Successful return to work (RTW) programs incorporate a combination of planning, cooperation, patience and time. RTW is never a one-size-fits-all type of solution. Understanding each individual worker’s abilities, time on the job, job-related tasks and duties, and how all of these can affect the worker’s injury are just a few of the factors that contribute to the success or failure of a RTW program. For the employer, returning an employee to work following an injury serves multiple purposes including: retaining a trained and knowledgeable employee, lowering workers’ compensation disability payouts, and displaying a commitment to the wellbeing of the workforce. To be truly effective though, any return-to-work program has to start with ergonomics. During this hands-on workshop, the difficulties and solutions for integrating ergonomics into the return-to-work program, and strategies for success will be discussed. By applying ergonomics principals to RTW, attendees will be able to help injured workers quickly return to a more productive state. Attendees at this interactive presentation will get real solutions to this very expensive, growing and difficult problem.

WS8

How to Conduct Effective Employee Training

Dee Hinckley, BS, OTR/L, CES
Ergonomic Specialist
JetBlue Airways

All Levels

It is the age old question when considering effective education programs for your work groups: what will reach them? Or who will they listen to? Is your company prepared to create an effective in-house training program? Continuing education is vital to a safe, productive and efficient workplace. This workshop will explore effective training programs, and focus on training the trainer within your employment setting. Attendees will discuss roadblocks in facilitating effective employee education as well as identify:

• Keys to successful training programs
• Considerations for determining an appropriate trainer
• Strategies for training the trainer in your specific work setting
• Problems in employee education and how to overcome them
• Ideas for immediate implementation that will work for your business.

WS9

Assessing & Avoiding Material Handling Risk

Naz Dardashti, MA, CPE
CEO, Senior Managing Consultant
ErgoNaz, Inc.

Rick Spencer, MS, Senior Consultant
Omega Solutions in Ergonomics

All Levels

Manual material handling is one of the leading causes of workers' compensation claims. Workshop attendees will learn about the risks associated with manual material handling, from the proper use of risk assessment tools, to the implementation of workplace wellness solutions. Several examples of material handling devices and non-engineering solutions will be shared during this illustrative and dynamic workshop. Attendees will leave this workshop with:

• An understanding of the risks associated with material handling
• Knowledge of the various assessment tools that can be used to quantify risk
• Accurate risk assessment abilities through hands-on activities
• Implementation strategies to improve various manual material handling work environments
• The ability to communicate the business case for improvement, and provide decision makers and stakeholders with several options within a wide-range of costs and complexities.

WS10

An Integrated Approach to Improving Productivity & Reducing Injuries 50-90%

Barry Carlin, DC
President
Best Performance Systems

Advanced

Ergonomics and safety teams can become frustrated when they have tried everything, yet injury rates remain unchanged. During this workshop attendees will learn a simple system that has a 100% success rate, and can be easily customized for any workplace. This system integrates ergonomics, technique, physical stress reduction, incentives and reminder programs, plus a Kaizen system for continuous improvement. Most importantly, attendees will learn how to use behavior modification techniques to ensure their program is embraced by the workforce, as well as systems to maintain new habits on a daily basis for years to come.

Attendees will leave this workshop with practical tools and resources for immediate results including:

• Successfully involving workers in the development and implementation of ergonomic and process improvements
• Recognizing practical, cost effective ergonomic improvements that are hidden in plain sight
• Incentive and reminder programs that maintain safe work habits, improve morale and are easy to maintain
• A system for involving employees in ongoing improvement and for maintaining excitement, and use of improved skills.

WS11

Laws & Regulations for the Use of Employee Information

David Benoit, JD
Attorney at Law
BenoitDiaz LLC

All Levels

• Pre-screening ergonomic assessments
• Avoiding issues with federal and state laws such as FMLA, ADA, ADEA, HIPPA, ERA and worker’s compensation
• Termination, waivers, limitations and risk mitigation
• Challenges and rewards of integrating wellness programs and ergonomics.

WA1

Achieving Ergonomic Excellence & Increasing ROI

Walt Rostykus, MSPH, CPE, CSP, CIH
Humantech, Inc.

All Levels

Key elements of successful ergonomic programs enable Fortune 500 companies to achieve significant performance improvements. A recent benchmarking study identified the key program elements, metrics and organization for success, and results achieved.

During this comprehensive session the results of the study will be reviewed and participants will gain:

• An understanding of the current best practices of organizations with established ergonomic programs
• The ROI results achieved and challenges addressed by organizations
• The ability to objectively critique elements of their current ergonomics program in order to drive continued success and bottom line value to their organization.

No matter what the job requirements, everyone in an office or call center interacts with a computer keyboard, mouse, monitor, workstation, telephone, calculator, and other accessories at work or at home. The ability to identify and troubleshoot employee discomfort is essential to a successful ergonomics program.  During this session the most common risk factors plaguing the office environment and solutions to overcome them will be discussed including:

• Injury potential at work and home
• Known ergonomics risk factors
• The use of cell phones, PDA’s and other communication devices.

Attendees will come away with a checklist and guidelines for optimizing office and home ergonomics work methods.

Ford Motor Company is the only North American automaker combining advanced motion capture technology with human modeling software to design jobs that are less physically stressful and help deliver higher quality. During this session, attendees will gain insight into how Ford utilizes motion capture technology and human modeling software to analyze and create future model products and assembly processes to meet its ergonomic design specifications. Attendees will also learn about ergonomic analysis tools used by Ford to assess jobs and create safer and more efficient processes.

In response to the Institute of Medicine report regarding human error in hospitals, key stakeholders have moved quickly to lower the astounding statistics. Key components in addressing safety are often addressed too late, if at all, in facility design. With an emphasis on facility planning and design processes, this presentation will reveal how the built environment can be the foundation of ergonomics best practices for a healthcare facility. Participants will leave this session able to:

• Communicate to key stakeholders how safe architectural design can contribute to controlling workers’ comp costs
• Calculate and communicate the proper square footage requirements necessary to achieve safe maneuverability in hospital rooms and storage areas
• Position themselves as a key player in the architectural design process.

Innovations in technology, ergonomic equipment and green materials have had an important impact on today's workforce. Companies are seeing the value of incorporating Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) elements into their facility design plans but how does the role of ergonomics and safety apply to this process and, how will these decisions affect the well-being and productivity of employees?

Attendees will leave this session able to:
• Understand how elements of workplace design affect the safety, health, comfort, and the productivity of employees
• Identify potential hazards or sources of occupational injury/illness, and the importance of addressing them during the facility design planning stages
• Understand the risks, advantages, and role of LEED in new and refurbished facilities
• Use methods to establish a compromise or balance between company's corporate design standards and a work environment that enhances ergonomics and safety.

The inclusion of ergonomics into the repertoire of the safety professional creates a substantive new demand, especially when ergonomic evaluations become an increasingly prevalent part of their safety program. This session will examine common ergonomics issues so that safety managers can acquire a firm foundation for conducting effective ergonomic evaluations. During this session attendees will learn how to:

• Rapidly assess the elements of force, posture and repetition in an evaluation
• Recognize the most common ergonomics problems and their optimal solutions
• Create a checklist that will streamline the evaluation process
• Conduct an effective ergonomic evaluation
• Properly document your evaluation report.

Ronald S. Leopold, MD, MBA, MPH, National Medical Director, Vice President, MetLife Institutional Business

(Limited Seating by Reservation Only, See ErgoSchool Luncheon page for topics and Registration instructions)

This presentation demonstrates how to launch and deliver an ergonomics process from scratch, or when other processes have failed. Participants will gain a first hand account of how to establish a baseline, gain management buy-in, build an ergonomics committee for strategy and ongoing process development, and recruit in-house evaluators.

This powerful presentation will provide participants with the tools, skills and knowledge they need to:

• Establish a baseline and determine the internal health of the organization
• Identify the leaders and stakeholders that will successfully help drive the process
• Identify waste and inefficiencies in the current process
• Track and measure data to ensure successful outcomes.

This session will address the concept of productivity and the ways it can be analyzed. Utilizing measurement based tools we can better understand how operational concepts of productivity relate to health outcomes. In order to properly analyze metrics for productivity we must first understand the three levels of analysis of ergonomic factors that influence productivity.

Attendees will leave this session with:

• A framework for conceptualizing associations between productivity and health
• Examples of research studies at different levels of analysis
• An understanding of the three levels of analysis.

This session will explore the many benefits of lean ergonomics. The presentation will begin with a basic lean perspective and then explain the synergies between lean and ergonomics. Attendees will gain simple, straight forward solutions to common manual material handling problems. This session will illustrate how to eliminate the waste of non-productive manual material handling movements and activities in order to drive efficiency and cost reductions.

Patient handling tasks typically exceed caregivers' biomechanical limits and are the leading cause of injury during patient lifting, transferring and repositioning. Subsequently, patient handling technology provides an ergonomic approach fitting the workplace to match the capabilities of providers. This initiative is a critical component to increasing patient safety and protecting patient care providers.

Attendees will leave this session with the knowledge to:

• Implement a facility-wide safe patient handling initiative
• Gain buy-in from senior management
• Apply the five essential components for creating a proactive workplace safety plan
• Implement strategies for safe patient handling programs with the use of mechanical equipment.

The design of workspaces that can accommodate today’s diverse workforce is critical. Many of the assumptions we make about anthropometry, obesity, disability, and aging are poor reflections of the reality of today’s workforce. During this presentation practical design solutions for workspaces serving a diverse workforce will be addressed. Participants will:

• Review the latest research and design considerations regarding office ergonomics for the average and the obese employee
• Learn about generational differences that affect workplace design
• Become familiar with sit/stand, stand/sit concepts and the reasoning for each
• Learn about interventions available for current and future workspaces.

Managing the safety and ergonomic needs of a distributed workforce is complex, and can be expensive. Workforce trends including flexible hours, part-time employment, and telecommuting, continue to increase. This session will reveal an efficient means of centralizing the intake of safety and ergonomics issues, choosing the most cost effective response, and delivering it in a way that produces the best result.

Attendees will take away:

• An understanding of how the changing workforce trends will continue to affect the way they deliver safety services
• Concepts that can be applied for more efficient and effective management of the safety needs of workers
• A framework for examining the response capability of their organization for various critical employee safety issues
• Methods for improving and standardizing the best practice responses for various levels of employee needs
• Concrete examples of how the presented methodologies have performed through real world case studies.

Over the past decade Rockwell Collins has worked towards the development of a fully integrated ergonomics program across its 45 domestic facilities. After year over year improvement in key metrics, the ergonomics team sought direct feedback from their community of internal clients. This presentation will review the results of their extensive employee survey with the goal of gaining insight into ways to improve any organization’s process and systems. Attendees will gain:

• Insight into the ergonomics program journey that organizations travel, from start-up to a maturing program.
• A review of employee survey results (>1000 users) - their knowledge, perspective, and perceptions of an established ergonomics program.
• A proven approach to continuous improvement.

Managing a multi-site office ergonomics program can be challenging. How do you deliver training? How do you proactively assess risk? How do you track results? Parsons, a leading construction and engineering company, was able to leverage technology to improve the results of their office ergonomics program. Attendees will learn about strategies that any organization can use to reduce injuries up to 50% and injury costs as much as 75% through the use of technology.

This session shares the approach, elements, experiences and lessons learned by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company’s deployment of a globally integrated ergonomics process. Achieving changes in the workplace required changes in their focus and support from global, regional, plant safety leaders, manufacturing and functional organizations to affect operations throughout the world. Participants will:

• Understand the importance of an established common set of expectations
• Learn why establishing clear responsibilities and metrics is important
• Review a comprehensive process for identifying and reducing ergonomic risk factors.

One might be surprised to discover that the incidence and prevalence of ergonomic injuries in the healthcare industry is similar to that in mining and heavy industry. Participants will learn to identify specific ergonomic risk factors associated with both acute and cumulative injuries common in healthcare facilities. We will devise an ergonomics program tailored to meet the unique needs of the healthcare industry. Ergonomic interventions will be discussed and attendees will learn why some administrative solutions fail while other engineering solutions succeed. Attendees will leave this informative session able to:

• Identify specific ergonomic risk factors associated with both acute and cumulative injuries
• Devise an ergonomics program tailored to meet the unique needs of their healthcare facility.

Often ergonomics is a concept that is reserved for the ergonomics specialist. From evaluation requests to ergonomics training, the specialist holds the answers making them an invaluable resource to the company. By sharing ergonomics information and integrating with the engineering department systems, the knowledge base is expanded and an understanding of the essential elements of design is further considered. Others key players are empowered to become involved in the solution-focused process of ergonomics. This session will discuss how to:

• Develop ergonomics communication strategies with engineers
• Identify methods of integrating with engineering systems
• Build successful partnerships within the company.

Absenteeism is a costly and unnecessary expense. An industrial disability specialist, educated and experienced in the nature of work, disability, disability related insurance benefits, ergonomics, workplace accommodation, safety, and disability law, can be invaluable, in efforts to reduce these costs. By maximizing workplace safety, minimizing lost time costs, increasing employee satisfaction, and facilitating a productive work environment - the positive impact on the employer’s bottom line will be significant.

Attendees will come away with:
• An understanding of the role of the industrial disability specialist
• How to benchmark and develop metrics
• The ability to develop an integrated program/position to incorporate these measures.

During an economic slowdown, many organizations require increased or updated justification for the continued funding of various programs. In ergonomics, it is especially important to use leading indicators as opposed to waiting for lagging indicators to demonstrate the impact ergonomics programs have on injury prevention. This session will outline ways in which the ergonomics professional can create a sustainable ergonomic program, even in difficult economic times. Attendees will leave this session with a better understanding of:

• The benefits of setting a meaningful ergonomic policy
• Metrics to demonstrate ROI and the achievement of ergonomic policy objectives
• Types of technology used to economically extend your program's reach
• How to leverage and stretch training dollars and resources to the greatest possible extent.

Are the risks associated with extended sitting hurting your workforce and bottom line? Do you need help making sense of seating features and conducting product evaluations? In this interactive, experiential session participants will:

• Learn physiological principles and identify risks of sitting
• Consider seating as it relates to a variety of populations and job tasks
• Recognize physical and environmental circumstances that impact healthy seating
• Identify seating features/products appropriate to specific populations and work tasks.

Boeing’s “Ergonomics Blitz” is a practical, streamlined approach for improving workstation design on the shop floor. The Ergo Blitz event is modeled as a standardized process after the lean and accelerates improvement profile; utilizing some of the same process tools such as spaghetti charts, check sheets, Kaizen newspapers, progress reports, daily in-briefs, and formal out-briefs. The process utilizes a standardized check sheet to help project managers facilitate the event. Boeing’s “Enterprise Ergonomic System” is used to conduct ergonomic job analysis during the pre-work of the event allowing the team to identify tasks associated with moderate to high ergonomic risks. During this session attendees will learn how Boeing successfully:

• Focuses on a standardized process to implement solutions
• Involves all stakeholders and utilizes the cross-functional team
• Educates and trains large cross-sections of skill sets
• Validates waste reduction and utilizes lean to improve ergonomics and efficiency.

Slips, trips and falls are one of the nation’s leading workplace injuries. This presentation will look at slips, trips and falls at a national level, on a healthcare industry level, and from an efficiency point of view. Attendees will understand common causes of slips, trips and falls, identify the two types of falls, and how to assess associated risks and identify workplace hazards. Attendees will leave with the tools necessary to implement a management system and provide prevention techniques.

The aging population presents a number of unique safety and ergonomic challenges and this presentation will address issues for workers in both office and industrial environments. Examples of specific accommodations that will increase efficiency, productivity and safety will be discussed including:

• Job modification
• Ergonomic adjustment and training
• Job restructuring
• Flexible work schedules
• Wellness programs.

Attendees will leave this session with an understanding of common issues and solutions for dealing with an aging workforce.

This session will provide a basic outline of the field of ergonomics geared toward the occupational health professional. An understanding of the most common types of MSDs and CTDs will be discussed as well as the economics of why ergonomics makes good business sense. Topics to be discussed include:

• Understanding of the effects of an aging workforce
• The five principles of ergonomics
• Primary stresses that contribute to injuries.

(Limited Seating, See ErgoSchool Luncheon page for detailed program listing)

This session offers simple, time-tested methods to help participants dramatically lower their and their workforce’s risk of injury and increase their comfort and productivity. Participants will learn:

• Better, less demanding and practical ways to sit, stand and lift
• Simple stretches that take only a few seconds and make a world of difference
• How to gradually let safe behaviors become habits
• That 90 minutes of injury prevention can actually be fun.

There is no more important aspect of workplace health than vision. Worker productivity, employee satisfaction and employer cost issues are all related to how well people see. With the aging population, vision will continue to be a critical area of concern in the arena of ergonomics. This course is designed to give participants awareness knowledge of visual function and its role in workplace productivity and well–being. Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

• Assess the workplace for sources of glare and extraneous light
• Determine the sources of visual stress in the workplace
• Make recommendations on environmental and ergonomic conditions that may be affecting workplace productivity.

This presentation reviews the successful implementation of an ergonomics program at a commercial lighting manufacturing facility with approximately 300 production employees. Workers compensation costs were reduced from $458,237 to $8,660 over a five-year period while improving productivity and quality.

During this session, attendees will discover how to:

• Implement a successful ergonomics program
• Incorporate an effective and collaborative team approach
• Integrate skills of engineers and healthcare professionals
• Identify the risk factors for MSDs
• Determine effective solutions.

Accommodating workers with restrictions is challenging in any work setting. However, lost work days are detrimental to any organizations’ bottom line and frustrating to workers left carring the extra workload. This presentation shares one hospital’s journey in developing a successful restricted worker program in an attempt to reduce their workers’ compensation costs, improve morale and increase productivity. This presentation led by a Six Sigma Black Belt, will give attendees an understanding of the costs associated with lost work days from a financial, physical and emotional standpoint, and demonstrate how to develop methods for:

• Implementing a restricted worker program
• Addressing accommodations needed for restricted workers
• Understanding the barriers faced in implementing a restricted worker program
• Evaluating the success of a restricted worker program at your facility.

With the average age of the American working population rising, many companies are developing strategies to accommodate their aging workforce. In the year 2010, it is projected that 51.4% of the workforce will be over 40 year olds therefore developing strategies to address ergonomics is becoming a corporate priority. Attendees will leave this session with the following knowledge:

• The population trends that predict an aging workforce
• The aging workforce’s impact on workers’ compensation claim costs
• Strategies to manage workers’ compensation claims in an aging workforce.

Worksite wellness is a top discussion point across the globe because the affects healthcare costs have on the bottom line of an organization are tremendous. This session will break down the process of implementing results-oriented wellness and prevention initiatives. Attendees will leave this session with an understanding of how to:

• Prepare an organization to undertake worksite wellness initiatives
• Assess workforce health issues, needs, and interests
• Plan a results-oriented wellness program
• Enact programming appropriate for designated workplace populations
• Review and evaluate effectiveness in order to make necessary program adjustments and monitor ongoing success.

There are several levels of assessments that can be used in an ergonomics program to help define physical demands, evaluate risk factors, and determine the level of ergonomic risk. This presentation will present the uses and benefits of several industry accepted tools that attendees should consider part of their ergonomics evaluation tool box. Attendees will learn how to:

• Choose the appropriate ergonomics risk assessment tool currently used in their industry
• Understand the value and correct uses of ergonomic risk assessment tools
• Determine an action plan for assessment and training to advance an ergonomics program.

The workforce is changing, it is aging and includes people with special needs. At the same time, workloads are more demanding, and work environments are more flexible. This combination results in a need to be creative in the accommodation process. This session goes beyond basic office ergonomic fixes and provides the ergonomics professional with an understanding of various disorders and conditions, their associated disabilities, and non-typical solutions that work. Participants will leave this session better equipped to:

• Understand various disorders and conditions
• Identify barriers to work that are common to these disorders and conditions
• Identify unique ergonomic solutions that eliminate barriers to work and help increase comfort and productivity.

Goodrich Aerostructures has been able to identify a clear connection between ergonomics principles and Lean manufacturing tools that have proven effective in eliminating waste from processes. This session will review the challenges practitioners face when conducting ergonomics evaluations, and building the business case for ergonomics and Lean. Attendees at this session will:

• Understand how ergonomics and Lean can be integrated
• Learn how to structure and conduct an ergonomics-focused Lean evaluation
• Discuss how to include ergonomics in other types of evaluations
• Develop a business case for the integration of ergonomics and Lean manufacturing.

Understanding ergonomic risk factors is a key component to driving down injuries and incurred cost in a laboratory. Musculoskeletal disorders typically account for 40-60% of a corporation’s claims and incurred costs. Developing a proactive ergonomics risk management strategy is critical to reduce injuries, medical costs, injury severity, and loss time. This presentation will outline the key ergonomic risk factors in a laboratory environment and strategies for improvement.

Managing the multigenerational workforce is a challenge that many organizations face today. Companies are stepping back and looking more holistically at how to develop programs and deploy technology that will speak to four distinct generations. This informative presentation will address the issues of performance motivators, learning styles, and ergonomics to provide strategies for collaborating among different generations of workers. Attendees will leave this session with:

• An understanding of the psycho-social and physiological differences between the current generations in the workforce
• Ergonomic perceptions between the generations
• Ergonomic design aimed at decreasing risk factors and injuries.

Ergonomic programs focus on creating a safe, efficient and effective work environment. Ergonomic practitioners develop programs that teach employees to protect themselves from injury around the worksite. But what about when the employee is not at work? During those 128 hours per week, employees may be contributing to the CTDs that the employer ends up paying for. Developing programs that bring ergonomics into the employees' daily lives allows them to enter the workplace ready to work. Participants will gain methodologies to:

• Understand the connection of daily activities, and both on and off the job workplace injuries
• Identify the hazards commonly faced by employees when they are not at work
• Actively involve employees in their own safety by bringing ergonomics into the routine of their daily lives
• Improve the employees' work efficiency and effectiveness prior to starting their daily routine in the workplace.

Identifying ergonomics problems in the workplace is only the first step in resolving them. Job analysis tools focus on recognizing or measuring risk factors, but few tell you what to do to solve them, especially in unique situations. This session will focus on techniques beyond brainstorming to generate ideas that can lead to effective ergonomics solutions in offices, laboratories, and industrial settings. During this session attendees will gain:

• An understanding of key obstacles that block creative problem solving
• The ability to apply several simple tools to generate new ideas or approaches for addressing ergonomics issues
• Strategies for facilitating basic problem solving techniques in small groups or ergonomics teams.

A 2004 Ford Motor Company President's Health and Safety Award Winner, the office ergonomics process has proven to be an effective approach for responding to employee requests for ergonomic assistance at offices and call centers across the nation. The interactive process is centered on the employee who is integral to the ergonomic analysis and solution development phases. The office ergonomics process provides optimal ergonomic assistance to employees while effectively managing costs in today's business climate. Attendees will leave this session with an understanding of:

• A process to effectively address office ergonomics issues/concerns
• Actions taken to secure leadership commitment and support
• The importance of a collaborative network of all stakeholders in the process
• The need for an ergonomic process to evolve as the work environment changes.

This session shares Bemis Company’s approach, experiences and lessons learned when deploying an integrated ergonomics process. The Bemis Company, Inc., currently celebrating its 150th year anniversary, has operations in 56 locations in ten countries. By establishing a foundation of expectations, responsibilities and metrics, Bemis developed a comprehensive process for identifying and reducing ergonomic risk factors. However, achieving changes in the workplace required changes in the focus and support of their ergonomics program. Attendees will learn the general steps for the ergonomics process, deployment challenges, effective practices and lessons learned.

Many of the events leading to injuries in the healthcare environment, such as overexertion from patient lifting, falls and even assaults have seen substantial declines over the past decade. Ergonomic and safety hazards are being addressed through “evidence based design” which comprises a component of the healing design circle. The other and possibly more fundamental piece of the healing design circle is “operations based design” which is recognized as the basic design core of a healthier ergonomic environment. During this session attendees will:

• Proactively participate in the architectural planning/design process with the goal of developing an ergonomically sensitive environment
• Understand why past emergency department designs have not addressed ergonomic considerations
• List items to consider and mistakes to avoid when designing a hospital department based on ergonomic design drivers.

Unlike fixed workplaces and standard work, non-traditional and changing workplaces offer a unique challenge when assessing risk and implementing ergonomic changes. This session reviews common challenges and approaches to improve ergonomics in a changing or uncontrolled work environment. Participants will leave this session with the ability to:

• Recognize unique and common challenges managing ergonomics in non-traditional tasks
• Critique their current ergonomics program
• Understand proven approaches and tools to improve ergonomics in these types of operations.

Do you eat right, exercise regularly and avoid things that are bad for you? Ever cut a corner to get something done quickly? Even though we know the right things to do we don’t always do them, and then we act surprised when others behave the same way! In this lively, energetic and fun-filled session attendees will examine this humorous and often frustrating side of human behavior: resistance to, and the struggle with change. Through the use of the rational, emotional and physical approach for promoting change, attendees will better understand what drives behaviors. Most importantly, this presentation will offer practical strategies for steering any workforce in a positive direction.

Michael J. Smith, PhD, CPE, Professor Emeritus, Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison

(Limited Seating, See ErgoSchool Luncheon page for detailed program listing)

This session introduces quantitative approaches for assessing the ergonomics efficiency of work methods, equipment design, tools and employee techniques for an ergonomics program. Attendees will learn how to achieve measurable gains in production efficiency while reducing ergonomics risks, and the methods discussed will work well within the structure of lean manufacturing and six-sigma programs. Advanced methods for quantifying workplace demands and establishing acceptable thresholds, as well as the development of ergonomics specifications for workstations, tools and equipment will be addressed. Techniques for optimizing efficiency that will be reviewed will include:

• Biomechanical modeling and contact pressure mapping
• Muscle effort monitoring (electromyography)
• Dynamic postural analysis
• Heart rate monitoring and vibration testing.

This session will review the factors to consider when implementing a multi-tiered approach to computer workstation ergonomics. As companies make decisions to respond to marketplace demands and create more telecommuting situations, ergonomics programs need to include new strategies to prevent MSDs. The focus of this presentation will be on the integration of proactive and reactive ergonomic assessments in both office and home office environments. Attendees will leave this session with an understanding of:

• The value of a multi-tiered approach to office ergonomics
• The similarities and differences between ergonomic issues in the office and home
• New strategies to assist in "telemanaging" telecommuters as they relate to ergonomic concerns
• A proven multi-tiered, cost effective training and in-person assessment program.

Managing an ergonomics agenda across a world-wide corporation is a challenge. Understanding the different cultures, management structures, sensibilities, needs, and issues at each site can leave one wondering if you are a jack of all trades, master of none. This presentation will offer insight into zeroing in on the most profound measurables for a successful ergonomics initiative, and provide examples of how to implement and maintain a corporate-wide ergonomics initiative. Attendees will gain insight into:

• Specific management approaches to measuring ergonomic team performance
• Real world examples of problems and resolutions for a macro-ergonomic perspective regarding process implementation
• Cost justification models that will serve as the undercurrent for management support.

After the implementation of a safe patient handling program there is excitement, participation and buy-in from staff, management and program champions. Maintaining momentum however can be challenging. This session will explore methods to create and maintain an atmosphere of excitement while sustaining performance in safe patient handling. A case study with a focus on motivating staff at all levels will be presented as well as a model for facilitating cultural change, and achieving successful safety, clinical and organizational outcomes. Participants will:

• Understand the five constraints that create obstacles in safe patient handling programs
• Identify key strategies to facilitate success in all phases of safe patient handling programming
• Understand how to utilize reward and recognition programming to sustain performance and generate enthusiasm.

The office and factory floor are relatively easy to design and use ergonomics. This presentation addresses real-world examples of sending workers into the field, where there is little control over the work area. By identifying and addressing ergonomic risk factors, organizations can reduce injury potential in service and delivery tasks. Attendees will be able to take lessons learned in these examples and address risk factors in different service and delivery jobs. Attendees will leave this session able to:

• Recognize work task issues
• Develop a process for problem solving
• Develop recommendations for corrective action.

An integral component to a successful ergonomics program is employee involvement and buy-in. This session discusses the psychology of positively influencing your employee's behavior to accept, participate, and improve your ergonomics initiative at the workplace. Attendees will understand the importance of communication, predictability, and perceived control to motivate their employees' behaviors toward a successful ergonomics program.

The past thirty years have seen a substantial increase in the number of cases involving product liability and personal injury litigation where ergonomics issues are an important factor. Accompanying this trend is the increasing role of ergonomic specialists serving as expert witnesses. This presentation will explore some of the ergonomics issues these experts address in the context of litigation, as well as some of the challenges associated with carrying out the expert role. Participants will leave this session with:

• An understanding of types of ergonomic issues that arise in the context of product liability and personal injury litigation
• Procedures and techniques employed by ergonomists in the role of expert witness
• The challenges facing the ergonomic expert.

This session will explain the degenerative process and soft tissues injuries from the health professional’s point of view, and explain the origin of these processes. Attendees will gain a firm working knowledge of posture, placement of equipment, and how it relates to physical stresses. Attendees will leave this session with an understanding of the key postures responsible for degenerative processes, and preventative measures. Sample evaluation forms will be shared, and documentation procedures discussed.

Six years of cultivating in-house industrial ergonomics teams for PG&E has reduced OSHA recordable incident rates from 8.2 to 4.5. MSD claims costs have been reduced by 57%, and average cost per claim is down by 52%. These dramatic results have been attributed to cultivating eight regional ergonomic teams lead by internally trained ergonomic consultants. During this session, attendees will learn how to:

• Create a team-based, worker-driven ergonomic task analysis process
• Overcome barriers to change with the use of dynamic communications and effective training
• Train teams of workers to be skilled at ergonomic analysis.

Twenty-first century technology has allowed us to produce fantastic images of the human body with tremendous speed and accuracy, but it has also created new injury risks to the practicing sonographer. Our goal is to identify the factors causing the rapid rise in injuries among sonographers and physicians, and help find ways to prevent those injuries from causing permanent damage and possibly ending careers. The value of clinical site evaluations in identifying these risks and prioritizing the ways to address them for the biggest benefit to the staff and the institution will be addressed. Attendees will leave this session:

• Familiar with the incidence of work-related MSDs and reasons for increased injuries over the past 12 years
• Able to identify the techniques that cause pain, and factors that cause and prevent WRMSD
• Aware of ergonomics best practices for scanning techniques.

Today's custodial, grounds maintenance, and skilled trades employees face increasing workloads with decreased staffing and budgetary resources. The institutions and businesses employing these professionals must aggressively seek solutions that minimize the potential for repetitive strain and musculoskeletal injuries. This insightful presentation will provide attendees with proven, successful strategies to address these challenges. Participants will learn how to:

• Identify current injury trends as well as common safety and ergonomic risks
• Apply engineering and equipment solutions to prevent/reduce MSD related injuries
• Perform and apply a photo job hazard analysis to reduce frequency and severity of RSIs and MSDs, while providing occupational medicine practitioners with detailed profiles of job-related physical demands
• Influence and obtain management and employee buy-in for new equipment and procedures.

Facilities, grounds, janitorial, and dining departments tend to have a higher risk of injury because of the physical labor, body mechanics, and the tools used to complete the job tasks. Developing partnerships with management and staff leads to more successful ergonomic solutions and offers better strategies for managing these high-risk areas. This presentation provides information