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Occupational Ergonomics Month

Occupational Ergonomics Month | Contest | Events | Resources | Related Sites

Occupational Ergonomics Month, October 2011

As part of this year's Occupational Ergonomics Month campaign, WorkSafeBC is sponsoring an Innovations contest. One lucky entry will will be randomly drawn to win an iPod touch for their innovative ergonomic ideas intended to enhance safety, productivity, and/or efficiency in the workplace.

What is Occupational Ergonomics Month?

Occupational Ergonomics Month is an outreach campaign during the month of October focussing on increasing awareness and promoting the science and application of ergonomics and human factors. It's a time to explore and expand initiatives to enhance the work environment and improve the fit between people and their jobs for better efficiency, comfort, productivity, health, and safety.

What is ergonomics/human factors?

Ergonomics (or human factors) is the study of designing equipment, tools, devices, and workstations to fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.

The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:

Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data, and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

Ergonomics is also defined as the science of fitting the work to the user instead of forcing the user to fit the work (E. Grandjean and K.H.E. Kroemer, Fitting the Task to the Human, 5th ed., 1997).

Also known as: Human Factors, Human Engineering, Human Factors Engineering

Examples of ergonomics: Good placement of equipment, comfortable handles and grips on tools, efficient layout of a workspace, and compatible visual displays for information.

What is planned for 2011?
  • Innovations contest: As part of this year's Occupational Ergonomics Month campaign, WorkSafeBC is sponsoring an Innovations contest to inspire ideas and practical workplace changes to improve safety, usability, productivity and/or efficiency.
  • WorkSafeBC's Occupational Ergonomics Month web pages: Numerous resources to help get you started on promoting ergonomics/human factors at your facility.
  • Mailbox for your comments and queries: Send your queries and comments related to Occupational Ergonomics Month to .
  • WorkSafeBC is promoting involvement and collaboration with local and international groups such as the Association of Canadian Ergonomists, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the International Ergonomics Association, and the Health & Safety Executive (UK) - among others - to promote the learning and application of human factors and ergonomics.
Who is occupational ergonomics month for?

Occupational Ergonomics Month is for workers, employers, and health and safety practitioners.

How do I get involved?
  • Promote Occupational Ergonomics Month at your workplace and organize activities and learning to support the effort.
  • Launch a suggestion box and/or recognition program as a repository for innovative ergonomic ideas to enhance your workplace.
  • Talk to co-workers and/or your health & safety committee about innovative ideas you have for your workplace and submit them to WorkSafeBC's Occupational Ergonomics Month Innovations contest.
  • Administer a risk assessment to establish the extent of ergonomic interventions needed and set priorities.
How do I find out more?
  • Submit questions or comments to
  • E-mail the WorkSafeBC ergonomics or human factors teams at
  • Contact WorkSafeBC ergonomists through the Info Line at 604-276-3100 or 1-888-621-7233.
How is ergonomics and human factors applied at WorkSafeBC?

The team of Human Factor Specialists/Ergonomists at WorkSafeBC supports the investigation of fatal and serious workplace incidents, conducts independent human factor investigations for safety issue reviews, delivers education and training workshops, and produces Human Factor bulletins, alerts, and reports. Each has the goal to promote an understanding of how humans interact with their work environments and ultimately to advance safety.

The team of Ergonomists at WorkSafeBC assists employers in reducing the risk of Musculoskeletal Injuries (MSI) through a three-pillared approach of consultation, education, and enforcement.

The team of Ergonomists in the Safety, Health and Wellness Department in the Human Resources Division at WorkSafeBC provide education and support to all internal staff and contractors. They also work closely with facilities and information technology departments to ensure that changes in these areas take into consideration any potential ergonomic implications that may affect staff.

Upcoming events

October 2011

ACE 42nd Annual Conference - Ergonomics & Performance: Health, Safety and Beyond

Dates: October 18-20, 2011
Location: London, ON, Canada
Web site: http://www.ace-ergocanada.ca/index.php?command=buildBlock&contentid=850

A Human Factors Approach to Investigations - The session is FULL

Dates: October 27, 2011
Location: Richmond, BC

Harvard School of Public Health, Center for Continuing Professional Education - Ergonomics and Human Factors: Strategic Solutions for Workplace Safety and Health

Dates: October 3-6, 2011
Location: Boston, MA
Web site: https://ccpe.sph.harvard.edu/programs.cfm?CSID=EHF1011&pg=cluster&CLID=1

2011 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics

Dates: October 9-12, 2011
Location: Anchorage, AK
Web site: http://www.smc2011.org/

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Europe Chapter Annual Meeting 2011

Dates: October 19-21, 2011
Location: Weetwood Hall, Leeds, UK
Web site: http://conference.hfes-europe.org

November 2011

Defence Human Sciences Symposium

Dates: November 16-17, 2011
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Web site: http://www.dsto.defence.gov.au/dhss2011/

National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition

Dates: November 29-December 2, 2011
Location: Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, NV
Web site: http://www.ergoexpo.com/index.php?q=register

AutomotiveUI 2011 - 3rd International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications

Dates: November 29-December 2, 2011
Location: Salzburg, Austria
Web site: http://www.auto-ui.org/

December 2011

University of Michigan, Center for Occupational Health & Safety Engineering - Ergonomic Interventions and Research: Small Employers and Training

Dates: December 15-16, 2011
Location: Oakland, CA
Web site: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/cohse/calendar&mode=single
&recordID=0000c0a8de12000007da8500000001316bab7aaad1241bfc

January 2012

Fifth International Conference on Advances in Computer-Human Interactions

Dates: January 30-February 4, 2012
Location: Valencia, Spain
Web site: http://www.iaria.org/conferences2012/ACHI12.html/

February 2012

18th World Congress on Ergonomics

Dates: February 12-16, 2012
Location: Recife, Brazil
Web site: http://www.iea2012.org/

March 2012

2012 Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care: Bridging the Gap

Dates: March 12-14, 2012
Location: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, MD
Web site: http://www.hfes.org/web/EventDetails.aspx?EventID=10

15th Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference

Dates: March 26-29, 2012
Location: Gaylord Opryland Resort and Conference Center, Nashville, TN
Web site: http://www.iienet.org/ergo/conference/

April 2012

Ergonomics & Human Factors 2012

Dates: April 16-19, 2012
Location: Blackpool, UK
Web site: http://www.ehf2012.org.uk/

9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management

Dates: April 22-25, 2012
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Web site: http://www.iscram2012.org/

May 2012

Resilience & Safety Conference

Dates: May 7-11, 2012
Location: Vancouver, BC
For more information please contact
Note: This conference will feature an international and expert line-up speakers including: Dr. Erik Hollnagel, and Dr. David Woods

July 2012

ASME 2012 11th Biennial Conference on Engineering Systems Design and Analysis (ESDA 2012)

Dates: July 2-4, 2012
Location: Nantes, France
Web site: http://www.asmeconferences.org/ESDA2012/

4th International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE 2012)

Dates: July 21-25, 2012
Location: San Francisco, CA
Web site: http://www.ahfe2012.org/

1st International Conference on Human Side of Service Engineering

Dates: July 21-25, 2012
Location: San Francisco, CA
Web site: http://www.ahfe2012.org/HSSE.html

Innovations contest

As part of this year's Occupational Ergonomics Month, WorkSafeBC is running a contest to solicit innovative ideas on how to improve the fit and/or design of your workstation, work flow, tools, equipment or other items in your workplace.

To enter this contest, you must be:
  • A legal resident of British Columbia and more than 15 years old at the time of entry.
  • If you are under 19 years old at the time of entry, you must have your parent's or guardian's consent to enter this contest. By entering, you are confirming that you do have consent.
  • Employees, representatives and agents of the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia ("WorkSafeBC") and members of their immediate families (husband, wife, mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter) are not eligible to participate in the contest.

All contest submissions will involve two parts.

  1. Submit a photo and/or a brief description of the tools, equipment, chairs, workstations, work-flow patterns, etc. that you may find (or have found) difficult or frustrating to use because of its poor design, layout, position, etc.
  2. Illustrate or describe how it has been (or can be) improved to enhance usability, safety, or efficiency, to prevent injuries.

    3. To enter the contest, please submit your completed entry form between 12:01 a.m. October 1, 2011 and 11:59 p.m. on October 31, 2011 PST.

    Resources

    Go to the Ergonomics pages at WorkSafeBC.

    Here you can find:

     

    Go to the Human Factors pages at WorkSafeBC.

    Here you can find:

     

    Books
    • Cohen, H.H., & W.E. Woodson. Principles of forensic human factors/ergonomics. Lawyers and Judges Publishing Company Inc., 2005.
    • Dekker, S. The field guide to understanding human error investigations. Ashgate Publishing, 2006.
    • Dekker, S. Ten questions about human error. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005.
    • Dekker, S. Just culture. Ashgate Publishing, 2007.
    • Grandjean, E. and K.H.E. Kroemer. Fitting the task to the human: A Textbook Of Occupational Ergonomics (5th ed.). CRC Press, 1997.
    • Hollnagel, E. The ETTO principle: Efficiency-Thoroughness Tradeoff. Ashgate Publishing, 2009.
    • HSE HSG48 Reducing error and influencing behaviour. 2000.
    • Jordon, P. W. An introduction to usability. Taylor and Francis, 2002.
    • Klein, G Sources of power: How people make decisions. MIT Press, 1999.
    • Pheasant, S. Bodyspace: Anthropometry, ergonomics and the design of work (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis, 2002.
    • Reason, J. Human error. Cambridge University Press, 2006.
    • Reason, J. Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents. Ashgate Publishing, 2004.
    • Sanders, M. S., & E.J. McCormick. Human factors in Engineering and Design. 7th Ed. McGraw-Hill Inc., 1993.
    • Vicente, K. The human factor. Vintage Canada, 2004.
    • Wilson, J.R. & E.N. Corlett. Evaluation of human work: A practical ergonomics methodology (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis, 1999.

    Related sites

    The following web sites are focused on human factors/ergonomics outreach and/or education.

    Association of Canadian Ergonomists (ACE)
    Web site: http://www.ace-ergocanada.ca/index.php?

    Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors - UK
    Web site: http://www.ergonomics.org.uk/

    Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)
    Web site: http://www.hfes.org/web/Default.aspx

    International Ergonomics Association (IEA)
    Web site: http://www.iea.cc/

    Human Systems Integration Division - National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
    Web site: http://human-factors.arc.nasa.gov

    Office Ergonomics (CCOHS)
    Web site: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/office.htm

    Human Factors and Ergonomics (HSE)
    Web site: http://www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/index.htm

    Bad Human Factors Designs
    Web site: http://www.baddesigns.com/index.html

    Ergonomics 4 Schools
    Web site: http://www.ergonomics4schools.com/

    World Usability Day - Designing for a Sustainable World Usability Professionals' Association (UPA)
    Web site: http://www.worldusabilityday.org/

    Sensation and Perception Tutorials Developed by Dr. John H. Krantz of Hanover College
    Web site: http://psych.hanover.edu/krantz/sen_tut.html

    Ergoblog
    Web site: http://www.ergoblog.com/

    Ergonomics in the News
    Web site: http://www.usernomics.com/ergonomicsinthenews.html



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