Prevention of MSDs due to Manual Materials Handling:
A CRE-MSD Discussion ForumJune 27th, 2011

The MSD Prevention Guideline for Ontario is now five years old. Ontario needs to evaluate its success and work out what to do next. On June 27th, 2011, one hundred people came together in Toronto, to learn, to discuss, and to plan how to take Ontario’s musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) strategy one step further. The focus of the discussion forum was on the reduction of MSDs from the hazards of Manual Materials Handling (MMH). More...


2011 CRE-MSD Research RetreatMay 31st & June 1st, 2011

The theme for the 2011 Research Retreat was "Workplace Interventions: Successes and Challenges" and was hosted by David Andrews at the University of Windsor. Many thanks go out to the faculty, staff and students who assisted with the planning and organizing of the Retreat.  The event was very well attended by about 50 researchers and students. More...


2010 CRE-MSD Research RetreatJune 8th & 9th, 2010

Thanks to Joan Stevenson and her students, the 2010 CRE-MSD Research Retreat week at Queen’s University was a great success. The evening panel on June 8th was made up of Pierre Bilodeau from NSERC, Robert Walker from the Department of Defence, Sylvia Rhodes, president of L. Ritchie Cartage, and CRE-MSD’s Associate Director, Research, Jack Callaghan. More...


2009 CRE-MSD Researcher Retreat June 18th & 19th, 2009

Each year we hold a Researcher Day for our network of researchers. This has proven to be a very effective means of bringing our senior researchers together with our younger faculty researchers and graduate and under-graduate students. The event in June 2009, which was held at Laurentian University, was very well attended. Tammy Eger and a group of Laurentian researchers and students from the Department of Kinesiology were the organizers. More...


MSD Prevention Strategies in the Transportation Sector February 18th, 2009

 

The Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) and the Transportation Health & Safety Association of Ontario (THSAO) hosted a conference on the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) in the transportation sector.  At the conference, results of a collaborative two and a half year research project involving six transportation companies -- two courier companies, three for-hire trucking companies, and one waste company -- were shared with attendees, and feasible and effective countermeasures that had been identified throughout the project were discussed. More... 

Manual Materials Handling in the WorkplaceMarch 4, 2008

This conference was in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. The workshop keynote speaker was Dr. Tom Waters, who is recognized internationally for his work on the revised NIOSH lifting equation, the most commonly used tool to measure if workers are exerting too much effort to lift or lower.  Dr. Waters spoke about how the NIOSH equation can be used to help recognize and identify risks, and help conduct an MSD risk assessment. Speaking from his vast experience with industry, he explained how workplaces can choose and implement controls to reduce musculoskeletal disorders. More…

Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders: Ergonomics in the Transportation SectorApril 12th, 2007

There is a relatively small literature on the prevention of MSDs in the transportation sector; the majority relates to vibration and seating as it relates to low back pain. Other areas are less well addressed. Ergonomic programs for the prevention of MSDs have for the most part been developed and have taken place in manufacturing (especially automotive), office settings, and in larger organizations. This does not match the situation in transportation where individual firms tend to be small and activities occur irregularly and may range from sitting for long periods of time to manual materials handling. More…

Principles and Practices of Job RotationDecember 7th, 2004

Job rotation, together with the development of job variety and job enlargement, is a common strategy of organizations from the point of view of workplace health and the improvement of productivity. But what do we know about it? There are still many questions that need to be asked: Is job rotation a way of preventing musculoskeletal disorders and disabilities (MSDs)? Does job rotation lead to increased job satisfaction or quality or productivity? Are there disadvantages of job rotation? More…