Our Principles of Office Ergonomics course is proving very popular! Our course was recently held in Calgary, Alberta and sold out. Based on requests from our clients, we made the decision to hold a course this June in addition to a possible fall, 2012 course.
The course will be held at the Derrick Club in Edmonton – June 26th and 27th. Again, space is limited so if you want to register, contact us as soon as
possible at 780-436-0024 or by email at lhammerstad@ewiworks.com.
Thanks to the increasing popularity of Apple’s iPad, tablets, in general, are being seen in the business and student world as THE number one tool for marketing, business communication, reading or even interactive learning. The tablet is considered by the majority of the population as a must have item to present information, design or communicate more effectively and from anywhere with ease – so much so that issues surrounding injury due to poor posture while using the tablet are overlooked.
Thankfully, professionally certified ergonomists (Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomists in Canada and Certified Professional Ergonomists in the United States) have recognized these painful issues and are bringing them to the forefront. The hot topic has been brought up in numerous articles and forums on Ergoweb and EWI Works blogged about it when the iPad hit the market (see “pros and cons of the iPad”)
Recently, on April 18th, OHS Canada published a great article on the subject, “iPain in the Neck“ and if you’ve been wondering about the impact of using a tablet, it’s a recommended read. Written by Ann Ruppenstein, you will find the opinions of certified ergonomists, such as Dan Robinson of Robinson Ergonomics Inc., on considerations for the use of a tablet. This great think piece does not dismiss the usefulness of the tablet, but does discuss the implications of how the tablet is used and how often.
As with every piece of business technology and furniture, developed to make our lives easier, there are a lot of pros and, if used properly, does not have to lead to cons such as pain, discomfort or injury. If you want to introduce the tablet to your organization, contact EWI Works for more information on what you need to know to be able to use this highly portable computer properly!
Is your organization considering a green building project? One rating system gaining prominence world-wide is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The primary goal of LEED is to promote building practices that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy for its building occupants (USGBC, 2012). If you are considering LEED certification, you may find it interesting that having an ergonomics strategy is now recognized by LEED.
Recently, LEED developed a pilot credit under the Innovation in Design category. Pilot credit 44 – Ergonomics Strategy is applicable to a number of the project types including: New Construction, Schools, Retail – New Construction, Healthcare, Commercial Interiors, Retail – Commercial Interiors and Existing Buildings: Operation & Maintenance. As the green building continues to take hold in Canada and the United States, it is exciting to see that rating systems such as LEED continue to acknowledge the importance of occupant health. If you would like to see the pilot credit description, go to the following link: http://www.usgbc.org/ShowFile.aspx?DocumentID=10097
An ergonomic consultant can assist you in gaining this credit for LEED certification. If you are interested in gaining this pilot credit, consult your local listing for ergonomists. In Canada, a good resource is the Association of Canadian Ergonomists. EWI Works, with two offices in Edmonton and Calgary, has experienced, Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomists who can assist you in developing an ergonomic strategy to apply for the credit and help make your building green.
The demand for our services is rapidly increasing! EWI Works is looking for another ergonomist for our Edmonton office and we need to fill the position right away.
Operating since 1991, and with offices in both Edmonton and Calgary, EWI Works is a forward thinking ergonomic consulting firm with a creative, team atmosphere – and we’re steadily growing! Our clientele covers a broad range of industries, including: healthcare; educational organizations; federal, provincial and municipal governments; mining and factories; and utility companies. Our focus is customized programs to meet the specific needs of our clients – whether it’s the full scale development and implementation of ergonomic programs, injury prevention, return to work, design reviews, training, or ergonomic assessments.
What a great place to gain valuable experience to add to your repertoire!
If you’re motivated, like to think outside of the box and can contribute to a team of like-minded individuals, we want you to join our team. Full details can be found here. But to summarize…
Some of the qualifications include:
Here’s a sample of responsibilities for the position:
We are an exciting, dynamic and supportive group to work with. All of our staff have been with the organization long-term, benefitting from the experience, continuing education, career and personal development that EWI Works offers.
The deadline to apply is April 2, 2012. Send Linda your resume directly at lmiller@ewiworks.com.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
It’s official – our Principles of Office Ergonomics will now be held for the general public May 9th and 10th, 2012, in Calgary, Alberta.
The course was originally held for specific clients who requested the course be taught to their in-house health and safety staff. In November 2011, we opened the course to the general public in Edmonton at the Faculty of Extension. After numerous requests to hold it in Calgary, we have a confirmed booking to use one of the class rooms at the University of Calgary’s Education Tower – easily accessible by Calgary’s LRT service.
If you’ve been looking for the opportunity to learn the nuts and bolts behind office ergonomics, here’s your chance. Contribute to your in-house ergonomics team! Over the course of two full days, participants will learn not only how to conduct ergonomic assessments but also the strategies involved in developing successful ergonomic programs. It’s also taught by one of our Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomists. With extensive, hands on experience in the field of ergonomics, you can be assured you are learning from the best.
Our instructors prefer to keep the class size to 20 participants to ensure that each individual’s needs are met. Due to this small class size, availability is limited. Don’t miss out on this opportunity! Contact us to register or get more information at 780-436-0024 or contact Lorel at lhammerstad@ewiworks.com.
I came across this interesting set up reading one of our ergonomists reports. What struck me was the awkward position that the bank account manager was in to try to work effectively, yet communicate properly with his clients. Here is a short summary of the issue and some of the recommendations provided by our ergonomist.
The employee spends about 80% or more of his day meeting with clients in his office. During meetings, he inputs and displays information on the computer to the clients. He has to turn the screen toward the clients, sitting on the opposite side of the round table, to display the information. The employee uses the mouse and keyboard equally when inputting and displaying information on the computer and rarely uses the computer except for emailing.
The primary concern with the workstation set up is the placement of the computer in the corner area – the section of space between the round table and the rectangular desk. The client explained that he preferred this orientation for his computer, as he feels he can interact better with his clients.
When the computer is positioned so that he faces the wall, he
feels his back faces his clients, which he feels inhibits client interaction. As well, he needs to turn more between his computer and his clients.
Lastly, the desk height is slightly too high for the client. The recommended height of the input devices is seated elbow level, which his is 27” from the floor. The current desk height is 28.5”. This leads to awkward shoulder and upper back postures when typing or using the mouse on this work surface.
The concern with the corner set up, however, is that the mouse must be positioned on the round table, which is too high, and results in an awkward, raised shoulder posture. As well, he is unable to center the input devices directly in front of the body because of the gap between the round table and the desk (see first picture). During the assessment, the round table was repositioned to examine alternative arrangements for the input devices. Although the table could be moved closer to the wall to overlap the desk, it would reduce the sitting space for clients on the other side of the round table.
Recommendations
The ergonomist recommended alternative workstation design arrangements, such as an L-shaped desk, that the employee could use the computer in the corner to achieve the following:
One of our contacts from Humantech, Blake McGowan, alerted us to an article published in the Globe and Mail regarding the aging workforce (article). The article addresses the concern the Canadian Government has over rising healthcare and retirement benefits costs with its increasing population of citizens reaching the retirement age. It also notes the lack of younger workers to be able to support the current system. Facing this issue could mean raising the retirement age – which in turn means an increase in an aging population in the workforce.
Organizations – both industrial and office environments – are already seeing the impact of an increase in the aging workforce. In addition to the retirement age being raised, people are working longer – well past the “65″ year mark for several reasons ranging from wanting to continue to work to keep busy or to be able to afford the rising cost of living.
While there is a positive impact in an older workforce such as workers who are more experienced and knowledgeable, there are particular needs that should be addressed. Are you prepared for the unique issues that should address an aging workforce in your company? Then you will want to attend the 10th Annual Alberta Health & Safety Conference in Calgary to listen to Blake McGowan’s presentation on October 25th, “Ergonomics and the Aging Populations: Risks and Design Guidelines“.
McGowan, a Certified Professional Ergonomist and Managing Consultant, Ergonomics Engineer with Humantech, will cover topics that address decreases in production performance and increases in quality errors. McGowan promises that participants will learn how to identify ergonomic concerns and how to ready their organization to accommodate the aging population.
Register to attend the Alberta Health and Safety Conference today.
While most of us are used to working with one monitor screen, some office workers and professionals require two monitor screens while on the job, particularly those working in industries that involve computer graphics and design due to the size of the projects. For example, an architect might need two screens combined to view an entire project due to its size. In this particular example, our client was a project engineer who required two monitors for referencing and being able to view AutoCad drawings. The engineer was feeling discomfort in his neck and back.
Upon first glance, the ergonomist noticed that the engineer placed documents that he referenced flat on the desk surface, causing him to bend his neck forward to reference. The ergonomist suggested an in-line document holder, available at office supply stores such as Grand and Toy, to raise and angle the paper documents in front of him to minimize neck and back postures.
But that wasn’t the only thing causing discomfort. The client was using a 17” standard monitor as his primary screen and a widescreen laptop as his secondary screen. The laptop monitor is not only lower than the primary monitor, they are positioned at different distances to the engineer and are not sitting next to each other. This is causes the engineer to use awkward neck postures at work. He references information from one screen while working on the other screen while utilizing several applications. Additionally, he often works with large, landscape oriented PDF AutoCAD drawings. These are often difficult to view on the standard-width screen and cannot be spread across the screens easily with the two being different sizes and resolutions.
After some quick research back at our office, our ergonomist recommended providing the employee with two identical widescreen monitors that were 20” in size, emphasizing the importance of purchasing the same brand, model, size, and resolution. This would ease viewing between monitors when referencing information from multiple sources as well as viewing the large PDF drawings. At this size, the drawings should be able to be viewed on one screen or easily spread across both screens to expand the drawing. Most importantly, the two monitors should be positioned directly next to each other without a gap in between and at the same height, equally centered in front of the body, with the outer side edges angled slightly inwards to decrease the viewing angle. To prevent glare, keep the screens perpendicular to the desk surface instead of angled backward.
Not all office workers have the same typical workstation set up. If you feel discomfort, you would be surprised as to what is causing it. Try our simple self-assessment questionnaire on our website to see if your workstation is set up properly. If you’ve gone through the steps, have an ergonomist conduct an assessment to reduce the discomfort you feel at work.
In one of our past issues of our newsletter, the Ergonomic Wire, we wrote an article on how to develop a training course that not only engages your staff, but one that they find applicable to their working environment. One of the key points was relevance. Repeatedly, EWI Works has proved that making a course more relevant to the participants will enhance understanding and memory retention. Our clients’ employees always leave the session knowing exactly how to put the ideas in place. Based on course evaluations from the participants and manager’s comments, we know that the health and safety messages were clearly understood and the course extremely effective.
So this in mind, why not apply this theory to lunch and learn sessions? It is one thing to believe that a lunch and learn session will benefit your staff and organization, but your employees need to feel that it was useful and worth attending. Generic sessions that cover such topics as symptoms and causes of discomfort, how to set up your workstation properly, and tips to work more comfortably, are a great start. However, have you considered any issues specific to your organization? Is there a common issue that keeps surfacing in your workplace that needs to be addressed? Ask the presenter to incorporate special concerns in the presentation and demonstrate solutions unique to your workplace setting. Consider using your corporate logos and photos of your actual workplace in the learning materials and presentation. Witness your staff nodding in agreement during the session and listen to the flurry of chatter at the conclusion of the seminar.
Put the “aha!” factor into your next lunch and learn session and have your staff feel like they have learned something new and can utilize the information at work and at home. Contact us to find out how we can help you develop a lunch and learn session that your staff find valuable.
Contact EWI Works: info@ewiworks.com www.ewiworks.com 780-436-0024
EWI Works is offering our Principles of Office Ergonomics to the general public! Being held November 8th and 9th at the Faculty of Extension in downtown Edmonton, this two day course is for individuals who support their in-house ergonomics team. Participants will learn how to complete an office ergonomics assessment as well as learn strategies for enhancing office ergonomics programs. Here are some topics from the official agenda:
Other exciting topics under emerging trends will feature guest speakers on tackling visual concerns and selecting proper furniture and equipment, discussions on “the mobile office” and issues associated with telecommute workers.
This is a great opportunity to learn how you can make great contributions to your organization’s health and safety team. Seating is limited. Contact us for more information, to recieve a copy of the official agenda, or if you would like to register at 780-436-0024 or email us at info@ewiworks.com.