Nov. 23, 1999
TO: Editors, news directors
FROM: Brian Mattmiller, (608) 262-9772
RE: TIPSHEET/Ergonomics research at UW-Madison
Workplace ergonomics, in the national spotlight with new standards proposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), are a prominent research focus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Robert Radwin, chair of UW-Madison's department of biomedical engineering, is a member of a National Academy of Sciences panel on musculoskeletal disorders and the workplace and has done influential studies on carpal tunnel syndrome and other work-related disorders.
He currently is in the third year of a federally funded project to develop an early-detection device for carpal tunnel, a wrist-related injury that stems from highly repetitive manual tasks. The device provides an on-site and relatively painless way to test for functional signs of the problem. Radwin is also working with United Auto Workers and Daimler/Chrysler to create new methods for measuring worker exposure to poor ergonomic conditions in the auto industry. A third project involves developing hand tools and manufacturing equipment that can help prevent hand injuries from repetitive use.
Radwin says that ergonomics, as a relatively new area of study, has been criticized as a "pseudo-science" by opponents of the new standards, but years of data has documented the injuries people can suffer in repetitive-motion jobs.
Other UW-Madison faculty have recently completed special projects in the private sector related to workplace ergonomics. Pascale Carayon and Michael Smith, industrial engineering professors, ran projects at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and Land's End, respectively, that reorganized office space to produce a better ergonomic fit for employees.
All projects noted above were funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an arm of Centers for Disease Control.
Radwin can be reached at (608) 263-6596; [email protected]; Carayon at (608) 262-9797, [email protected]; and Smith at (608) 263-6329, [email protected]
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