Environmental Sustainability, Electronics, and Ergonomics: A Tale of Two Continents

Abstract

What does the overdependence on electronic and electrical appliances in the US have to do with migrant workers in West Africa? What is the relevance and role of Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) research and practice in this context? This discussion panel will: (i) explore the nexus between electrical and electronic appliance waste (e-waste) – of which the US and other developed countries are a major contributor – and the disproportionate environmental and occupational health burden placed on emerging countries such as Ghana, and (ii) examine how corporations are responding by intentional paradigm shifts in sustainability, circularity, supply chain transparency, and product life-cycle management spanning raw material sourcing to recycling and reuse. This panel will be a social impact discussion hosted by the HFES Environmental Design Technical Group in collaboration with the HFES Sustainability Task Force and the IEA Technical Committee on Informal Work, with panelists from academia and industry.