Ergonomics


Home \| Contact Us \| Free E-Zine \| Tell a Friend \| Search \| SUBSCRIBER LOGIN

About this Site

Editorial Review Board

Mission Statement

Site Tour

Most Recent Articles

Browse by Topic

Audio & Webinars

Online Exclusive

Weekly E-Alert Articles

Quick Tips

Sample Policies

Checklists

Special Reports

Cal/OSH Decisions

Required Notices

Ask An Editor

CA Safety Forum

Reference Links

Subscription Services

Account/Login Help

FAQs

Site Map

Your Account

Our Guarantee

Text Size

Home | Ergonomics

Ergonomics

Subtopics:

Back Safety
Ergonomics—General
Lifting

Back to Health
Complete Topic List

Ergonomics: Lean Manufacturing, Part 1; When More Efficiency Leads to Aching Backs
August 2008
Over the last decade, many manufacturers have embraced "lean manufacturing," a strategy to eliminate wasted time, motion, and storage by streamlining production, altering production processes, and paring back warehousing. These changes often show up in the bottom line at . . . more »

Bulletin: Special Report included with this issue: "Lighten the Load: Identify and Control Ergonomic Hazards in Your Workplace to Prevent Costly Injuries, Increase Productivity, and Keep Workers on the Job"
April 2008
Ergonomic injuries, such as sprains, back pain, and carpal tunnel syndrome, cause workers to miss a significant number of workdays and . . . more »

Health and Wellness: The Pregnant Employee and the Workplace; Safety Concerns for Women
April 2008
When pregnant worker Naomi Snyder showed up for her job at arts and crafts retailer Michael's in Modesto one day, a contractor was buffing . . . more »

Best Practices: When One Man's Home Is Another Man's Workplace, Part 3; Service Providers and Laborers
April 2008
Coast and Valley Carpet Care sent cousins Jose and Victor Cortez to a condo in the Ventura County city of Moorpark two years ago to clean the . . . more »

News Notes: Back and Neck Injuries Cost More, But Outcomes Worse
April 2008
Healthcare expenditures for back and neck problems increased substantially between 1997 and 2005. During that same period, patient outcomes worsened, . . . more »

Best Practices: When One Man's Home Is Another Man's Workplace, Part 2; Home Health, Social Service, and Emergency Medical Workers
March 2008
In Part 1 of our series on employees who work in third-party private residences, we looked at general issues that affect all of these workers and their employers. This month in Part 2, we look at hazards that apply to home health, social service, and emergency medical workers. . . . more »

News Notes: New Ergonomic Resource for Construction Industry Available From NIOSH
December 2007
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a 92-page booklet entitled, "Simple Solutions: Ergonomics for Construction Workers," which includes 20 easy-to-use tip sheets for . . . more »

Ergonomics: Lessons from Medical Waste Handling; An Investigation and Guidelines from the State's Occupational Health Branch
November 2007
In 1997, there were 2,400 medical incinerators in the United States. Because of the environmental impacts of incineration, by 2004 this number had dwindled dramatically to 110, with large-scale, off-site steam autoclaves replacing the incinerators. Autoclaves are more . . . more »

Bulletin: Additional breaks can ease discomfort without hurting productivity, study finds
August 2007
A new study released by the NIOSH shows that data entry workers given additional breaks during the day suffered less discomfort and eyestrain, without affecting productivity. In the study, half of the . . . more »

News Notes: Physician Group Updates Practice Guidelines for Elbows
July 2007
Injured workers will receive improved health care for their elbow problems under updated guidelines published by the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) . . . more »

News Notes: Adjustable Chairs Reduce Pain in Garment Workers
June 2007
A five-year study led by University of California researchers has found that adjustable height chairs with curved, two-part seat pans can significantly reduce neck and shoulder pain in sewing machine operators . . . more »

News Notes: Another Reason to Get Office Workers Moving
May 2007
Office workers are known to be at risk of ergonomic injuries if they don't move around or stretch during their work day, but new research out of New Zealand identifies another risk of sedentary work: deep vein thrombosis . . . more »

Lighten the Load: Identify and Control Ergonomic Hazards in Your Workplace to Prevent Costly Injuries, Increase Productivity, and Keep Workers on the Job

Do the aching backs in your workplace lead to a miserable aching in your head? Ergonomic injuries like back pain, often described by the term "musculoskeletal disorders" (MSDs), are a perennial leading cause of nonfatal work-related injuries and illnesses. More than 350,000 American workers suffered ergonomic injuries that resulted in lost work time in 2006, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In this Special Report, we discuss ergonomic hazards and break down the steps involved in creating a program to reduce ergonomic injuries. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Workstation Ergonomics; Make Sure Desk Jobs Are No Pain in the Neck
April 2007
Forget candy and flowers--what better way is there to say you care during Administrative Professionals Week (April 22 through 28) than to address an issue that affects the long-term health and effectiveness of these employees? The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), the week's sponsor, recommends that employers observe it "by providing education and training to their administration professionals." So we have provided this Trainer's Handbook on computer workstation ergonomics for your use. . . . more »

News Note: Take More Breaks to Avoid Back Injury at Work, Study Says
April 2007
Workers who lift for a living need to take longer or more frequent breaks to avoid back injury, according to a new study conducted at Ohio State University. The study found that workers . . . more »

News Note: New Publication Targets Work-Related MSDs in Sonographers
March 2007
A new Workplace Solutions publication from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) highlights the risk of sonographers developing work-related musculoskeletal disorders, an injury that accounts for one-third of all reported occupational injuries and illnesses in this group. The document provides recommendations that include appropriate engineering controls, work practices, hazard communication, and training to prevent these work-related disorders. To view the full publication . . . more »

More Headlines