London Health Science Centre (LHSC) Ergonomist Intern
Project Type
Physical Ergonomics, Human Factors
Year
2024
After completing the school term for Fanshawe College’s Advanced Ergonomics Studies program I had done an internship London Health Science Centre (LHSC).
This page is a brief overview of some of my work I had done while I was working at LHSC.
Introduction
Creating Physical Demand Analysis
My main project during my time at LHSC was to create a physical demand analysis of the operation room aide (OR aide) position. This position was a concern as there were recent injuries and high amounts of paid leave relative to other positions. After collecting some information and setting up a time I had shadowed an OR Aide for a whole shift. I decided to shadow for a whole shift because of how variable the OR Aides job is. This allowed me to better understand the physical demands and nuances of the role, ensuring a more accurate and comprehensive assessment. It as well allowed me to see common tasks and time them for better averages and notice which physical exertions were most common.
After reviewing the initial data, I returned to the operating room area to gather measurements, including hallway lengths as well as the weights and forces involved in specific tasks. This was important for not only the physical demand analysis but would be important for the ergonomic analysis I would later conduct. All the information was then reviewed by a leader and an OR Aide and was approved as accurate.
I had also conducted physical demand analysis for several office related positions.
OR Aide - Ergonomic Assessment
Once the physical demand analysis was complete, observations and interviews with OR Aides gave me a clear understanding of the common tasks contributing to straining the workers. in particular there was a concern with pushing certain items around the operation room area and the disposal of linen and garbage bags.
To assess pushing tasks, I used a force gauge to collect data on multiple items by applying force at the same points an OR Aide would typically use. The items in particular were stretchers, system carts and case carts. I had conducted a liberty mutual push pull table on each item for a 25th percentile female. The numbers I had inputted in terms of force for each category were the measurements from the carts and stretchers that had the highest amount of force required (which I had then averaged). I did this because a common concern told to me by the OR Aides were that carts were particularly unpredictable as some were poorly maintained.
For the disposal of linen and garbage bags I had decided to do an arms force field since the OR Aides would typically throw the bags from their carts to the respected bins. This action is particularly concerning the shoulders due to the throwing but also because of the high frequency.
OR Aide - Ergonomic Report
I had finally written an ergonomic report that had describe the physical demands analysis and the ergonomic analysis’ methodologies and results. This as well included recommendations in order to address the ergonomic issues at hand. This report was then presented to the leaders over Zoom where I went over it with them and had addressed any questions.
Office Ergonomics
I was also responsible for conducting office ergonomic assessments for LHSC employees. After receiving a request, I would contact the employee to schedule a convenient time for the assessment. During the visit, I observed their working posture and took notes. Following the observation, I explained the importance of office ergonomics and discussed areas for improvement. I also provided a tutorial on how to properly use their chair, demonstrating an overview of the adjustment controls, and offered recommendations for additional ergonomic equipment when appropriate. There were times when I also worked in helping those in return-to-work cases.
The health and safety team wanted to create a more iterative process to improve upon the current office ergonomic services. I offered my skills in previous qualitative data research to create a survey to collect feedback from workers who had utilized the ergonomic service. This aimed to collect KPIs including satisfaction, items received, etc. This data was then analyzed alongside internal injury reporting to determine the effectiveness of the office ergonomic program at LHSC.
Using Digital Human Modelling (Jack) for Hospital Redesign
I was introduced to a redesign team interested in changing the design of patient semi-rooms in order to improve patient mobilization and staff safety. I had proposed that I could use a digital human modelling tool to visualize the changes and analyze collisions. They accepted and anticipated results. Over the short span of 2 weeks, I was able to collect physical measurements to use to model the semi-room and several objects and also create simulations to run analysis. I then presented to the redesign team over Zoom. They were impressed and wanted me and two interns to continue collecting data using digital human modelling, which led to a research contract between Fanshawe College and LHSC. For more information on that research see -
I attended and did a poster presentation at the Association of Canadian Ergonomists (ACE) 2024 Conference as a case study of using Jack or digital human modelling in a healthcare setting. Please see the related image.