techniques

17 Oct, 21

best practices, Industrial, News, techniques

I have a smart, bad dog…what does that have to do with ergonomics?

Dogs are smart, and they learn just like people learn. We taught our border collie cross, Ursa to ring a bell on our door when she wants to be let out. Smart, right? And she knows where the boundaries of her electronic fence are. But she WILL NOT walk on a leash. Why is that? […]

27 Sep, 21

assessment, best practices, Design, ergo program, exercise, health care, Industrial, Manual handling, mentor, News, Office Ergo, PDA, productivity, research, techniques, training

Budgeting for ergonomics

Fall is budgeting time for many companies, so here’s your reminder to include ergonomics in next year’s budget. How much to budget? Here’s a real number. If you work at a small- to mid-size organization (100-700 employees), you should realistically budget $50,000 for ergonomics support. We’re assuming that your budget is not responsible for funding […]

best practices, ergo program, Industrial, legislation, Manual handling, News, safety, techniques, training

Should ergonomics training be provided regularly? If so, why?

Basic employee ergonomics training, as we described in a previous blog should be provided upon hire. But after that, do employees need ergonomics training? We argue that, yes, training should be provided regularly. Here’s why: Orientation is a blur. (“The mind can only absorb as much as the butt can endure,” or so said P. […]

03 Aug, 21

cognitive, Design, Office Ergo, research, techniques

QWERTY is a word, and sometimes a philosophy

Scrabble is a great rainy-day cottage activity, and one that I can occasionally win, so we play it a lot. The next time you’re stuck with a Q and can’t find a U, try for QWERTY, which apparently is a word. The QWERTY keyboard is named for the five top left characters on the letter […]

05 Jul, 21

best practices, Design, Industrial, News, techniques, training

Ergonomics and Fun Theory

At our ergo conference in June, we heard talks about using fun to motivate people’s behaviour. Presenters showed videos of musical stairs; most people chose to climb the stairs that were painted like a piano and made sounds as they climbed, rather than use the escalator that was right beside it. They showed people running […]

31 May, 21

best practices, Design, Ergo at home, marketing, News, techniques

Is a garden kneeler “ergonomic”?

Most ergonomists love to play with “ergo” toys, and Josie is a gardener, so she volunteered to trial this gardening tool, found here on amazon.ca. The “garden kneeler” is a folding device with a cushioned top, designed to make gardening more comfortable. Josie typically sits, kneels, or squats along the edge of the garden bed, […]

03 May, 21

best practices, News, photography, techniques

A picture paints a thousand words – and some of them are fiction

Photographs can communicate very powerfully; way back in 1995, Taylor’d Ergo included digital photos right in the reports that we created, so that the reader didn’t have to flip to the appendix to understand a paragraph of textual description of a task. Digital photography was very new back then – my first camera took grainy […]

16 Nov, 20

best practices, Driving, engineering, Ergo at home, Industrial, techniques, tools, training

Changing your tires? Which wrench is right?

If you’re having trouble loosening the lug nuts on your summer tires, a longer wrench will give you an advantage. The physics behind the “lever” wasn’t exciting in 6th grade, and surely would not compel you to read this article. However, the “longer wrench” solution is so effective that it’s tempting to simply use the […]

I have a smart, bad dog…what does that have to do with ergonomics?

Budgeting for ergonomics

Should ergonomics training be provided regularly? If so, why?

QWERTY is a word, and sometimes a philosophy

Ergonomics and Fun Theory

Is a garden kneeler “ergonomic”?

A picture paints a thousand words – and some of them are fiction

Changing your tires? Which wrench is right?

What is ergonomics?

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