Ergonomics

The physical risk factors that have been consistently linked to the development of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are posture, frequency, duration of exertion, and force.  Recent research indicates that force has the greatest impact on MSD development. This can make it challenging to accurately quantify MSD risk, since force can be the most difficult risk factor […]

Does this sound familiar? Louise from Accounting has just filed a workers’ compensation claim after experiencing debilitating neck and shoulder pain. She’s your third employee to file this year, and now she’d like an ergonomics assessment for her workstation. Your other workers dealing with less severe neck pain have heard about the option to get […]

If you use VelocityEHS’ industrial ergonomics software, this short explanation of risk scoring is worth the read. After sitting in on a client discussion about the difference between whole-body scoring and individual-body-segment scoring, I asked certified ergonomist  and member of our research team Rick Barker for clarification. Here’s what he said: The correct question isn’t […]

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Health Canada have issued three new joint guidance documents to support implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). They’ve published the documents through the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC), which exists to assist companies who may need to manage regulatory requirements from both […]

Having an ergonomics initiative is pretty common these days, but how effectively are companies able to demonstrate value beyond just health and safety metrics? When ergonomics is done right, everyone benefits, not just safety; from operations to engineering, from leadership to investors. My colleague, Blake McGowan, explains  how ergonomics can lead to quantifiable enhancements in […]

It seems almost every few months there’s another story in the news about a major chemical accident somewhere in the United States. On June 21, 2019 a major explosion at a petroleum refinery just outside of downtown Philadelphia, PA injured five workers and endangered thousands of nearby Philadelphia residents. The damage was so severe that […]

OSHA and PHMSA recently hosted a public meeting to discuss proposed changes and updates to the GHS in preparation for the 37th session of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (UNSCEGHS). During the meeting, OSHA accepted stakeholders’ comments on a series of working papers […]

Welcome to the sixth and final installment in our “Intro to HazCom” series! If you missed our previous posts in this series or want to refresh your memory, just follow the hyperlinks to read about the basics of HazCom (Parts One and Two), the challenges of chemical container labeling (Part Three), the requirements for a […]

EPA issued a final rule in April 2019 that imposes new restrictions on products that contain asbestos. Let’s take a moment to review the new rule and the impacts it may have on human health, as well as your business. The Background Asbestos is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral found in rock and soil. For […]

 In the series Ergo U:  Ergonomics Research Notes from the Field, VelocityEHS Director of Research and Ergonomics Engineer Blake McGowan meets with ergonomics researchers from leading universities and associations across the country to share their latest findings.  Field Notes:  On an icy January morning, Blake had the opportunity to meet with Dr. Jack Lu and Dr. […]