Blog

15 Aug, 22

CDA, News, return-to-work, work hardening

What are “cognitive demands” and why do we include them in our reports?

A PCDA is a physical and cognitive demands analysis. It’s a very detailed description of all of the work that an employee does regularly, including pushing/pulling/lifting/gripping/pinching forces, photos, hand height, and reaches. A PCDA allows a supervisor or return-to-work coordinator to compare an employee’s functional abilities with the demands of any job. It also allows […]

08 Aug, 22

assessment, Industrial, Manual handling, News, productivity, Quality, safety

Is this job safe?

Some clients call us because a job has been associated with concerns or injuries, and they want to know if the job really warrants improvement. They might be hoping that we’ll help them find an innovative solution for a longstanding issue. Others may hope that we’ll say the strain/sprain injury risk for the job is […]

01 Aug, 22

anthropometry, Design, engineering, Industrial

Just one quick question: What height…?

What height should this work bench be? This is a simple enough question, but getting to the answer is remarkably complex. The best height for a task depends on: The effort required. Heavier work should be lower than elbow height, whereas lighter work should be at elbow height. The precision required. If you need to […]

25 Jul, 22

anthropometry, exercise, News, sleep, stretching, wellness, work hardening

Longevity and ergonomics

Over the past 25+ years, I’ve shared articles about issues that were relevant to me at specific times in my life: pregnancy, ergonomics with (and for) children, pets, camping, cottaging, travel, and so on. When I meet new people at business functions, those who have been reading our newsletters and blogs often tell me that […]

11 Jul, 22

best practices, Design, engineering, Ergo at home, Manual handling, News

There once was an ergonomist, who lived on a hill

I vacationed last week at a cottage which, like many lakeside island properties, was elevated from the lake. We’ve spent quite a lot of leisure time at this property, and so we’ve come to appreciate the view that the elevation provides. We also try to appreciate the exercise that is associated with hauling groceries, water, […]

04 Jul, 22

assessment, best practices, injury, News, productivity, Quality, research

A deeper dive into cost-benefit analysis

For most of my career, I’ve been single-minded in my focus on minimizing the risk of strain/sprain injuries. I’m not alone; most ergonomists work in a “safety” capacity, concerned mainly with keeping the demands of the workplace within the physical capabilities of the workforce. We might occasionally concern ourselves with cognitive demands (some much more […]

27 Jun, 22

best practices, injury, News, Office Ergo, photography, stretching, techniques

How to make your “how to” poster pop

Let’s face it: people don’t read the manual. Most of us will tinker with a new gadget until we figure it out. When it comes to adjustability features in the workplace, ergonomists push to make them available, but they are woefully underutilized. Adjustable chairs, hydraulic lift tables, sit-stand desks, tool balancers…. the list of poorly […]

20 Jun, 22

assessment, health care, Industrial, Manual handling, Office Ergo, productivity, Quality

more than chair people

Every occupation has a stereotypical application; ergonomists have been associated with chairs. At a party, if we tell someone what we do, the next question will almost always be about chairs “and stuff”. Although we do office assessments, we also do much more technical work. Ergonomics, the study of work, is a science and an […]

What are “cognitive demands” and why do we include them in our reports?

Is this job safe?

Just one quick question: What height…?

Longevity and ergonomics

There once was an ergonomist, who lived on a hill

A deeper dive into cost-benefit analysis

How to make your “how to” poster pop

more than chair people

What is ergonomics?

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