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Message From the President
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We've been told that "sitting is the new smoking," but research may show that it's all about movement instead of working in a static posture. So, let's start here: research that followed nearly 5,000 middle-aged to older civil servants found that, "Sitting behaviour is not associated with incident diabetes over 13 years." In addition,
The Lancet published results from more than a million men and women, which
concluded that high levels of moderate-intensity physical activity (i.e., about 60-75 minutes per day) seem to eliminate the increased risk of death associated with extended periods of sitting. They further found that high activity levels lessen, but do not eliminate, the increased risk associated with extended amounts of TV viewing.
And what about the research showing that standing isn't necessarily good for you either? A study of workers in sitting versus standing occupations found those that required predominantly standing positions had an almost two-fold increased risk of developing heart disease than in those whose occupations involved mostly sitting
.
Another study reported that the difference in energy expenditure of tasks carried out in sitting compared to standing is negligible, and
it was also found that standing causes more overall discomfort and fatigue than sitting.
In addition,
CNN recently published an article titled, "Standing Desk Recommendations Based on Weak Science" based on analyses of several studies on the topic (you can read them here and here if you like)
.
So,
sitting or standing - which is the right thing? The bottom line is that any static posture - whether sitting or standing - is not good for the body. Movement is the real key to get the blood circulating through the muscles. Research has shown that energy expenditure is greater for postural transitions than either sitting or standing and that adding movement to those postural changes increases it even more. So, you need to make the effort and take the time to change your posture often throughout the day. That is, sit for a while, stand for a while, and most importantly, just get up and move around!
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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AES Member Spotlight - Glenn Harrington
Glenn Harrington has been an ergonomics practitioner for over 30 years and is a certified professional ergonomist. Early in his career, he began his own ergonomics consulting company, which specialized in the development and delivery of ergonomics training programs and workstation analyses. For the past 19 years, Harrington has been an ergonomist and ergonomics supervisor with Ford Motor Co. He is the Ford-Lead for ergonomics on the UAW-Ford National Joint Committee for Health and Safety (NJCHS). Together with his UAW-Lead, they support the Local Ergonomic Committees in over 40 assembly, powertrain, stamping and warehousing facilities across the U.S. This support includes the development and delivery of training, review and support for yearly action plans, plant coaching visits and issue resolution.
For those who may be just entering the ergonomics profession, Harrington recommends not overestimating the amount of ergonomics knowledge of those responsible for designing workstations, parts, tooling and equipment. He cautions that you should not assume that design engineers have a good understanding of ergonomics and, in particular, the physical and cognitive demands required to complete the work in question. This is often because design engineers have had little-to-no ergonomics training or experience doing the work they are designing (although Harrington is thankful this is improving). Conversely, he suggests one never
underestimate
the importance of getting the operators of the new equipment, tools, or workstations involved early-on in the design process and to continually seek their feedback.
As a member of the Applied Ergonomics Society, one of Harrington's expectations is to gain insight on new ideas that companies are using to monitor, improve, and motivate their existing ergonomic teams for continued improvement and success in reducing workplace injuries.
Along with passion for ergonomics, Harrington enjoys spending time with his family, traveling and being active in the great outdoors.
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Welcome Sandalwood - a New AES Corporate Partner!
Sandalwood is an engineering and ergonomics consulting firm, with a goal to help you work smarter and work safer. They design and execute strategic programs for manufacturers which reduces work-related risks to quality, productivity, and employee
health. By providing knowledge, research, technology and resources, Sandalwood supports its clients in a comprehensive manner, delivering the best results.
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Injury Prevention Efforts for Housekeepers
While it may be surprising to some, housekeepers working in hotels have higher rates of injuries than employees in many other industries. These include both acute injuries (such as trips and falls when cleaning bathrooms) and cumulative trauma (e.g., lifting mattresses, pulling linens from beds, pushing heavy supply carts). And, according to
Cal/OSHA
, these types of injuries continue to increase.
This led the California to adopt a new workplace safety standard aimed to protect these workers from injury. Known as the Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention Program, this regulation became effective on July 1. It requires hotel and lodging employers in the state to develop:
- Procedures that identify and evaluate housekeeping hazards, using worksite assessments that include input from housekeepers themselves;
- Procedures to study musculoskeletal injuries that housekeepers incur;
- Methods aimed to correct hazards that are identified;
- Training programs for employees and supervisors, regarding safe work practices and controls; and
- Processes that allow for early injury symptoms reporting to employers.
While this regulation applies only in California, the program elements can be put into use anywhere. More details are available
online
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Considering a Degree in Ergonomics?
Many employees, from health and safety professionals, to engineers, to process improvement specialists, use ergonomics information and knowledge as part of their day-to-day responsibilities. But did you know that formal education specific to human factors and ergonomics is available, even at the undergraduate level? If not, and you are considering a career in ergonomics, consider looking into these undergraduate programs:
(We apologize for any inadvertent omissions in this list.)
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Help Recognize Your Colleagues With an IISE Award
The
IISE Industry Awards are an excellent way for you to nominate a colleague who is doing outstanding work in industrial & systems engineering. Several award categories are available, including leadership and service. Review the list below, and submit your nominations! The deadline is Dec.1.
For details on all awards click
here
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2019 Applied Ergonomics Conference - Ergo Cup® Competition
The internationally recognized Ergo Cup® competition, sponsored by the Ergonomics Center of North Carolina and Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University and presented by IISE, provides an exciting opportunity for companies to highlight their successful ergonomic solutions. The general theme across all Ergo Cup® categories is innovation.
The goal of this competition is to recognize and encourage the development of innovative ergonomics solutions and education in the workplace. Any organization that can demonstrate an effective ergonomics solution or education initiative within the last 24 months (October 2016 - 2018) is eligible to compete. The ergonomic solution preferably should have been implemented at least one full year and actual productivity, quality, and/or safety ROI results should be presented. Five Ergo Cup® awards are presented annually for outstanding solutions through training, engineering and teamwork.
NEW for 2019
As a picture is often worth a thousand words, you now have the option to submit Before & After PHOTOS of your Ergo Cup® entry. The photos must be converted to a PDF document that is a maximum of two pages in length and no more than 10 MB.
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Connect and Learn at the 22nd Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference
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
for early-bird savings of $200 before Jan. 21!
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Come Join Our Webinar - Wednesday Oct. 17 Teaching Ergonomics to a New Generation (Z)
Presented by Applied Ergonomics Conference Committee - OPEN TO ALL
Presenters:
Richard F. Sesek and Robert E. Thomas, Auburn University
Ergonomic training professionals in academia and industry are currently faced with a common challenge. Specifically, communication with younger students and employees born after 1995 and referred to by demographers as "Generation Z."
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TWO CREATIVENESS IN ERGONOMICS (CE) AWARDS
Practitioner of the Year Award
Sponsored by Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., this award recognizes achievements in the creative application of ergonomics, including process improvement, education, applied instrumentation and product development.
Please
click here for more information and the nomination form.
Student of the Year Award
Sponsored by CNA Insurance,
this award recognizes achievements in ergonomics application or research, including process improvement, education, applied instrumentation and product development
as submitted for presentation in a poster or oral presentation at the Applied Ergonomics Conference.
All students who submit an abstract for a poster session (deadline Nov. 9) and are accepted to present at the 2019 Applied Ergonomics Conference will be considered for this award. The top finalists will be notified and may be asked to answer a short essay question.
Click here for more information and abstract submission.
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Big Ideas in the Big Easy - Poster Presentations
Be a part of the conference where attendees gather from around the world to share best practices with other professionals in ergonomics, healthcare, safety, human resources and risk management.
Oral and Poster presentations will be presented in the following areas:
- Advancements in Ergonomics
- Ergonomics in Action
- Ergonomics Programs
- Office Ergonomics Programs and Applications
- Ergonomics in Health, Safety and the Environment (HSE)
- Multi-skilled Ergonomics Practitioners
- Master Track
Submit Your Abstract for Poster Presentation
We are accepting abstracts for poster presentations until Nov. 9. Educators, students, professionals, researchers and others are urged to submit original contributions related to the fields of ergonomics, healthcare, safety, human resources and risk management that can be displayed in an educational poster format.
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IISE Connect
allows IISE members to easily interact and communicate online, empowering you to have better access to your member benefits.
Newsletters are now available in one spot to allow you easy access and frequent reference. Newsletters will be placed in the AES Connect community. Click here to view the community page.
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