Ergonomics

New York — Sitting while watching TV may be more harmful to your cardiovascular health than sitting at work, researchers from Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons suggest.

Lifting objects or manually handling materials puts workers at risk for back injuries. More than 111,000 such injuries requiring days away from work were recorded in 2017, according to Injury Facts, an online database created by the National Safety Council.

Tumwater, WA — A new online training course from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is intended to enhance safety and comfort for all drivers.

Iowa City, IA — A NIOSH-funded study of farm machinery found that the machine operators experienced whole-body vibration at levels that reached the European Union’s “action level” for exposure limit within two hours of operation on nearly 30 percent of the equipment tested.

Whether it’s a work computer, a home laptop or our ever-present smartphones, chances are you stare at some type of screen for hours each day.

Olympia, WA — Strategic positioning during cranking of landing gears can help prevent truck drivers from injuring their shoulders when raising or lowering trailers, results of a recent study by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries and North Carolina State University suggest.

Leicester, England — Sit-stand workstations help reduce the negative impact of prolonged sitting among office workers while improving job performance and psychological health, according a recent study conducted by British researchers.

Lowell, MA — The Center for the Promotion of Health in the New England Workplace, one of NIOSH’s Total Worker Health Centers of Excellence, has introduced a free online continuing education program intended to help nurses prevent musculoskeletal injuries during clinical care.