and examines how schools can contribute to long-term prevention early on.

Read the report Better Schools by Promoting Musculoskeletal Health

Learn more: 

Top Tips for Sit-Stand working – by Expert Veerle Hermans

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Several types of research show a direct link to our sedentary lifestyle and health problems. Sitting for an extended time can be a direct cause of obesity, heart and cardiovascular diseases. 

Veerle Hermans explains in this video how to improve your working day by simply switching between working in a sitting position and a standing position. Make sure you have a good balance between sitting, standing and moving.
Veerle was a member of the BES committee for many years and served several times as president and secretary.
She passed away after a long illness.

Train4Work free webinar

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“Human-centred design is the solution to develop effective, efficient and productive work environments” Fee webinar 20th May 2021 11:00 – 12:00 (CET)

The characteristics of the spaces and workstations affect the development of the work in a very relevant way, from the point of view of the safety and health of the workers and also in relation to the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity of the tasks.

Human-centred work environments consider their characteristics and needs in the design and implementation to ensure the proper performance of tasks.

Under this approach, following the methodology of human-centered design and applying it to the development of work environments, within the framework of the “Train4HCwork” project an online course has been developed that includes the disciplines and key aspects to consider for the development of human-centered industrial environments.

ADDRESSED TO:

  • Professionals related to the design and implementation of work environments.
  • Responsible for planning, processes, job design, production department personnel or industry organization.
  • Designers of machinery or work equipment.
  • Personnel responsible for health and safety, human resources personnel.
  • Students from nearby areas of knowledge.

OBJETIVES:

  • Present IBV as a reference center in ergonomics and human factors.
  • Introduce the human-centered design approach and how to translate it into the design and implementation of industrial / work environments.
  • Present the new Train4HCwork course.

MODALITY:

  • Online 100%.
  • The participants will connect through a videoconference system.
  • The access codes will be provided once the registration is formalized.

CONTENTS:

  • Presentation of the IBV and the Occupational Health Unit and introduction to human-centered design.
  • Application of human-centered design to spaces and workstations
  • Importance and necessity of the adaptation to the people of the work environments. The point of view of the ergonomists.
  • Detailed explanation of the course developed within the framework of the Train4HCwork project.

SPEAKERS:

  • Mercedes Sanchis. Head of Innovation – Occupational Health and Safety at Instituto de Biomecánica.
  • Raquel Marzo. Researcher at Instituto de Biomecánica. People’s Needs and Preferences Area.
  • Alberto Ferreras. Researcher at Instituto de Biomecánica. People’s Needs and Preferences Area.
  • Pedro Ferreira. Treasurer at FEES.
  • José Francisco Serrano. Technician at Instituto de Biomecánica. Human Factors Area.

FFES LogoFor more information contact Pedro Ferreira, treasurer of FEES: treasurer@ergonomics-fees.eu.

 

TECHINICAL REQUIREMENTS:

The participant must have a computer with an internet connection and a microphone. If possible, a webcam is recommended. The connection will be made via videoconference system. Access codes will be provided once registration has been formalized.

REGISTER HERE

Program download here

FFES LogoProject supported by the European Union
Contract Number: 2018-1-ES01-KA203-050887

WORK IN SCHOOLS DURING THE PANDEMIC AND A METHOD FOR CHILDREN TESTING ON COVID-19 VIRUS

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Organization of work in schools during the pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus directly depends on the number of students and teachers infected. Among health workers and especially in public, there has been a general belief that children below 18 years of age are not an endangered part of the population to Coronavirus. However, although it may be true, it is premature to make such a conclusion, because appropriate tests have
not supported it. 

The main reason is that a complete enigma is the population of children in schools who have not shown any symptoms, but are infected and can transmit the virus. Prof. Aleksandar Zunjic has published the paper
below in the IETI Transactions on Ergonomics and Safety journal and studies this
problem in detail and provides insight into many aspects of the effects of the
Coronavirus that are not obvious.

In conclusion, the paper proposes a new, fast and economically viable method for
testing students on the CVOVID-19 virus.

METHOD FOR CHILDREN TESTING ON COVID-1