Occupational Ergonomics Case Studies to Enhance Safety and Health Education

Abstract

This paper reviews the use of occupational case study projects to give graduate students in an Ergonomics and Biomechanics course hands-on practice in relevant skills translatable to their future profession. For the case study, student teams assess work (a job) to recommend control strategies through use of evaluation techniques such as: checklists, surveys, questionnaires, and anthropometric, biomechanical and psychophysical methods. Over forty studies have been performed by student teams over nine semesters. These have included evaluations of office ergonomics, hand-intensive assembly processes, grocery/department store cashiers, manual handling of drums, transfer of hospital patients, and maintenance/waste disposal crews. When presenting their work, students have stated they feel a sense of accomplishment at having completed a real-world, relevant, ergonomics project.