Newsletter
June 2018
Message From the President

Being asked to be the first President of AES, the global leader for the applied ergonomics profession, was an honor and a privilege. I'm excited about the opportunity to help build the Society so that we can provide all ergonomists and those interested in ergonomics with a full array of services and networking opportunities. One way we will be doing that is providing our members with a newsletter that highlights projects and research that use applied ergonomics as well as highlight resources that will help our members do their jobs. I'd like to offer a special thanks to Gary Allread (AES Board of Directors) for helping get this first newsletter ready.
 
As of today, we already have 84 members: 68 professional members and 16 student members. Please know that your AES officers and Board of Directors are working hard to develop the Society and resources that will be beneficial to our members so please feel free to contact any of us with any suggestions, questions or feedback you may have. The AES officers and Board of Directors are highlighted in this newsletter so you know who they all are.
 
I also ask that you please consider getting involved by volunteering to help build the Society. Contact any of the officers or Board of Directors to get involved. Please help us get the word out about the Society by telling your friends and colleagues about AES. Thanks!!

Teresa Bellingar,  AES President
Meet your Board Members
 
Technical Vice President  Amanda Mewborn is an industrial engineer and registered nurse specializing in healthcare improvement. She serves as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations for the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. As Executive Director of Project Management at Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, she is working on a $450 Million hospital expansion.
 

AES President  Teresa Bellingar , PhD, CPE is the Senior Corporate Ergonomist for Haworth, Inc.  She is responsible for working on product development projects to ensure ergonomics & ADA are considered during the design process, completing/managing research related to ergonomics, and participating on North American ergonomic standard committees & BIFMA seating standard committees.
 
President-Elect  Ben Zavitz, CPE, is the President of Ergo Human Performance LLC and has over 22 years' experience working for Boeing, General Dynamics, and as a consultant.  He has a BSc in Kinesiology/Ergonomics from the University of Waterloo and was trained in Lean Manufacturing by the Japanese Shingijutsu Consulting firm. 
 
Dr. Gary Allread works for SRI-Ergonomics at The Ohio State University, where he directs ergonomics consulting and training activities and translates ergonomics research for use by companies and organizations nationwide.  Gary is a Certified Professional Ergonomist and has published numerous articles, including several in the journals Applied Ergonomics and Spine.
 
 


Wayne S. Maynard, CSP, CPE is a Product Director with Liberty Mutual, Risk Control Services specializing in ergonomics and Tribology (slip/falls). He has 40 years experience with Liberty Mutual and for the last 23 worked with the former Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety on development of evidence based products and tools supporting practitioner needs.
 
 
 
Jose Carlos N Banaag, MS, CPE Honda of America MFG., Inc. As a Staff Engineer with Honda of America MFG., Inc., José Banaag currently leads the ergonomics program for Honda's North America region. José has over 25 years of practical experience in the field. He is a Certified Professional Ergonomist as designated by the Board of Certification for Professional Ergonomics.
 

Sandra Smithson Sellers, PE, CPE, has more than 20 years of experience in industrial ergonomics. She is passionate about participatory ergonomics and has facilitated two winning Ergo Cup teams while with Honda of America Manufacturing. Sandra is an ergonomist at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts in Florida.
   
 



Amanda Kauder graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2009 with a BS degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering.  She has been a member of the AEC since 2012 and has endeavored to continuously bring awareness to the benefits of Ergonomics and Human Factors to my fellow Engineers.
 


Profile: Winning Ergo Cup® Competition Entry - The Estée Lauder Companies

The Estée Lauder Companies' Global Supply Chain team in Melville, New York was recently named a winner of the internationally recognized Ergo Cup® competition, an annual competition recognizing innovative ergonomic solutions. An ELC team from Oevel, Belgium also qualified for the finals.
  
Both teams from ELC competed in the 'Team-Driven Workplace Solutions' category, where the problem-solving had to be conducted by in-house employees whose primary responsibilities involve production and maintenance.
 
The employee-driven Melville project, "Mix it Safer," identified ways to more effectively attach mixing shafts to motors, resulting in the reduction of ergonomic risk, increased cost savings, and improvement in productivity. The team was able to reduce the time required to complete the task by 90% (from 10 minutes to 1 minute), while simultaneously reducing ergonomic risk by 65%. 
 
The facility makes cosmetic products in large production vessels, ranging from 25 to 1,000 gallons. To create a finished product, the raw materials are mixed together using a five-foot long solid stainless-steel mixing shaft with an attached propeller. These mixing shafts can weigh up to 65 pounds and were known to cause musculoskeletal injuries when employees manually attached them to the motor.
The original process required that employees use one arm to support mixing shafts of at least 50 lbs., align four holes, and then fasten and tighten four threaded bolts. The company's ergonomics assessment produced an unacceptably high Risk Priority Score (RPS) of 63.

The ergonomics solution was to make a simple modification to these shafts. Two of the four holes in the shaft flange were notched, and two bolts in the motor flange to which the shaft is attached was pre-threaded. Employees could connect the mixing shaft by supporting its weight on these bolts while tightening the remaining two bolts. After implementation of this improvement, the RPS was reduced to a more-acceptable 22, a 65% reduction.

This employee-driven effort cost only $10 to implement, and it improved productivity, by reducing task time from ten minutes to just one minute. The team also estimated that direct and indirect cost savings totaled $88,000.
Congratulations on winning an Ergo Cup!

Original Process
New Process

This employee-driven effort cost only $10 to implement, and it improved productivity, by reducing task time from ten minutes to just one minute. The team also estimated that direct and indirect cost savings totaled $88,000.

Congratulations on winning an Ergo Cup! 

To find out more about this ergonomics solution, contact:
Applied Ergonomics Research

IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors - 2018, Volume 6

The Wearing Comfort and Acceptability of Ambulatory Physical Activity Monitoring Devices in Soldiers

Occupational Applications: We investigated the wearing comfort of nine devices for monitoring physical activity in a military context. In general, the questionnaire-based survey revealed that the devices were highly acceptable. For long-term monitoring of physical activity in soldiers (>5 days), slightly more participants (85.2%) found that sensors not located at the chest would be more acceptable compared to the chest-worn devices (66.7%). More specifically, our results suggest that devices placed on or around the upper arm, the hip, or the shoe will be preferred over devices worn around the wrist or on or around the chest in a military context. The placement of physical activity monitoring devices around the chest, in particular, can be expected to lead to discomfort due to incompatibilities with military equipment. READ MORE

Development and Test of a Short Message on Manual Materials Handling Hazards and Controls in Small and Micro Businesses

Occupational Applications: Small and micro businesses generally face challenges during occupational health and safety processes such as hazard identification and control, often more so for hazards related to musculoskeletal disorders. 'Store it off the Floor', a message based on mitigating a major risk factor for development of low back pain, was well received by owners and managers in 40 small businesses. Conceptual and instrumental knowledge utilization was demonstrated following the distribution of a dual-purpose poster/toolbox talk handout containing the noted message. Such an approach has the potential to reduce a major hazard for developing or aggravating low back pain in large numbers of workers. This dissemination method may also be applicable to reduce other risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders and improve working conditions.  READ MORE

Differences in Lower Limb Muscle Activation and Centre of Pressure Movement Between Expert Workers and Novices in Simulated Maritime Environments

Occupational Applications: Better understanding of lower limb muscle activations and habituation processes has implications for injury prevention. This study examined the influence of repeated exposures to simulated wave motions on lower limb muscle activity. Our findings suggest that, at least while standing, novice maritime workers can quickly adapt their lower extremity muscle activity and, to a lesser extent, their center of pressure movement, so that is similar to expert maritime workers. These decreases in muscle activations with repeated exposures suggest that individuals can adapt rapidly to the motions to decrease muscle fatigue and the risk of falling. Such information should therefore be considered when developing ergonomic interventions for maritime occupations such as ship design and training for new workers.  READ MORE

Development of an Ergonomic Tool to Predict Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Risk Based on Estimated Carpal Tunnel Pressure

Occupational Applications: An ergonomic tool that predicts Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) risk based on predicted carpal tunnel pressure (CTP) was developed and a preliminary evaluation was made in a large manufacturing environment. Elevated CTP has been associated with CTS. However, CTP is invasive to measure in vivo, and is thus not practical in an applied setting. This project represents the development of an ergonomic tool based on predicted CTP that could be an asset to ergonomists both in job evaluation and (re)design to reduce occupational CTS risk in workers with otherwise normal wrists. READ MORE

Are the Neck Positions and Muscle Activity Observed when Reading a Tablet Similar to That of the Cervical Flexion-Relaxation Onset?

Occupational Applications: Tablet use has become more common in the workplace and people typically use neck flexion interacting with them. In this position, it is common to observe that the cervical extensor muscles go "silent" just before full flexion and the deeper muscles of the spine and other passive tissues support the head. We found that the neck posture adopted when a person is reading a tablet is before the onset when of this phenomenon occurs and that the measured neck extensor muscles are still relatively active. Three participants, though, approached the onset position. This could represent reliance on deeper muscles and passive tissues for head support. These results suggest that practitioners need to educate their patients and employees on risk factors related to mobile computing usage and specifically determine ways to limit neck flexion when using these devices. READ MORE
Share Your Knowledge at the 2019 Applied Ergonomics Conference


Abstracts can now be submitted for next year's    Applied Ergonomics Conference  as it makes its way to the Big Easy on  March 25-28, 2019.  This is an excellent opportunity for you to present your ergonomics findings, solutions, and expertise with other practitioners from around the world.

The specific educational tracks of the 2019 conference include:
  • Advancements in Ergonomics
  • Ergonomics In Action
  • Ergonomics in Health, Safety and the Environment (HSE)
  • Ergonomics Programs
  • Master Track
  • Multi-Skilled Ergonomics Practitioners
  • Office Ergonomics Programs and Applications
  • Posters
Abstracts can be submitted here , through July 24th, 2018

Are you connected?

IISE Connect   is a forum for IISE members to directly connect, collaborate and engage with active members. This platform enables you to  communicate online, empowering you to have better access to your member benefits. 
Below is a recent post on connect, don't miss out! 

What does it take to Win an Ergo Cup at the Applied Ergo Conference? A Village of Volunteers!  By Monica Matlis

"To be a finalist at the competition is an honor. To win is an achievement of a lifetime! For these teams, it's like winning an Oscar!"
NOTE: This 1st newsletter is being sent to all AES and AEC members due to your interest in ergonomics. Future editions will go to IISE members only. Not an IISE member?   Join AES here.