September 2019

Free WorkSafeBC Ergonomics Forum in October

In recognition of Ergonomics Month in October, WorkSafeBC is hosting its 4th annual Ergonomics Forum. Join us in Richmond on October 10 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. to network, hear presentations, and visit booths showcasing practical ergonomic products and resources. WorkSafeBC ergonomists will also be available for questions on ergonomics for offices and mobile offices, musculoskeletal injury (MSI) prevention, and human factors.

Visit worksafebc.com to register for this free event or to learn more information.

Prevention through Design

One of the topics at this year’s Ergonomics Forum will be the concept of Prevention through Design (PtD), also known as Prevention by Design (PbD). This approach integrates ergonomics into the design stage when first creating workspaces, tools, equipment, processes, and work tasks. All industries can benefit from managing risk through inherently safer design, an approach that’s considered to be one of the most effective and valuable ways to reduce risks of occupational incidents.

PtD brings together a multidisciplinary team at the design stage to identify, evaluate, and assess potential risks for injury. This team often consists of designers, architects, engineers, human factor/ergonomists (HFE) specialists, safety professionals, and other subject matter experts. It’s also important to have the workers who will actually be doing the work participate in the PtD process (see consultation requirements in section 4.53 of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation). Through their knowledge and work experiences, workers can provide essential insights into how modifying the design of tasks, tools, or processes can make their work easier.

The PtD approach is most effective at influencing safety when it’s incorporated early in the project planning stage and during the tools and equipment procurement stage.



Some examples of PtD include:

• Having window installations rotate 180 degrees so they can be cleaned from the inside instead of from ladders or work platforms outside
• Ensuring overhead lifts are included at the planning stage when designing health care facilities so workers don’t need to manually lift patients
• Examining an assembly line’s process flow to ensure that product is not being moved manually more than necessary

Learn more about PtD

• Prevention through Design (PtD) — National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• “Inadvertent operation of controls in excavator plant – insight, analysis and recommendations for prevention by design” (PDF) — Health and Safety Executive
• “Supporting Prevention through Design (PtD) Using Business Value Concepts” (PDF) — NIOSH
• “Integrating Ergonomics in the Design Process: A Practical Case Study” — case study evaluating supermarket checkouts
• The Human Connection II — Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors publication featuring case studies
• Technical Guideline 110: Safety in Design (PDF) — South Australian Water Corporation

Other 2019 events

• Fatigue Risk Management Industry Day — Sep 8-9; Spokane, Washington
• World Sleep Congress — Sep 20-25; Vancouver, B.C.
• Human Factors Ergonomics Society’s 63rd International Annual Meeting — Oct 28–Nov 1; Seattle, Washington

Ergonomic resources

• Association of Canadian Ergonomics (ACE)
• WorkSafeBC Ergonomics page
• WorkSafeBC Human factors page