Certified Ergo "whatcha-ma-call-it"

That's right! Whenever I tell someone the name of my job title, I usually get the response "you're a certified ergo "whatcha-ma-call-it?" I just laugh. "No, I repeat. I am a Certified Specialist in Health Ergonomics." Let me tell you, if I had a nickel for every time I had someone raise an eyebrow after I told them what I did, I would be a retired Certified Ergo "whatcha-ma-call-it!

If you're like most people, you are probably sitting there thinking to yourself, "yea, what in the world is a Certified Specialist in Health Ergonomics?" Well let me first start out by explaining what is meant exactly by Ergonomics. We have all heard the term before and when most of us hear the term we think "lift with our legs, not our back." In reality there is much more to ergonomics than what we are lead to believe. By definition, Ergonomics (or Human Factors) is the study of interactions between people, their work, and the tools or equipment that they use. Individuals who study ergonomics are called ergonomists. Ergonomists apply this knowledge to optimize human well-being (health, safety, satisfaction, comfort) and overall system performance (productivity, quality). Ergonomics is often described as balancing task demands with human capabilities. To make complicated things simple, ergonomics is "fitting the task to the person, rather than the person to the task".

I graduated from Slippery Rock University with a Bachelor's degree in Exercise and Rehabilitative Science. I also am a Certified Personal trainer. I did my internship at West Park Rehab and on a daily basis I would see patients come in who were hurt at work. Much of the time it was due to them performing their jobs improperly or poor workstation set-up. Not only did the clinic keep seeing an influx of new patients who were injured at work, patients we treated previously for being injured at work kept returning for therapy treatment. This was a major problem and something needed to be done to keep these employees safe. Physical therapy treatment is an excellent part of the recovery process but ergonomics takes preventative measures making sure the people don't become injured in the first place. That is when I decided I needed to further my education and become a Certified Specialist in Health Ergonomics.

It's not news to anyone that we are in an economy that is suffering. With such an unpredictable economy, it becomes extremely important that people are able to work. Also, the workforce is not getting any younger. Actually our workforce is getting much older year after year. Due to a struggling economy companies are forced to lay people off (usually the younger ones who have do not have the seniority) and the older workers must pick up the slack that the younger workers once did. This leads to many problems: the company's injury rate greatly increases, people are becoming injured, the company's productivity plummets, and as a result, the companies can no longer function productively.

The way I view the times that we are going through now is that we are in what I like to call a delusional economic crisis. People don't think that life altering injuries can happen to them until it is too late; much like many individuals who become overweight and wonder how they got that way. It is one of those "out of sight, out of mind" kind of things. The truth is, every 8 out of 10 people will experience some form of back pain or injury in their lives. and back pain is the second leading cause of missed work behind the common cold. There is a problem when everyday 6 to 7 million Americans call off sick or miss work because of back pain. With the job position that I hold, I feel from a personal stand point that it is my obligation to help the workforce of Venango County. Like I stated earlier, the workforce isn't getting any younger and as they age, more and more individuals are becoming hurt.

So what we've done at West Park Rehab is to collaborate our thoughts and ideas about how we can help the local workforce in all aspects of health and wellness, not just ergonomics. What we recently implemented is On-Site Personal Training. This training includes ergonomic training along with aspects of personal training such as: exercise, nutritional counseling, stress management, and much more. Worksites are crucial to improving the health of their workers. Most adults spend more of their waking hours at work than anywhere else, making it a prime venue for promoting healthful habits. The worksite organizational culture and environment are powerful influences on behavior and this needs to be put to use as a means of assisting employees to adopt a healthier lifestyle. This training is both beneficial to the employers and employees alike. The employers get enhanced recruitment and retention of healthy employees, reduced healthcare costs, decreased rates of illness and injuries, reduced employee absenteeism, improved employee relations and morale, and increased productivity. Benefits for employees include weight reduction, improved physical fitness, increased stamina, lower levels of stress, increased well-being, self-image, self-esteem, and they don't get hurt! An excellent example of a company that took advantage of our On-Site Personal Training program is Joy Manufacturing. With much collaboration with the safety staff, we have put into action a plan that will be beneficial to Joy Manufacturing and its employees.

I have lived in Venango County all my life and want to see this area continue to grow and prosper even through these tough times. As I see it, On-Site Personal Training is a win-win situation for all!