safety Archives • Taylor'd Ergonomics

17 Apr, 23

assessment, Driving, News, Quality, safety, techniques, training

The wheel on the bus

We have worked with bus drivers extensively over the years, and it is surprising how a small adjustment can significantly improve their driving comfort. Bus seats typically offer more adjustability than a typical office chair, which means that if the driver takes the time to adjust it, the “ergonomics” of the workstation can be quite […]

cost-justifying physical and cognitive demands analyses

03 Apr, 23

assessment, CDA, Industrial, News, return-to-work, safety, work hardening

How can PCDAs save you money?

(Would you rather watch than read? Video version here: https://youtu.be/1euljH9RrRw ) Physical and cognitive demands analyses (PCDAs), in contrast to ergo assessments, provide only a summary of job requirements. They don’t include an analysis of injury risk or recommendations to reduce those risks. So technically, they don’t directly result in improvements to a job. How could […]

06 Feb, 23

assessment, best practices, Industrial, News, safety, techniques, training

More than one way to skin a cat and [do other things too]

Ewwww! I don’t like that metaphor either. But gore aside, workers often find the “best way” to do a task. And ergonomists are sometimes asked to evaluate alternative methods. How do we do this? We use objective analysis tools to compare methods. Some ergonomists use motion capture tools, which evaluate how much time is spent […]

09 Jan, 23

best practices, Industrial, injury, Manual handling, News, productivity, return-to-work, safety, techniques, training, work hardening

Why do smart people do foolish things?

When you hear about someone who was hurt doing something silly, be sure to ask why....over and over until you find the real reason.

12 Dec, 22

assessment, best practices, health care, Industrial, leisure, Manual handling, News, safety, techniques, training, wellness, work hardening

How to refresh your ergonomics training

This article shows how best practice studies can build the basis for hazard-specific ergonomics training.

05 Dec, 22

anthropometry, assessment, Industrial, Manual handling, News, safety

Time after time – Why repetition and duration of efforts matter

Over the past few weeks, I’ve written about why it’s important to measure the amount and direction of force that a worker uses, and why the worker’s body position matters. This week, I wanted to explore the impact of frequency and duration. “How often” and “for how long” an effort occurs have a big effect […]

21 Nov, 22

assessment, Manual handling, News, safety, techniques

Directionally challenged: When assessing effort, direction matters

When you see a worker pushing, pulling, or lifting a load, you might wonder how much effort they are using. As an ergonomist in a workplace, we are usually compelled to measure that force. We can use a force gauge to measure the weights and push/pull forces required on the job. You might also think […]

31 Oct, 22

children, Driving, Ergo at home, injury, legislation, News, safety

Visibility

Hallowe’en seems like the perfect time for a discussion about “visibility” and “line of sight”. Masks and other costumes can obstruct a trick-or-treater’s vision; a child may not see approaching people or vehicles, and may trip and fall over obstacles that they cannot see. When you can only see forward, your peripheral vision is impaired; […]