SEANES 2015 Workshop on Ergonomics Checkpoints

A SYMPOSIUM WORKSTATION DESIGN BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN THEORY AND PRACTICE

The Philippine Ergonomics Society (PHILERGO) symposium entitled “Workstation Design: Bridging the gap between theory and practice” was held last November 23, 2011 at Melchor Hall U.P. Diliman, Quezon City. The symposium aims to educate people from the industry and academe on the prevention of back pain and lighting design to enhance performance. 
Dr. Aura Matias current Dean of the College of Engineering in U.P. Diliman talked about Posture Analysis for the Prevention of Low Back Pain. Workstation design encompasses not only the desks and chairs that workers use but the whole working environment such as lighting and thermal comfort. Many Filipino workers are not aware how the design of workstations affects their well being and performance. Based on survey data gathered by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Center of DLSU,  low-back pain is the most common musculoskeletal disease among workers in general. Those who are heavily involved in computing suffer heavily from neck and shoulder pain due to poor posture and lack of exercise while working.

On the other hand  Clifford Hizon, Professional Channel Manager  from Philips Lighting Systems talked about Enhancing human performance through effective lighting. Poor lighting, causes disabling glare and headaches that decrease productivity.

PHILERGO Membership

Interim Officers of the Philippine Ergonomics Society

President: Rosemary R. Seva
Vice President: Alma Maria Jennifer A. Gutierrez
Secretary: Rex Aurelius C. Robielos
Treasurer: Jazmin Tangsoc

The organization is open for membership starting 2011.

Membership fees:

Institutional membership: Php 3,000
Individual membership: Php 1,500

Make checks payable to Philippine Ergonomics Society.

Please email RACRobielos@mapua.edu.ph for inquiries regarding membership.

Membership benefits:

1. Discounted rates for symposia and seminars
2. Discounted rates for conferences
3. Participation in contests sponsored by the organization

Tips for Ergonomic Seating

Boots Alcantara's talk on tips for ergonomics seating tackled many critical issues on the issue of sitting in the workplace. The modern office requires people to sit down in front of the computer most of the time so it is really good to have the right chair for the job. The posture that we assume while sitting affects the pressure sustained by our back. People who are always sitting down should never forget to stretch the back from time to time in order to relax. This cannot be done, however, if the chair is to stiff.

Relationship of Posture and Disc Pressure

Mr. Alcantara showed the following figure of an ideal chair in his talk (figure was taken from Giroflex). Emphasis was given on adjustability of the chair at different levels. Adjustability should not be limited to seat height. Backrest height, backrest angle, and seat depth should be adjustable.

Chairs should allow freedom of movement for the user and the material should be kind to the clothes that people are wearing.

PHILERGO Symposium - Promoting workplace safety through ergonomics

Mr. Boots Alcantara discussing the right sitting posture

After a hiatus, the Philippine Ergonomics Society had a symposium entitled "Promoting workplace safety through ergonomics". Two speakers were invited for the event. The first speaker was Mr. Boots Alcantara who is the General Manager of Contract Design, a company that specializes in providing ergonomically designed furniture and systems to a number of offices in the Philippines. He is also the President of several companies including Casa San Pablo, Harness, Inc.  and Moving Images.

From Left: Dean Robielos of Mapua,  Prof. Jennifer Gutierrez and Boots Alcantara

The second speaker is Dr. Rosemary Seva who is the past President of the Southeast Asian Network of Ergonomics Societies (SEANES) and its current Secretary. She is interim President of the Philippine Ergonomics Society (PHILERGO) and a Professor of Industrial Engineering at De La Salle University. Aside from being the Chair of the IE Department she is also the Director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Center of De La Salle University. 

Dr. Rosemary Seva of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Center of DLSU

Mr. Alcantara discussed tips on ergonomics seating at the workplace while Dr. Seva shared her experiences from ergonomics projects in the industry.

The event was attended by representatives from industry such as Essilor, Johnson and Johnson, and ISMG Management Consultancy. Representatives from different universities were also present such as Mapua Institute of Technology, Batangas State University, University of Perpetual Help-Dalta Molino.

The Philippine Ergonomics Society

In March 6, 2001, a group of ergonomics enthusiasts from the industry and academe envisioned the following activities of the Philippine Ergonomics Society (PHILERGO)

       

I. Set-up a Philippines Ergonomics Society

s         link with “experts” and practitioners (industry, government, academe)

s         link with resources (universities, companies, LGU, NGO, fund agencies)

II.     Formulate Work Standards

s         Philippine anthropometric data

s         baseline data/statistics related to ergonomics injuries, illnesses, accidents and disabilities

s         ergonomics standards

III. Promote Ergonomics via newsletters, web sites, company talks, demonstrations, and seminars

At present, PHILERGO is still actively pursuing this vision.