Strain and serve

Physiotherapists warn that overuse injuries – commonly called RSI and often associated with keyboard work – could also result from chopping and preparing food.

Queensland Ergonomics and Occupational Health Group chairwoman Venerina Johnston said overuse injuries were more common in women than men.

She said would-be chefs often did not use sharp enough knives or worked at benches that were at an incorrect height.

"Someone could suffer RSI if they were using a knife not sharp enough or were not holding the knife correctly or they were applying too much force. (Via The Sunday Mail)

Attention, please. Distracted workers often fail to produce

"We're inundated with information, and we don't really know what to do with it all or how to process it," says Peter Freer, founder and chief executive officer of Play Attention, a funky new piece of technology that can retrain a brain to focus (I'll explain later). "It comes in cell phones, PDAs, faxes, e-mails, regular phones, radio and TV. Many of us have attention problems."

An estimated 8 million adult Americans struggle with the inattention disorders like attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to researchers from Harvard Medical School. But, they say, only 20 percent realize it.

Overworked employees are triply distracted and unproductive, says Paul Riley, a psychiatrist with St. Vincent Stress Center. "You are not focused," says Riley. "You make a lot of mistakes." (Via Indystar)

OSHA Alliance with Abbott Leads to Case Studies on Benefits of Successful Safety and Health Programs

Good workplace safety and health practices are good business--that's the emphasis of a new series of case studies that are a product of OSHA's Alliance with Abbott. Through the Alliance, signed in 2003, OSHA and Abbott worked with the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business to develop case studies that communicate the business value and competitive advantages of an effective safety and health program that can be incorporated into business school and executive education curricula.

"These case studies offer useful information and demonstrate the correlation between safety and health excellence and business excellence," said Jonathan L. Snare, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA. "They provide practical examples of how this correlation can protect worker safety and health, improve employee moral, and increase quality, efficiency and profitability."

The case studies focus on a variety of industries and safety and health issues. One case study describes how Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island was able to reduce musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) related workers' compensation cases with lost workdays by implementing a new ergonomics program and increasing workstation evaluations. A second case study discusses the reduced injury rates and workers compensation claims experienced at two nursing home facilities that implemented "no-lift" programs. (Via Yahoo! News)

Seeing with Sound for blind and visually impaired persons

The innovative 'K' Sonar - is the new ultrasonic device designed to acquaint blind customers with its potential as an aid to perception. Just as naval sonar allows mariners to make perceptions about the underwater environment, so the 'K' Sonar allows those who use it to make perceptions about their surroundings that otherwise would not be possible.

This product enables the Blind to become more aware of their environment and be more mobile in their strong need to travel.

The 'K' Sonar clipped to a standard long cane radiates harmless ultrasonic waves in a narrow beam to isonify objects in the path of a blind traveler. The sonar beam of the receiver collects the reflections - or echoes - from the objects in the pathway. These ultrasonic echoes are converted electronically into unique sound signatures representing the Euclidean "shape and size" of the objects. The blind person can recognize these and their location, making travel on foot more safe and easy. (Via batforblind)

Office Ergonomics: Let's Get Practical

Office Ergonomics... what is the essence of it? We all have our own concepts and philosophies when it comes to the optimal office setup. Yet over the years, the notion of office ergonomics has conjured up a mental image of a graphic outlining a perfectly positioned, faceless individual. Each joint of the body has been precisely measured and labeled. You are familiar with the graphic: a perfectly proportioned individual sitting with knees and hips bent at 90 degrees, an impeccably erect spine, elbows positioned at an exact right-angle and finally, the keyboard and the monitor placed without flaw.

This ideal picture – or so it would seem – is the visual aide that has been used countless times by educators and consultants to outline and communicate the ideal position that end-users should aspire to. However, a problem does exist. Regardless of how ideal this picture may be, this standard-bearer has seldom, if ever, been observed in the workplace – male/female, East Coast/West Coast, first floor or the penthouse.

It is time we get practical. Our teaching approach and message need to match up with the realities of a call center and the rigors of the data-processing suite. Believe it or not, people move, shift, reposition and redistribute their weight throughout each and every day. I do it. You do it. It is done with great frequency and consistency. The paradigm of the statically positioned, faceless individual needs to be transformed to a message that encourages freedom of movement within the context of three simple strategies: Stability, Clearance and Support. (Via Occupational Hazards)

"OSHA Alliance with Abbott Leads to Case..."

Good workplace safety and health practices are good business--that's the emphasis of a new series of case studies that are a product of OSHA's Alliance with Abbott. Through the Alliance, signed in 2003, OSHA and Abbott worked with the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business to develop case studies that communicate the business value and competitive advantages of an effective safety and health program that can be incorporated into business school and executive education curricula.

"These case studies offer useful information and demonstrate the correlation between safety and health excellence and business excellence," said Jonathan L. Snare, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA. "They provide practical examples of how this correlation can protect worker safety and health, improve employee moral, and increase quality, efficiency and profitability."

The case studies focus on a variety of industries and safety and health issues. One case study describes how Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island was able to reduce musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) related workers' compensation cases with lost workdays by implementing a new ergonomics program and increasing workstation evaluations. A second case study discusses the reduced injury rates and workers compensation claims experienced at two nursing home facilities that implemented "no-lift" programs. (Via U.S. Newswire)

I-Caption Makes Big River Performances at Ford's Theatre Accessible to the Deaf

Ford's Theatre patrons attending Deaf West's production of Big River, which features both deaf and hearing actors,
can follow the onstage dialogue and lyrics with I-Caption(R), the latest
innovation in assistive technology.

"We developed the I-Caption system so deaf and hard of hearing theater goers would not be limited to attending special signed shows," said T. Richard Fitzgerald, theatrical sound designer and CEO of Sound Associates, Inc. "There is so much happening onstage in this unique, dynamic production that a deaf patron not fluent in American Sign Language could miss a lot."

I-Caption features a handheld wireless unit that displays dialogue and lyrics in text, in real time from any seat in the house. The system made its debut in Deaf West's production of Big River on Broadway and has been available for all performances of the national touring companies ever since. I-Caption is also available for Broadway's Wicked and will soon be available for Mamma Mia! (Via PRWeb)