This paper describes the development of a studio-based approach for teaching ergonomics and human factors to undergraduate engineering students. Studio-based methods in engineering education draw on the concept of a “design studio” as the basis for learning and applying fundamental skills and knowledge through a series of directed exploration and design projects under the guidance of the course...

Modeling driver’s cognition is a challenging endeavor undertaken by psychologists and human factors researchers. The motivations underlying this enterprise range from safety concerns to improvement of traffic conditions. This approach is the next step after the production of risk models that explain drivers’ behavior. Before the advent of ITS, psychology applied to driving sought to understand ...

Nursing assistants (NAs) who work in nursing and personal care facilities are twice and five times more likely, respectively, to suffer a musculoskeletal disorder compared to service industries and other health care facilities, respectively. The purpose of this study was to develop an ergonomics training program for selected NAs at a state-run veterans' home to decrease musculoskeletal disorder...

Resilience is the ability of a system to react to and recover from disturbances with minimal effects on dynamic stability. Resilience is needed as systems and organizations become more complex and interrelated and the consequences of accidents and incidents increase. This paper analyzes the notion of resilience based on a literature survey and an exploration of incidents. In particular, resilie...

A participative ergonomics approach to reducing injuries associated with manual tasks is widely promoted, however only limited evidence from uncontrolled trials was available to support the efficacy of such an approach. This paper reports on a randomised and controlled trial of PErforM, a participative ergonomics intervention designed to reduce the risks of injury associated with manual tasks. ...

Hospital workers are under increasing pressure to work more efficiently with fewer resources and management skills. This stressful situation can be made worse by physical discomforts in the workplace. In part for this reason, the healthcare workers are at high potential risk of physical strain that can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). Our objective is to assess the physical risk factors...

Gastroenterologists are at risk for overuse injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), DeQuervain’s tenosynovitis, and lateral epicondylitis due to the repetition and prolonged awkward postures associated with endoscopy. Much attention has been paid to the safety of patients during endoscopic procedures, but the safety of the physician is often forgotten. Indeed, the rigorous training and ...

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are significant workplace problems affecting occupational health, productivity and the careers of dental professionals. The prevalence of MSDs is on the rise for all types of dental workers. In spite of different patterns of work culture, there are parallel levels of symptoms in dentists across nations. Risk factors for MSDs are multifactorial. Symptoms appear v...

Do Former College Athletes Earn More at Work? A Nonparametric Assessment This paper investigates how students’ collegiate athletic participation affects their subsequent labor market success. It uses newly developed distributional tests to establish that the wage distribution of former college athletes is significantly different from non-athletes and that athletic participation is a significant...