The ISU Environmental Health and Safety staff is considering launching a study to determine how the workplace environment affects human performance factors in faculty and staff across campus.

Ergonomics is the science that addresses human performance factors [human engineering] and how they relate to the job, workplace, tools and the environment, said Paul Richmond, associate director for Environmental Health and Safety.

“Our goal in to put an online module to assist ISU laboratory and other employees in accessing the work areas for ergonomic risk factors,” Richmond said. He said the primary area for research will be employees for ISU laboratories, but free ergonomic evaluations will be offered to all ISU employees to help with the process.

David Wolff, industrial hygiene assistant for Environmental Health and Safety, said repetitive motion injuries, such as tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome, are common problems associated with computer work in the office.

“The biggest problem in ergonomics here at ISU is tendinitis, primarily caused by computer mousing and keyboarding,” he said.

He said early detection and treatments are the keys to combating carpal tunnel syndrome.

“Those faculty who suspect that they have carpal tunnel syndrome need to immediately contact the Environmental Health and Safety office, because early intervention is very important,” Wolff said.

He said the most serious problem in ergonomics, lower back injuries, are less common among faculty and staff at Iowa State.

“Even though there is only a small number of employees with lower back troubles, we consider it to be our biggest problem due to its serious consequences,” he said.

The ISU Environmental Health and Safety staff plans to document problems with ergonomics and propose solutions in ISU laboratories and offices for the online laboratory ergonomics training module, Wolff said.

For more information about ergonomics, visit the Environmental Health and Safety Web site at www.ehs.iastate.edu/ih/ergo/ergo.htm.

To seek ergonomic evaluations from the Environmental Health & Safety office, ISU laboratory employees and other employees may contact the office at 294-5359. Faculty interested in assisting with the research project may contact Wolff at 294-1899 or by e-mail at [email protected].