Editorial

Editoria

Ergonomics at 60: mature, thriving and still leading the way

Ergonomics at 60: mature, thriving and still leading the wa

The granting of a royal charter: an anachronism or a major development for ergonomics and human factors?

Ergonomics and human factors (EHF) has come a long way since the discipline and profession first started to become organised and coalesce with the forming of the Ergonomics Research Society in the UK in 1949, the Human Factors Society of America in 1957 and the founding of the International Ergonomics Association in 1959. Various authors have mapped this history, for example Edholm and Murrell (1973), Waterson and Sell (2006), Waterson and Eason (2009), Waterson (2011) in the UK; Chapanis (1999), Meister (1995, 1996, 1999) in USA, and IEA (2006) and Waterson et al (2012) for the IEA. In the UK, the Ergonomics Society, latterly the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, has long harboured the desire to become Chartered, putting it in the same position as other long established, respected professions, for example accountants, architects, civil engineers, electrical engineers, nurses, veterinary surgeons, to name but a few. It has been a long journey but in May 2014, we received the news that at a meeting of the Privy Council held at Buckingham Palace, Her Majesty The Queen had approved an Order granting a Charter to the Institute (Privy Council, 2014). In pursuit of this goal, much work had to be done lobbying government departments whose support would be crucial to the success of the petition. The Institute also needed to ensure there would be no objection from cognate societies with whom our interests intersect. It was also a mammoth task to prepare the Charter and Byelaws, the governance documents under which the Chartered Institute would operate and which the Privy Council and Charity Commission needed to approve

Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in agriculture workers in Korea and preventative interventions

BACKGROUND: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) are estimated to be the most common and frequent of all occupational diseases in agriculture in Korea, but the full extent of the problem has yet to be surveyed. OBJECTIVE: This paper presents the results of a survey investigating the extent of WMSDs among self-employed farmers in Korea. It also describes ergonomics based preventive interventions initiated by the Korean government. METHOID: The prevalence of WMSDs was surveyed among 358 farmers using a questionnaire adapted from the Nordic questionnaires, employing three case definitions. RESULTS: The results showed that the overall prevalence rates of WMSDs by case definition 1 (any symptoms), 2 (symptoms with a pain intensity of moderate or greater), and 3 (symptoms with a pain intensity of high or greater) were 97.2%, 83.2%, and 39.7% respectively and that the shoulder, knee and lower back disorder rates were higher than those of other body parts. Compared to the prevalence rates of WMSDs for workers in other industries in Korea as well as USA farmers, the overall rates for farmers in Korea were much higher. The interventions, which adopted a participatory approach involving government, farmers, ergonomics, technical and industrial hygiene experts, showed benefits in terms of work efficiency, safety and farmer satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: The high WMSD symptom prevalence showed that agriculture is one of the most hazardous industries in Korea, and the Korean government’s interventions were effective and successful

Preventing falls

Preventing fall

Management strategies to help engage, protect and promote the health and safety of older workers

Management strategies to help engage, protect and promote the health and safety of older worker

A staged approach to reducing musculoskeletal disorders (MSD's) in the workplace: A long term follow-up

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) remain the most common form of occupational ill health in Great Britain. Recent research by the authors (Whysall, Haslam and Haslam, 2005) involved the development and evaluation of a new and innovative approach to reducing MSDs. These authors applied a model from health psychology (stage of change model) to develop interventions more closely matched to worker and manager stage of change. Twenty four interventions were monitored within a variety of organisations for up to six months. Tailored interventions (matched to stage of change) were found to be more effective in promoting riskawareness, promoting behaviour change aimed at reducing risks, and in reducing self reported musculoskeletal discomfort in a number of body areas. The study described in this report involved a longer term followup at 15 months postintervention and at 20 months postintervention to ascertain whether the improvements seen at 6 months persist in the longer term. The results show that the benefits in behaviour change and symptom reduction persist over a longer period of followup. Tailored interventions were found to be more effective in promoting behaviour change and reducing selfreported musculoskeletal discomfort over a 20 month followup period. These findings suggest that scope exists for improving the success of interventions by tailoring advice according to stage of change. This approach increases the uptake, implementation, and maintenance of risk reducing measures. This report and the work it describes were funded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Its contents, including any opinions and/or conclusions expressed, are those of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect HSE policy

Facilitators and barriers to the protection and promotion of the health and safety of older workers

© 2017 Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. Individuals may experience health issues or physical, sensory or psychological capability changes related to ageing. With the removal of the default retirement age in the UK, older workers can remain in work well into later life. Health and safety statistics, however, indicate that they are a vulnerable group. Older workers have much to contribute, but employers have a responsibility to examine the working environment to protect those with reduced capabilities. This article reviews two qualitative studies examining the facilitators and barriers to implementing age management strategies to promote the health and safety of older workers. The findings reveal that employers are uncertain how to proceed with implementing actions to protect older workers. Discussions with older workers reveal they do not feel supported or engaged. They are fearful of reporting any capability changes that may affect their ability to perform work tasks as they believe this may have negative consequences for their future employment. A co-ordinated multi-disciplinary approach between human resources, operational management, health and safety specialists and occupational health functions is required

Bus driving - can it be a good job?

Bus driving is recognised as an occupation where jobs are typically of poor quality and can have adverse effects on health. The current study explored how job quality differed for bus and coach drivers from three companies, identifying the most realistic areas for improvement, based on the similarities and differences between the companies. It also confirmed the usefulness of this approach for ergonomics in general. In areas of stress management and low control there was found to be limited potential for change. Scope for improvement was found in planning of working hours, health and safety, and vehicle/maintenance quality in some companies. However, it was acknowledged that change was unlikely to occur unless employers could be persuaded that it would be beneficial to their organisation

How do people differentiate between jobs: and how do they define a good job?

Employed individuals from a range of jobs (n=18) were interviewed using a repertory grid technique, to explore the criteria they used to distinguish between different jobs. The concepts of 'a good job' and 'a job good for health' were also discussed. Interactions with others and the job itself were the most commonly used criteria and were also the most common features of a 'good job'. Pay and security were mentioned frequently but were less important when comparing jobs and when defining a 'good job'. Physical activity was rarely associated by interviewees with a 'good job' but was frequently associated with a 'job good for health'. A comprehensive definition of a 'good job' needs to take all these factors into account