EHS Ergonomics News
Flip-Flops vs. Gray Hair: Managing Generation Clashes in the Workplace
In one corner of the office we have an experienced, competitive baby boomer. In the other, a confident, multi-tasking Generation Y employee who expects to shoot to the top and then move on – all while wearing flip-flops. When they meet, expect fireworks...
OSHA: Stay Safe While Shoveling Snow
While spring might be just around the corner, it’s still early to put away the snow shovel and sidewalk salt. A recent spate of snowstorms in the northeastern United States prompted OSHA to remind workers, employers and the general public of the hazards associated with snow removal and recovery work...
Lighting the Workplace: A Perspective for Safety and Productivity
It seems most business owners are preoccupied with keeping the lights on these days, but maybe business owners should be looking at the lights themselves. After all, the lights just don't let us see and work, they let us work more productively and safely...
ASSE, OSHA to Examine Work Safety Systems During NAOSH Week
Thousands of people and businesses worldwide will join the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) and OSHA’s Alliance Program participants in raising awareness of the importance of being safe at work during the annual North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week this May 2-8 and Occupational Safety and Health Professional (OSHP) Day on May 5...
NIOSH Releases Spanish-Language Construction Ergonomics Guide
NIOSH recently released a Spanish-language guide to help employers and workers effectively prevent job-related musculoskeletal injuries in the construction industry...
30 Minutes to Better Health in 2010
Adding 30 minutes of daily physical activity should top your list of New Year’s resolutions for a healthier 2010...
Managing Health: Ergonomics – What’s Real and What’s Not
As a consultant, I am often challenged to help clients who are struggling with the number and severity of work-related Musculoskeletal disorders that their workers are experiencing...
Five Ways to Weather Winter Workouts
Winter weather doesn’t have to derail your exercise routine. As you adjust to darker days, colder temperatures and slippery surfaces, however, it’s important to be mindful of safety issues that come with the territory of winter workouts...
Muscle and Joint Pain Costs European Economies Billions in Time and Money
A new study finds that musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for nearly half (49 percent) of all absences from work and 60 percent of permanent work incapacity in the European Union. These and other socio-economic consequences of suffering from poor health due to muscle and joint pain represent an estimated cost to society in Europe of up to €240 billion...
Worker Amputations Lead to More Than $266,000 in OSHA Penalties
Crespac Inc. in Tucker, Ga., has been cited with 34 safety and health violations by OSHA. Proposed penalties total $266,400...
OSHA Fall 2009 Agenda Includes 29 Regulatory Items
OSHA’s latest semiannual regulatory agenda, published Dec. 7 in the Federal Register, includes topics ranging from combustible dust to airborne infectious diseases to musculoskeletal disorder reporting requirements, to name a few. Some members of the safety community argue, however, that progress is too slow on rulemakings for issues such as cranes and derricks and diacetyl...
Health Promotion, Policy Shifts Needed to Protect Aging Workers
A report from the February 2009 Health Aging for Workers conference promotes a focus on workplace environments to maintain “work ability” as employees age, along with legislative fixes and research to fill in knowledge gaps for keeping workers healthy and productive...
Developing a Game Plan for the Industrial Athlete
Picture athletes pushing their bodies to the extreme for hours every day. While you might envision professional athletes training for elite competition,...
Study: Strength Training Reduces Neck Pain in Office Workers
An ongoing Danish study aimed at reducing repetitive strain injury caused by office work found that several specific exercises can help women suffering from trapezius myalgia, a tenderness and tightness in the trapezius, a large muscle that extends from the back of the head down the neck and into the upper back...
Heavy Lifting Equipment Boosts Results for Glass & Glass Product Industry
Marvin Windows and Doors of Tennessee reduces on-the-job injuries, increases productivity, improves morale and reduces turnover with new material handling equipment...
Managing Health: Workplace Safety: Bio-Physics and the Industrial Athlete
Despite your best efforts, employees continue to be injured. What can you do...
Avoiding Slips and Falls: From the Alps to America
A glacier on the Matterhorn in Switzerland and your facility may, at first glance, seem to have nothing in common. Look deeper to discover solutions to slip-and-fall threats...
Proactive Approach to Ergonomics Reduces Pain in Office Workers
A proactive ergonomic intervention reduces pain related to poor work postures in office employees, according to a study in the October Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine...
Study Uncovers Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Risk Factors
A recent study suggests that individual risk factors such as body mass index (BMI), wrist dimension ratio, steroid use, menopause and more may influence the likelihood of developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), according to the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM)...
Capitalize on Strengths, Minimize Risks for Older Workers
A recent white paper from PMA Companies of Blue Bell, Pa., studies the positive impact of an aging work force, and examines how employers can capitalize on the strengths of older adults while minimizing high-severity risks...
A Change in the Air
October marks the midpoint of football season, a highly competitive time as teams jockey for position to set themselves up for the playoffs and ultimately the chance to win a championship. It also marks a critical point in another full contact sport known as budgeting and planning...
Investigation Confirms that Workplace Interventions Reduce the Incidence of Slips, Trips and Falls
Researchers conducting a scientific investigation aimed to reduce the incidence of slips, trips and falls for hospital workers who found evidence that implementation of a broad-scale prevention program can significantly reduce injury claims have won the Best Paper Award from the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety and the Ergonomics Society...
Boost Productivity by Allowing Employees to Feel at Home at Their Desks
New research suggests that work productivity and morale could be improved by giving employees the freedom to develop the look and feel of their own office environment...
Michigan Business Community: Ergonomics Standard Will Lead to Job Losses
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce recently praised the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) for its "Take a Stand Day" to provide one-on-one consultations with employers to identify ways to effectively address health and safety issues in the workplace, without fear of citations or fines...
Workouts for Workaholics
Even workers glued to their desks don’t have an excuse for not exercising. Follow these tips from the Loyola Center for Fitness to get an in-office workout, often without even leaving your chair or venturing beyond your desk...
