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Message From the President
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I recently saw a news clip on a new ergonomics injury called "Selfie Wrist" where people are developing wrist injuries/pain from taking so many selfies. In actuality, "Selfie Wrist" is a form of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome caused by taking so many selfies when the wrist is hyper-flexed. And, while we may laugh a little about this and think "just stop taking selfies", lots of people these days make a living from posting images of themselves online so teaching them the way they can continue taking the images they need without injuring themselves is important. Thinking about the name this "new injury" has been given, though, made me start thinking about all the other different names that musculoskeletal disorders/repetitive strain injuries have had related to the activity a person was doing or the device they were using. Some that came to the top of my mind were:
· Carpet Layer's Knee (Prepatellar Bursitis)
· BlackBerry Thumb (Tendonitis/Arthritis)
· iPod Finger (Repetitive Strain Injury)
· Golfer's Elbow (medial epicondylitis) - or as I like to call it, bicycle accident elbow!
· Tennis Elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
· Wiinjuries (injuries that affect the back, knee and hand from playing Nintendo's Wii game too frequently or too hard)
· Computer Vision Syndrome (this includes a whole range of eye strain and pain)
· Texting Thumb (Tendonitis/Arthritis)
· Tech Neck (can result in neck/shoulder pain, headaches, pinched nerves, etc.)
It is important for those of us in the field of ergonomics to remember that musculoskeletal disorders/repetitive strain injuries continue to be pervasive in everyday life, even if they are given new names. This continual growth, both personally and in the workplace, shows the need for ergonomic intervention. Therefore, we as a Society and a profession need to ensure we strive to provide a safe and productive work environment as society and workplaces evolve into new businesses, products and services.
So, let's see how many other names we can add to the list. What other names can you think of? How many names can you add to the list? Get on-line and post some additional names you know of on IISE Connect and let us hear from you. Or, if you'll be at the Applied Ergonomics Conference this year and see me, stop me and tell me some of the other names for musculoskeletal disorders/repetitive strain injuries that are named for an activity/device.
As always, we welcome your suggestions and your continued efforts to get the word out about the Society by telling your friends and colleagues about AES.
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Managing Change After Ergonomics Interventions - Part 2: Overcoming Fear and Addressing Conflict
It is a natural response to be fearful of the unknown. Employees may become anxious when they hear of proposed ergonomics solutions, especially if they are unsure of the impact these will have on their jobs. There could be concerns that the change may actually make the work more difficult or unpleasant or that it will require learning new skills. Employees also may fear that the solution will not function as expected or is just a work change made by management without its full support.
These fears can lead to workplace conflicts. Some employees may be on-board with the changes, while their colleagues are less receptive. Or, while you might enjoy learning a new skill, your co-worker may find this to be too daunting. These opposing perceptions of an intervention can damage an otherwise healthy work environment or produce some distrust between individuals.
So, what can be done to lessen the anxiety or interpersonal conflicts that may result from ergonomics changes? Management consultant Robert Tanner identified five strategies to managing fears about change:
- Promote the desirable outcomes. Employees will be willing to accept the change if they see its value. This includes an explanation of the reason for the intervention and how its implementation will lead to desirable improvements not currently possible.
- Reward change acceptance and use. The ergonomics improvement will be viewed as desirable if it is evident that employees who readily embrace the intervention are rewarded for their actions.
- Communicate and listen to feedback. The benefits of the intervention must be regularly reinforced during the transition period, through various means (e.g., during meetings, on bulletin boards). In addition, affected employees need to be assured that their fears and concerns will be heard and that there will be assistance given, if needed, through the transition.
- Provide training on any new skills needed. Employees may not initially possess the abilities needed to effectively work after the intervention, or they could be anxious that their skills are not sufficient. Therefore, opportunities and time for skill development must be provided. This will produce employees who are confident they can successfully operate within the modified workplace.
- Adopt the change behavior expected of others. Employees will be more accepting of the ergonomics intervention, and less suspicious of it, if safety & health leaders themselves are advocating or using it. Doing so demonstrates its value and a commitment to workplace change that is often difficult for everyone.
So, might an ergonomics-based solution integrated into a work process be distressing to employees? Absolutely! That doesn't mean, however, that these fears can't be lessened or eliminated if the change process is thoughtfully implemented to account for this normal human response. The result - an ergonomics solution that is both effective and well-received by all those involved!
Next Month
- Part 3: Accounting for Generational Differences in the Workforce
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AES Member Spotlight - Lynda Enos, RN, BSN, MS, COHN-S, CPE
Lynda Enos has been an ergonomics practitioner over 30 years and has owned her consulting company since 1992. She has provided comprehensive ergonomics consulting services (focusing on program development, process design, and training) to over 200 companies including the manufacturing, semiconductor, and wood products industries, the services sector, and health care facilities.
Prior to working in occupational ergonomics, Lynda worked as a nurse midwife and staff nurse in hospitals and home health care. She discovered ergonomics when she worked as an occupational health nurse in a large manufacturing facility and became interested in prevention of work-related musculoskeletal disorders through the design of production methods and processes. So, she went back to graduate school to gain additional education and ergonomics certification. Lynda has since served on the board of the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE) and is a Past President.
During the past 15 years Lynda's practice has focused primarily on worker safety in healthcare, which she believes lags behind other US industries. She assists hospitals and outpatient facilities to develop ergonomics and safe patient handling programs, with the goal of improving worker safety and patient outcomes.
She hopes that her work, together with her role as a volunteer advisor and subject matter expert to various professional and government occupational safety related agencies, will help increase the focus on the relationship between worker and patient safety, and promote the application of ergonomics and human factors to improve the safe delivery of healthcare in the US.
Related to this goal, Lynda is excited about being part of an international group who are currently revising the ISO 10535 standard for the design and manufacture of patient lift equipment.
For those who are just entering the ergonomics profession, Lynda recommends to never underestimate the power of participatory ergonomics and the ability to make a strong business case for ergonomics that demonstrates a positive link to organizational/employer goals beyond measuring a reduction in injury data and costs. Related to these skills, she recommends developing the ability to effectively communicate and train workers from various generations and cultural backgrounds.
She would like to see more ergonomists working in all areas of healthcare, as she believes there is so much ergonomics can do to improve the usability of work spaces, equipment and health care systems.
As a member of the Applied Ergonomics Society Lynda enjoys networking and keeping informed about the application of ergonomics in a wide variety of industries, as well as having the opportunity to mentor new ergonomists who are interested in working in healthcare.
Sampling wine and beer at the many excellent wineries and microbreweries in Oregon, and hiking to view the beautiful scenery in the Northwest, are among the activities Lynda enjoys in her spare time.
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Putting "User Experience" Back into Ergonomics
"User Experience", as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is "
the overall experience of a person using a product such as a website or computer application, especially in terms of how easy or pleasing it is to use
." It is the enjoyable experience that keeps users coming back for more. But User Experience, or UX for short, is associated with more than just IT applications. It can refer to any product, tool, service, or facility / environment. It is any interaction a user has with a system. And when it comes to design and the implementation of ergonomics interventions, a positive user experience is critical to its success.
A noteworthy distinction is the difference between UX and usability. With usability, the focus is on if the user can effectively and efficiently accomplish a set goal, while UX is focused on the user's perception of the overall interaction. With UX, every aspect of the design or intervention needs to be considered. For example, it is more than just knowing that the placement of a handle is at a recommended height; it is understanding - or better yet, anticipating, the end user's needs, habits, and expectations when using that handle.
As ergonomists and human factors engineers, we need to be able to empathize with the end users and take the time to truly understand how they will and could interact with a new design or work process. What might look great on paper from an ergonomics perspective may not translate well to real-world success. That is why it is key that adequate time be included to plan, design, field test, redesign, and engage with end users and other stakeholders (e.g., engineering), to get their perspectives. In the end, the goal should be to not only have a design or intervention that eliminates or reduces the identified risk(s), but to ensure that it makes sense to the user, meets their needs, and is something they will enjoy or find value in using over and over. That, in turn, will increase the chances that the design or intervention is actually used, and not sitting in the corner collecting dust!
In a world where the success of an ergonomics effort depends a great deal on user behavior to reduce risk, noble intentions are great, but they will not matter if we can't get the users to USE it.
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Have You Seen Your FREE On Line Access to the Taylor & Francis IISE Journal Yet?
Quarterly issues of
IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors
keep you in the know and are free to AES members. To access your on line journal
please
ADD
[email protected]
to your safe-senders email list. If
AES members have questions or need any assistance for journal access they can email the same address above!
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Registration Online for AEC by March 14 and Save $200
Join us for innovation, exploration and opportunities at the 2019 Applied Ergonomics Conference (AEC) taking place March 25-28, 2019, in New Orleans. Gain exposure to the latest developments, learn from industry leaders and connect with colleagues at your top industry event of the year.
Register now.
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Come and Join Our City Tour
We have added a city tour on Monday. In the past - we had facility tours - this year we have added a tour of the city - great for folks who have not traveled to NOLA before and also for those who want to see something besides Bourbon Street.
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AES builds a stronger global community for the applied ergonomics profession. Members of AES have the unique opportunity to influence the greater conversations around applied ergonomics as an important facet of the industrial and systems engineering industry. Join professionals and academics from fields including ergonomics, healthcare, safety, human resources, risk management and more to pioneer innovation and enhance the skills and effectiveness of the greater ergonomics profession.
AES corporate and university partners gain even more, by providing cost-effective access to multiple team members and demonstrating their commitment and leadership within the field.
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