Ergonomics: Canadian companies lag foreign firms in training

Friday, September 18, 2009

Canadian companies lag foreign firms in training

Lack of understanding leads to less investment in staff and lower productivity

By Beth Everson, Director of Communications, Canadian Council on Learning

Nov. 5, 2007

Canadian companies lag behind global competitors in investing in on the-job training and education. Compared with employers in the United States and Europe, Canadian employers invest 40-per-cent to 50-per-cent less on training and education, says Paul Cappon, chief executive officer of the Canadian Council on Learning, a not-for-profit organization with offices in Ottawa and Vancouver.

That translates to only 30 per cent of Canadian workers receiving any training or education on the job, putting Canada in the bottom ranks among nations belonging to the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris.

Read the complete article at http://www.cclcca.ca/CCL/Newsroom/Articles/20061105canadiancompanieslag.htm

No comments:

Post a Comment

Take from http://www.ace-ergocanada.ca/index.php?contentid=142

What is Ergonomics?
Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with interactions among humans and other elements of a system (e.g.the tools, equipment, products, tasks, organization, technology, and environment). The profession applies theory, principles, data, methods and analysis to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

What Ergonomists Do

Ergonomists participate in the design of systems to optimize overall system performance. From an ergonomics point-of-view, a system is comprised of devices, tools, technologies, environments, and/or organizational structures with which people interact to accomplish defined objectives. Ergonomists contribute to the design and evaluation of tasks, jobs, products, environments and systems in order to make them compatible with the needs, abilities and limitations of people. Ergonomists use a holistic approach and will ensure that physical, cognitive, social, organizational, environmental and other relevant factors are taken into account when making recommendations regarding the design or modification of a system.

Core academic subject for the field of ergonomics

1) The principles and concepts of Ergonomics and how it benefits society
2) Work evaluation and investigation, task and activity analysis
3) Ergonomic design and interventions
4) Human anatomy, physiology and psychology, biomechanics and anthropometry
5) Organizational design and management, organizational psychology
6) Quantitative and qualitative design and analysis, systems theory, technology
7) Physical environment of work, workplace design, work organization
8) Information design, human computer interaction, human error.

Examples of application areas for ergonomics

1) Accidents; Health and Safety at Work
2) Cognitive Ergonomics and Complex Tasks
3) Computer Software Ergonomics
4) Computer Terminals: Design and Layout
5) Design and Layout of Displays and Controls
6) Design of Control Rooms
7) Environmental Ergonomics
8) Human-Computer Interface Design and Assessment
9) Human Reliability
10) Industrial Design Applications
11) Industrial/Commercial Workplace Design
12) Management and Ergonomics
13) Manual Handling of Loads: Safety and Training
14) Office Ergonomics and Design
15) Physiological Aspects and Medical Ergonomics
16) Product Design and Consumer Ergonomics
17) Risk Assessments
18) Sociotechnical Systems and Ergonomics
19) Systems Analysis
20) Task Analysis
21) Ergonomics Training for Management and Staff
22) Usability Assessment
23) User Requirements and Guidance
24) Vehicle and Transportation Ergonomics
25) Work-related Musculoskeletal Problems
26) Military, nuclear or process-controlled ergonomics applications
27) Ergonomics Research and Education

Ergonomics

Friday, September 18, 2009

Canadian companies lag foreign firms in training

No comments:

Evan Carmichael Human Resources Articles

About Me