International Development Committee

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ID Newsletter Volume 6: April 2006
ID Newsletter Volume 5: December 2005
ID Newsletter Volume 4: October 2005
ID Newsletter Volume 3: February 2005
ID Newsletter Volume 2: November 2004
ID Newsletter Volume 1: August 2003 - January 2004

International Development Committee Actions 2006-2009

Since December 2006, Marcelo Soares from Brazil has accepted the role of Chair of the International Development Committee. The main objective of IDC Committee is [i] to promote, coordinate, and implement ergonomics activities in countries by giving support to local and regional initiatives concerning education and training, research and consultancy missions; [ii] to establish an international network in order to inform countries about ongoing activities, initiatives, and other relevant information; [iii] to cooperate with other IEA Standing Committees and ad-hoc working groups and [iv] To establish a collaborative working partnership with other international organizations with a common concern for working conditions in Industrially Developing Countries IDCs (eg. ILO, WHO, ICOH and others). In according to IEA Strategic Plan, IDC Committee has developed the following actions to be carried out between 2006-2009:

1. To support the work of member societies by helping ergonomics societies in developing regions organize joint conferences such as the Arabian Ergonomics Society Workshop, the SEAS Triennial Conference by Ergonomics Society of Thailand, the ULAERGO 2007 - 2nd. Congress of the Latin America Union of Ergonomics, etc.

2. To support participation of industrially developing countries (IDCs) in IEA activities supporting IDC members travel to IEA related conferences. It will make some actions in order to obtain funds to support attendance at congresses. In 2006 the IEA supported over 40 attendees from developing countries to the IEA Congress in Maastricht.

3. To support the continuing growth of ergonomics in IDCs by training and education facilitating the conduct of knowledge and competency-based workshops. We will be assisting Halimahtun Khalid (STP Chair) with the Ergonomics in Agriculture Workshop in Malaysia in November 2007. An Ergonomics in Agricultural Workshop is under consideration in Botswana, in September this year by Dr. Kazutaka Kogi in cooperation with the Ergonomics Society of South Africa. This is a further project with the ILO in the development and verification of the Ergonomics Checkpoints. in Agriculture. Other workshops are planning to be held in Brazil.

4. To provide IDCs with ergonomics knowledge by stimulating the existing IEA mechanisms distributing free resource material to libraries such as books, conference proceedings, etc. This service is continuing to be done by the IEA Book donation program.

5. To enhance the quality of professional practice and education in ergonomics maintaining and disseminating IEA minimum criteria for the process of certification of an ergonomists. This aims to disseminate certification criteria to IDCs and help with their implementation particularly in Latin America and Asia. To promote ergonomics in geographical regions where particular support is needed appointing representatives from different regions to form a network of regional resource persons; supporting existing societies in their revival or restructuring effort; facilitating the inauguration of new ergonomics societies in IDCs; and facilitating the federation of newly formed ergonomics societies in IEA. There are two new ergonomics societies created in 2006: Nigeria and Malaysia. Some countries are in the phase of developing new Societies such as: Arabian, Ecuador, Latvia, Peru, Venezuela. A number of IEA members are also in contact to stimulate the creation of new societies in Costa Rica, Cuba, Estonia, Indonesia, Mauritius, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay, Venezuela and Vietnam.

6. To promote applications of ergonomics in all aspects of life promoting collaboration in ergonomics projects among government and international bodies. This aim will be reached by collaborative projects including representatives from WHO, ILO, Liberty Mutual, NIOSH and other international focused bodies undertaking global projects. We are currently exploring the possibility of leading an international project on the design of face masks for Asian populations to protect against SARS and Avian Influenza.

Foundation for Professional Ergonomics

IEA and the Foundation for Professional Ergonomics enter into a joint project to assist ergonomists in industrially developing countries. The Foundation for Professional Ergonomics (FPE) is joining with the IEA in offering professional consultant services to ergonomics societies and groups in industrially developing nations. The IEA will use its various means of communications to ensure that ergonomists in IDC’s are aware of this service and how to avail themselves of it. The FPE plans to offer its service through two means.

First, if a request for information or advice is requested from an ergonomist or ergonomics group in an IDC, the FPE will identify one or more experts in the area of the request and put that expert(s) in contact with the requesting party. The expert then will provide the information or advice at no cost to the requester. The request can range from resource information or advice on a technical or professional issue to ways of making their ergonomics society more effective.

Second, if the request is for an expert to conduct a seminar or workshop on some particular ergonomics topic, the FPE will assist in identifying an expert in the area who would be willing to come to the IDC and provide the seminar or workshop at no cost other than coverage of the expert’s expenses.

The Foundation for Professional Ergonomics was founded by a group of senior ergonomists who formally were Directors of the Board of Certification for Professional Ergonomics (BCPE) including three of its Past Presidents. The purpose of this independent foundation is to promote professionalism in ergonomics. One of the ways the foundation felt it could best serve the ergonomics community was to join with the IEA in offering the above described consultant services. The Foundation would welcome additional participants from around the world who are senior members of the profession (i.e., 10 or more years of teaching and/or practice as ergonomists). If you feel you would like to volunteer your time, you can contactInternational Development Chair, Barbara Silverstein (USA) at silb235@lni.wa.gov.

Finally anyone in an Industrially Developing Country who would like to request either of the above-described services should contact Hal Hendrick to seek if an FPE program can be arranged. Hal is a Past President of both the IEA and FPE, and currently heads this joint IEA-FPE project.

Researches and Projects

National Healthy Schoolbag campaign in Sri Lanka

An epidemiological research was carried out in a representative district of Sri Lanka with the participation of 1607 school children on Ergonomic Factors in the Educational Environment and their Influence on School-going Early Adolescents.

1. National Healthy Schoolbag campaign in Sri Lanka

2. The burden of the school bag (Sundytimes)

3. School bag: A Threat to Students' Health (Daily Mirror)

4. Backpack Leaflet

Publication Activities

Ergonomics Checkpoints

The IEA has authored a book published in conjunction with the ILO, entitled the 'Ergonomics Checkpoints: Practical and Easy to Implement Solutions for Improving Safety, Health and Working Conditions', ISBN 92-2-109442-1, ILO: Geneva, 1996. This book has received widespread and enthusiastic acceptance, and due to high demand has been translated and published in several other languages, including Chinese, Farsi (draft), French, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

Ergonomic Checkpoints for Agriculture

The IEA and ILO have reached an agreement in principle to develop and publish the next book 'Ergonomics Checkpoints for Agriculture'. Dr. Kazu Kogi (Japan) has invited potential authors to contribute to this project, being developed by IEA and the International Labour Office (ILO) through its Occupational Safety and Health Branch. This collaboration reflects the urgent need for ergonomic guideliness in agriculture and would complement ILO's efforts to establish new standards in safety and health in agriculture.

The target groups will include agricultural workers, farmers, farm managers, extension workers and trainers, tool and machine designers, occupational safety and health personnel and others concerned with ergonomic aspects of agriculture.

Book Distribution in IDC

Proceedings of the IEA sponsored conferences are provided on a complimentary basis to libraries and resource centers. A full list of these distribution centers is available on the IEA website for use by individuals wishing to donate educational materials.

Since 1992, the IEA has been providing free copies of Proceedings from all endorsed conferences and Congresses to University libraries from 12 developing countries.

The Center coordinators have received following comments concerning this program:

Ricardo Montero, Cuba
...very useful and contributing to the dissemination and development of ergonomics in Cuba

Kamiel von Vanwonterghem, Belgium
... distribution centers need basic material to follow the evolution in ergonomics and/or to find material to instruct or to help people looking for such surveys or basic texts. The centers are situated in a region where they could have contacts with those who may need this information. India, Indonesia and Thailand have contacts with organizations and individuals (students and experts) interested.

Algis Vegys from Kaunas , Lithuania
...the activities of the centers are very important as they distribute literature that is important for researchers and teaching. In their center the books are in the University library and they are easily accessible for scientists, teachers and students. These books are also often used by the persons of their Ergonomic department.

Alexander Burov, Ukraine
... this kind of activity is very important help for them. They have organized a mini-library on ergonomics and collect relative publications from members of ther Association, books and journals. Their current needs are international journals on ergonomics, especially the main journal, Ergonomics.

Adnyana Manuaba, Indonesia
... until now collecting material and references for himself, his staff and post graduate students depended mostly on his opportunity to go abroad and participate congresses. He continues that he is managing a postgraduate course on ergonomics since 1995, and their first Master Degree students graduated already this year as they start practically April 1996. Their library consists mostly of his private collection and books owned by the other staff members. He states that this information center contribution is a good input for this library, and this procedure greatly supports the learning process of their students.

Donations to the Book Fund

Individuals and institutions interested in donating such materials are requested to contact either the Secretary General or the Chair of the International Development Committee directly.