Succession Planning
Succession planning establishes a process that recruits employees, develops their skills and abilities and prepares them for advancement, all while retaining...
ANSI Board Rejects Appeal to Block Construction MSD Standard
The Construction Industry Employer Coalition, a coalition of five trade associations of U.S. construction interests, brought the appeal of the standard's...
OSHA Releases New Ergonomics Guidelines for Shipyards
Shipyard work is considered one of the most hazardous occupations, with an injury rate more than twice that of construction and general industry, said...
Simple Solutions for Office Hazards
In the office, equipment cables and wires can become a trip-and-fall hazard – and an expensive workers’ compensation case. Poised and ready to trip all who pass, office cables and wires are far more than an unsightly nuisance. Slips, trips and falls constitute the majority of general industry accidents. ...
Poultry Industry Investigation Prompts Congressional Hearings
A team of Observer editors and reporters spent nearly two years interviewing over 200 poultry workers and examining industry documents. They ultimately...
Poultry Industry Strives to Improve Worker Safety
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data indicate a decline in nonfatal injuries and illnesses for poultry processing workers in the United States. In 2006,...
Protective Clothing and the Quest for Improved Performance
For years, traditional protective clothing coveralls, aprons, shirts, jackets and pants focused mostly on heat- and chemical-resistant qualities. Comfort...
Heavy Lifting Training Wont Prevent Back Strains, Study Says
Researchers from various hospitals worldwide examined a total of 11 studies for the review, which was published on www.bmj.com, a British Medical Association...
Grants to Boost Minnesotas Patient Handling Care
In addition to the total $500,000 in grants awarded by DLI, employers will contribute approximately $351,938 in matching funds. This funding will help...
New ANSI Standard Addresses Workstation Ergonomic Issues
ANSI/HFES 100-2007, Human Factors Engineering of Computer Workstations, was published in Standards Action on Nov.16, replacing and updating the previous...
Will You Still Need Me When I'm 64? Designing the Age-Friendly Workplace
Whether we call it the baby boom, the Age Wave1 or the Generational Storm2, there are growing numbers of seniors at work. The trend toward earlier and...
Construction Industry Appeals Voluntary Ergonomics Standard
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) oversaw the process that led to ANSIs adoption of the standard, ANSI/ASSE A10.40-200X, for final review...
Ohio State Center Partners With Automotive Industries to Bolster Worker Protections, Minimize Health Care Costs
The center, called The Center for Occupational Health in Automotive Manufacturing, is a unique, interdisciplinary partnership between an assortment of...
OSHA Adds Two Modules to Ergonomics E-Tool for Electrical Contractors
Employees in the electrical contracting industry have benefited greatly from information in our Ergonomics Solutions e-Tool, said OSHA Administrator Edwin...
MSD Injuries Among Perdue Workers Persist, Study Find
Researchers led by Hester Lipscomb, an associate professor of occupational and environmental medicine at Duke, interviewed 291 female, mostly African-American...
OSHA Releases Draft Ergo Guidelines For Shipyard Industry
When finalized, Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders: Guidelines for Shipyards will provide practical recommendations for employers...
Is Work the Cure for Back Pain and Other Ailments?
Researchers from the Work Foundation a U.K.-based non-profit organization that released Fit for Work: Musculoskeletal Disorders and Labor Market Participation...
Illinois Hospital Creates a Safe Lifting Team, Reduces Injuries by 30 Percent
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill., has substantially reduced lift injuries while boosting staff satisfaction with the creation of a new...
Tracking Moving Targets
Vehicle restraints were invented to help stop horrific incidents in which a forklift tumbles from a loading dock, crippling or killing its driver. For...
New Study Reports High Injury Rates for Hotel Workers
Dr. Susan Buchanan, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, presented the alarming results that raise many questions as to why certain...
NIOSH: Supplemental Rest Breaks Minimize Eye Strain For Data Entry Workers
Researchers from NIOSH followed 51 workers for 8 weeks. The workers received standard work breaks (two breaks per day, 15 minutes each) for half of the...
Driving Continuous Improvement in Plant Safety
The performance-punishing nature of poor workplace design is a persistent issue filled with musculoskeletal injuries and rising medical care costs. Many...
Seeing the Light
As I mentioned in an earlier column, I recently moved to a new office. The physical ergonomics of my work space the placement of my computer, telephone,...
New Technologies and the Ergonomic Risk to Users
We have entered the modern world of new communication devices, microtechnologies and nanotechnologies. A new challenge has arisen out of these technologies:...
Study: Employer Advice and Devices Don't Prevent Worker Back Pain
Lead author Kari-Pekka Martimo, of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health in Helsinki, said attempts made by employers to teach workers specific...
