Operational Risk

 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. […]

There have been some exciting technological breakthroughs in ergonomics over the past decade, particularly for practitioners. When I began my career as an ergonomist back in “the good old days,” we conducted musculoskeletal disorder risk assessments using pen and paper (observation-based). Those days are over, thanks to technology. Here are a few major technological advancements […]

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discusses trends in cases of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) that were first identified by a California Department of Public Health (CDPH) analysis of workers’ compensation claims. The report identifies the industries and occupations with the highest reported rates of CTS, and calculates rates […]

Somewhere on The University of Michigan campus, tucked in a windowless lab in the basement, Associate Professor Dr. Sanghyun Lee and his team of post-docs, PhD. Students, and MSc students have been busy changing the future of ergonomics. Dr. Lee has spearheaded a sensorless motion-capture technology that makes conducting a musculoskeletal risk assessments faster, easier, […]

Many EHS professionals still struggle to identify and correct risks in the workplace. In fact, as we’ve recently discussed in this blog, both the number and rate of occupational fatalities have been rising in recent years, which points to problems with risk assessment and control. One reason for this poor performance may be that risks […]

This week, the Unites States remembers the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. We’ve had 17 years now of grieving and lesson-learning, but the emotional scars will always remain. For many people who were near Ground Zero of the WTC attacks, especially first responders called to the scene and their loved ones, the pain of […]

As the year winds down, now is a good time to review your current EHS programs and identify gaps that software can help fix. If you have remaining funds in your 2017 budget, there’s still time to “use it before you lose it,” and risk lower future budgets. You might also be able to tap […]

“Do you recommend that my ergonomics teams be cross-functional? Or does that dilute the team’s focus?” We get this question often. There are several considerations here. Before creating a team, you first want to think about its purpose, which is to conduct risk assessments, identify solutions, and lead improvement efforts. The team should also be […]

Workplace assessments are one of the key steps to improving ergonomics, especially when the goal is to prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).  However, it is our experience that many organizations assess for conditions which are not linked to causing MSDs.  For an effective assessment of exposure to MSD risk factors,  the bottom line is a need to […]

At Automation Alley’s TECHTakeover I explored the future of manufacturing at the presentation on collaborative and autonomous robotics. The technology presented was astounding, and opened my “ergo eyes” to a whole new dimension for the field of ergonomics. In ergonomics, there are four main risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs); posture, force, frequency and duration. […]