Applied Ergonomics Conference AEC 2019 Just Around the Corner – Get Ready with this Must-See List!

The Applied Ergonomics Society Presents the Applied Ergonomics Conference AEC in New Orleans

The 2019 Applied Ergo Conference (AEC) is set to run March 25 – 28, 2019 at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, Louisiana. This year is the 22nd annual event. As always, the Darcor team is excited to take part.

The Applied Ergonomics Society (AES) is a worldwide resource for ergonomics professions dedicated to improving workplace performance, quality, sustainability and employee availability. AES supports the Annual Applied Ergonomics Conference and Expo, a conference where attendees gather from around the world to share best practices with other professionals in ergonomics, healthcare, safety, human resources and risk management.

Darcor has been proud to be part of the ergonomics advancement and has developed free downloads for ergonomists and management teams seeking to reduce injuries through implementing workplace ergonomics best practices:

• The Guide to Workplace Ergonomics, which specifically focuses on overexertion injuries that occur in the workplace.
• The Economics of Ergonomics which will help organizations truly understand the financial risks associated with workplace overexertion injuries and how to assess and reduce that risk by implementing proactive ergonomics programs.

As AEC 2019 approaches, we’ve put together a list of the must-see workshops and speakers:

Democratize Ergonomics: How to Involve Everyone in Improving the Workplace

Tuesday, March 26, 8 a.m. –  8:40 a.m.

Location: Strand 11

Kent Hatcher, Director of Consulting and Ergonomics Engineer for Humantech

Learning Objectives:

1. Making the complex simple: how technology can play a role in democratizing ergonomics
2. Improving the workplace: how to increase the effectiveness of ergonomics teams so they spend less time “finding it” and more time “fixing it”
3. Scaling across an enterprise: how a common set of tools and methods makes it easier to integrate ergonomics across a global organization

Tesla’s 3P Approach to Ergonomics: People, Product and Process

Tuesday, March 26, 8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Location: Strand 12

Michael Kirschner, Global Ergonomics Program Manager at Tesla

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the varied approaches to managing musculoskeletal disorders
2. Learn methods and tools that can be used to minimize risk
3. Understand how to implement the lessons learned and proven approaches
4. Learn about integrating ergonomics at the design stages

Considering Ergonomics in Workplace Incident Investigations

Tuesday, March 26, 8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Location: Strand 12B

Paul Adams, Senior Safety Specialist for 3M

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how poor ergonomics can lead to severe workplace incidents
2. Recognize avenues to explore during incident investigations that may have poor ergonomics as a root cause
3. Improve incident investigation skills and develop more effective corrective actions.

Evaluation of Push Pull Exposures at Metalworker, Wholesale Distributor, Order Fulfillment Center – A Case Study

Wednesday, March 27, 8:45 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Location: Strand 11

Greg Kloss, Consultant – Worker’s Compensation for Nationwide Insurance

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify pushing and pulling risk exposures in the workplace
2. Discuss how to limit push pull exposures to better protect workers
3. Explain the value of ergonomic interventions to your leadership team.

Motion Is Money

Wednesday, March 27, 1:30 p.m. – 1:55 p.m.

Location: Strand 11

Andrew Dossett, Risk Control Consultant at CNA Insurance

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the impact of wasted motion
2. Recognize opportunities to minimize movement
3. Learn how to enhance productivity and reduce risk factors

As usual, Darcor will be taking part at AEC. If you are interested in finding out more about how casters can be used to support your organization’s ergonomic goals, you can visit us at booths 305 and 307.

You can also check out our educational presentation:

A Practical Guide to the Design of Manually-Powered Carts for Ergonomists

Tuesday, March 26, 3:00 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.

Location: Strand 11

Thomas Albin, Ergonomics Consultant for Darcor Casters and Wheels

Lui Dilauro, Director Ergonomics for Darcor Casters and Wheels

Learning Objectives:

1. Illustrating how cart design impacts back and shoulder injury risk during MMH tasks
2. Using task analysis to understand MMH task requirements
3. Optimizing cart designs for both the task and the user
4. Acquaint participants with practical guidelines for cart design

Presentation Abstract:

Manual Materials Handling (MMH) is shifting from lifting to pushing and pulling. Carts are a key component of pushing and pulling tasks, yet guidelines for designing carts to fit both the user’s capability and the task’s demands are often very general. A reference might suggest a 500-pound maximum load for all 4-wheel carts, a general maximum initial force of 50 pounds, and larger wheels. However, more specificity in terms of cart design is needed, as 4 wheel carts are commonly and safely used to move loads in excess of 500 pounds, 50 pounds force may grossly exceed what is safe for a given situation, and little detail is given as to how wheel diameter affects initial and sustained cart forces. Other important factors, such as wheel placement, wear and cumulative loading on the worker are not discussed. In this presentation, we will describe more specific design guidelines, including, but not limited to:

• Task analysis; weight to be moved on cart, frequency, distance moved, turning, stopping etc.
• Determining safe limits for each element of the MMH task, e.g. start, stop, turn
• Selection of wheels to meet the acceptable force, e.g. material and diameter
• Placement of wheels on the cart.

We look forward to seeing you at AEC 2019!