SAN FRANCISCO – State Compensation Insurance Fund is conducting a two-day workshop to educate employers about the importance of industrial ergonomics as a preventative measure for employee injuries. The workshop entitled “Industrial Ergonomics” will take place on January 16 and 17 in San Francisco. The workshop – open to current State Fund policyholders and free of charge – is designed to help employers recognize poor ergonomic design and reduce injuries at their worksites.
Featured speakers include State Fund Senior Ergonomist R.J. Banks, and State Fund Ergonomics Consultant Ryan Horton.
Industrial ergonomics is a field of study that hinges on adapting job tasks to human ability within an industrial work environment. Work settings such as those found in manufacturing, warehouse operations and construction are among the most impacted by the risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) due to the physical demands of the job. Workers may be required to lift, push, pull and handle heavy loads. Some tasks are repetitious and require the worker to stand or sit for extended periods of time. Each person has physical limits or “comfort zones” with activities that he or she can tolerate without developing lingering symptoms of WMSDs. Preventing such symptoms rests largely on maintaining an ergonomically sound work environment, good work practices and employee awareness.
“The seminar will benefit attendees from a variety of industries by showing them how to create safer workplaces and prevent injuries before they occur,” said Senior Ergonomics Consultant R.J. Banks who in 2005 was awarded the Governor’s Employer Safety Award for her ergonomics expertise. “It’s about thinking and acting proactively to insure the health and performance of every employee.”
Benefits that attendees can derive from the workshop include:
The workshop will be held at the Milton Marks Conference Center, 455 Golden Gate Avenue (Auditorium – Basement Level) in San Francisco and the schedule will be as follows:
On-site registration begins at 8:30 a.m. on January 16. Continental breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks will be served both days. No parking is available in the building; however, public lots and limited street parking are available in the Civic Center area.
Attendees must be present the first day in order to attend the second day. Seating is limited, and early registration is encouraged online, or by e-mail (gffullon@scif.com), phone (call Gina Fullon at (925) 523-5265) or fax (Attention: Gina Fullon at (925) 523- 5565.
The San Francisco workshop is part of a series of educational programs State Fund is holding throughout the state to help employers create safe workplaces. State Fund has the largest safety and health services program among California workers’ compensation insurance carriers.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Established by the California Legislature in 1914, San Francisco-based State Compensation Insurance Fund is a self-supporting, nonprofit, fairly competitive public enterprise that provides workers’ compensation insurance coverage at cost to California employers.
