Manufacturers have given a firm thumbs-down to proposed European rules requiring that stress and other psychosocial risks be considered as part of risk assessments for musculoskeletal disorders.
An employment tribunal has found in favour of a fire-fighter who was sacked for asking colleagues if their employer’s reclining chairs were hurting their backs.
New research about to be published by the University of Derby on optimising employee productivity through ergonomics throws light on the effectiveness of ergonomists themselves.
The lack of progress in tackling the problems of repetitive strain
injury (RSI) in the last six years means that the problem costs
employees around £300m a year.
In one of the first prosecutions of its kind, a car parts manufacturer has been fined for failing to control the risk of work-related upper limb disorder (WRULD).
Dr Julian Hought explains why businesses should combine a ‘lean’ approach to human factors with legislative compliance to improve safety and efficiency.
The design and comfort of the work environment may not be priority issues for many employers in these straitened times but, as Tim Oldman points out, failure to appreciate the damaging effect on productivity of mediocre workplaces can cost businesses dear.
In these recessionary times, says Nigel Heaton, ergonomists and health and safety practitioners need to be able to prove “the economics of ergonomics” to ensure the workforce in their organisation remains safe and productive.
Demonstrating payback on safety programmes is a challenge for many safety professionals so, using the example of ergonomic interventions, IOSH conference speaker Winnie Ip explains how best to calculate and prove return on investment.
The Ergonomics Society is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, so current president Tom Stewart looks back at the development of the discipline and forward to more collaborative working between ergonomists and safety and health practitioners.
A new air-traffic control centre designed to accommodate the diverse needs of a range of personnel carrying out highly complex tasks has won a prestigious ergonomics award.
Bombardier Transportation’s human factors team has been recognised for its attention to ergonomics in the design of a new rolling-stock train for the London Underground.
The parties behind a new independent research report say they have come up with a practical way for companies to measure the human factors 'health' of their safety regimes, potentially opening the way to significant advances in workplace safety, environmental stewardship and operational efficiency.
Provider of ergonomic furniture and accessories for the workplace Posturite is giving away a free Penguin ambidextrous vertical mouse to customers who spend more than £150 when shopping on its website www.posturite.co.uk
Developed by Posturite, in conjunction with the University of Brighton’s Product Development Centre, the Penguin is described as “the world’s first truly ambidextrous vertical mouse”.
Ergochair says it has worked with several UK ergonomists to produce the ideal chair to fit as large a cross-section of people as possible, without losing focus on what is truly important: enabling great posture without compromising on comfort.
Allegro Industries says it offers one of the most extensive collections of ergonomic workplace protection available in the form of top-quality wrist supports, kneepads, and ankle and elbow supports, featuring unique designs for specific jobs.
