We are often asked to help employers accommodate workers with restrictions against “repetitive” work, or “repetitive” shoulder, back, or wrist demands. What is “repetitive”? Health & Safety Ontario’s relatively new Physical Demands Analysis Form uses these criteria for “frequency”: N=Not required R=Rarely (<2%) O=Occasional (3-33%) F=Frequent (34-66%) and C=Constant (67-100%) Over the years, “occasional/frequent/constant” have […]
As we age, those of us who have always needed glasses for far vision often find themselves in need of bifocal lenses. Bifocal, multifocal, or “progressive” lenses, allow those of us with lousy distance and lousy near vision to see the world using one pair of glasses. They’re pretty amazing if you consider the alternative: […]
Over the holidays, I am taking a few minutes to pause and be thankful, before I rush to nail down my 2021 resolutions. Here are five kitchen inventions that we can be grateful for on Christmas day (and why): – A built-in oven with a side-opening door. Our stuffed turkey is one of the heaviest […]
Step-by-step instructions are important communication tools in business, and elsewhere. If you’ve ever assembled a bookcase, you appreciate the value of a good task analysis, which forms the basis for good instructions. In the world of ergonomics, we use task analysis in physical/cognitive demands analysis (PDA/CDAs), and to develop training. First, training….Your company may have […]
Just as a dentist notices a turned incisor, and a mechanic’s ear perks up like a border collie’s at the sound of a bad bearing, ergonomists have trouble shutting down the “ergonomics filter” on their views of the world. In fact, we’ve created a whole series of social media posts about ergonomics “in real life”, […]
New employee orientation typically focuses on important tips like how to get paid, and how to avoid getting hit by a truck at work – admittedly high priorities for both employees and employers. However, new employee orientation offers a one-time opportunity to encourage employees to practice ergonomics. Here are the things that I wish employees […]
In factories and offices alike, employees report more strain/sprain injuries in the dominant hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder, because the demands on this hand are much higher than the other hand. If we could evenly distribute work demands between the left and the right hands, we’d reduce the incidence of injury. So, when I say, […]