work hardening

28 Jul, 23

How to get a strain/sprain injury at a perfectly-adjusted workstation

I can’t honestly say that I’ve suffered a strain/sprain injury, but I know the early signs when I see them. I have the advantage of an education and 30+ years of experience, so I’m able to avoid the progression of such an issue. (Physician, heal thyself! Ergonomist, fix thine workstation!) I can, however, report that, […]
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05 Jun, 23

Do stretching programs work?

We’re often asked to help our clients to develop and deliver stretching programs, customized for the work that their employees are doing. Do these programs work? We’ve been trying to investigate this question using “before and after” survey data. Clients start out with great enthusiasm, administering the baseline survey, implementing the program, and promising to […]
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cost-justifying physical and cognitive demands analyses
03 Apr, 23

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 […]
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15 Aug, 22

What are “cognitive demands” and why do we include them in our reports?

A PCDA is a physical and cognitive demands analysis. It’s a very detailed description of all of the work that an employee does regularly, including pushing/pulling/lifting/gripping/pinching forces, photos, hand height, and reaches. A PCDA allows a supervisor or return-to-work coordinator to compare an employee’s functional abilities with the demands of any job. It also allows […]
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28 May, 20

Gearing up for the biggest return-to-work project ever!

Never before have our clients experienced a shutdown period of this duration. This many workers have never taken so long away from physical work, all at the same time. We’d love to think that the lengthy furlough has meant hours in the home gym, extra walks with the kids, and yoga in front of the […]
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