Musculoskeletal injuries that damage the body’s connective tissues — muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage and spinal discs — accounted for 29% of all workplace injuries in 2007, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That year more than 335,000 musculoskeletal injuries required an average work absence of 9 days, more than 4 times the average 2-day absence required by most workplace injuries. When incorporated in equipment design and the development of workplace procedures, ergonomics has been proven to significantly reduce the risk and incidence of musculoskeletal injury.

“Ergonomics affects virtually every aspect of the safety profession, from machine use to construction safety to office set-up,” ASSE Central Florida Chapter President Jeff Spackman told OH&S (Occupational Health & Safety) online. “As an ASSE chapter, we do everything possible to be of the greatest value to our members who are committed to protecting people, property, and the environment. We felt holding a development conference on this very important topic would be of the greatest value to the greatest number of our members.”

The November conference will feature two general and four concurrent sessions covering ergonomic design and practices in various settings, including industrial, construction, workstation and office. Worker’s compensation issues, injury prevention and rehabilitation will also be addressed. The keynote address will be presented by Isabel Perry, Ph. D., president of TheSafetyDoctor.com. Among other scheduled speakers are Daniel McCune, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University safety director; Eric Austin, Amerisure Insurance senior loss control consultant; Ronald Porter, director of Back School of Atlanta; and Michael Belcher, ASSE Region IV VP and director of safety at DS Waters of America.

Click here for more information and to register for the November 4 ergonomic conference at the Orlando Repertory Theater in Orlando, Florida.

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A new study published in the July issue of the journal Science shows that chronic stress actually rearranges the wiring in our brain. In a study with rats conducted jointly by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and researchers at the University of Minho in Portugal, stressed rats lost the ability to make effective decisions. Effective decision making, whether in the performance of mental or physical tasks, requires humans to choose the most productive option from a field of choices. When stress is unrelieved, people are more likely to make poor decisions. In the study, the portion of the brain associated with goal-directed behavior shrank while the area that controlled habit formation grew. Under perpetual stress, people, just like the rats in the study, lose the ability to make smart decisions and fall back on old habits.

Physical stress from overexertion, overreaching or cramped work platforms were as debilitating in eroding decision-making ability as emotional or mental stress. Interestingly, physical stress accelerated the erosion of mental abilities faster than other kinds of stress. Pain and discomfort seem to act more quickly on human stress thresholds than mere mental irritation. Utilizing ergonomically-designed material handling equipment is one smart way to decrease employee stress.

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