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20 Mar, 17

Check it out – Ergonomics and Cashiers

Do you ever worry about the demands of the cashier who has to handle every item that you eat in a week? We do. And not just because we’ve been hired to! So do academics, apparently. Researchers from the Universities of Waterloo, Laurentian, and Arizona State recently published a paper in the International Journal of Industrial […]
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Lighting the way to safe, effective paths

Josie has been spending a lot of time in hardware stores lately, and she came across this item in the lighting aisle (https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.br30-led-flood-smartbulb-arctic-white.1000854380.html) that she wanted to share. Remember the “clap on, clap off” lights? This is even better! (If these new light bulbs are advertised on TV, I apologise for the repeat here….not much TV in […]
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01 Jul, 15

Universal design: Food for thought

Have you ever bought a package of “easy-open” food product that wasn’t “easy” at all? Universal design (UD) refers to ideas that are “meant to produce buildings, products and environments that are inherently accessible to older people, people without disabilities, and people with disabilities”. Ergonomics refers to designing work for people, so clearly there is […]
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24 Nov, 14

How to have happy winter feet

Winter is approaching (well, approaching last week, and receding today, but it will be back!), and it’s time to pull out the winter footwear. In the fall, it’s fun to pull on the boots, but when the white stuff comes, we realise that, just like we need winter tires, we also need winter footwear. If you […]
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02 Jun, 14

Barista-Back

A recent article in the National Post highlighted the back and shoulder MSD hazards associated with barista work. The article highlighted a study from Wilfrid Laurier University, which showed that baristas have high rates of back and shoulder pain. The researchers did a great job of collecting survey, postural, and force data, and showing that the […]
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