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As ergonomics enters into the mainstream,  America Business Leaders shoul=
d
be looking at ways to improve the consistency of ergonomic services
provided & develop a universal certification process for ergonomic
workstation evaluators/specialists.

How many people are really qualified to do workstations evaluations for t=
he
40 million computer users in the American workforce?  It is my
understanding that, in the US,  the the leading ergonomic certification
groups, BCPE and Oxford have only ceritfied about

660 CPEs (Certified Professional Ergonomist     &

3-400 CIE (Certified Industrial Ergonomist).

To address this growing demand for a Sub or Para-Ergonomist, America need=
s
a Professional Certification Process for Ergonomic Specialists to qualify
this emerging professional group and certify them.  This program should
focus on the applicants knowledge and experience in the ergonomics field.

Roy Matheson Associates (RMA) put on about the BEST ergonomics training
program I have ever attended.  They give you more tools to protect yourse=
lf
in the eyes of the LAW, then any other ergonomics training program that
I've attended in the US.

They show you how to back up what you are doing with the accepted standar=
ds
in the industry.(limit your liability to Workers Comp. Claims and Lawsuit=
s)

RMA's certified Work Capacity Evaluator expert witnesses have gone as hig=
h
as the supreme court to refute testimony from orthopedic surgeons in
Workers Comp cases. I have copies of the courts minutes for several cases.

RMA is a professional certification organization that is just starting to
build momentum in the ergonomics community.

RMA=92s origin is in the Work Hardening area and Leonard Matheson, (Roy's
brother) actually coined the term "work hardening", but they do have
several years of  experience in certifying medical professionals . Leonar=
d
started a certification process in ergonomics several years ago, but
decided to go back into academia.   Roy took charge of the company and
built up the ergonomics certification program to what it is today.  (I ha=
d
John LaCoarse, as my advisor, in Boston last year, and he was excellent a=
nd
 one of the best ergonomics trainers I have ever had - he does not get th=
e
national attention that he deserves in this field)

Programs that employ modeling from Univ. of Michigan trained Ph.D.
instructors are nice for that detailed type of work and offer good tools =
to
do ergonomic analysis. Harvard's Ergo Program put on a pretty good traini=
ng
program based on a lot of research from hand surgeons and some of the bes=
t
research sources in the country, but I felt that the information, althoug=
h
extensive,  was a bit dated.    These programs often fall short on
providing a practical approach to providing quick and effective workstati=
on
evaluations. They also do not go into the liability and legal issues
involved in this type of work .

RMA's training is so cutting edge that we were provided information from
new data published within the last two weeks of the training program.

What companies need is someone that has a focused training in ergonomics
and certification in the field. This can reduce the risk of serious legal
consequences after a workstation assessment is completed. Roy Matheson
Associates offers this type of training in their CEES certification progr=
am.

It is Para-Ergonomist certification that needs to be looked at by Corpora=
te
America to increase overall success rates of company wide ergonomics
programs.  Plus, reduce the risks of liability claims when a worker gets
injured after a workstation assessment was completed.

Up until this point, most companies have been relying on many ergonomics
experts from many different backgrounds.   I know ergonomics is
multifaceted, but all of these people should go for a universal ergonomic=
s
training program to insure that we are all on the same page.  As the
profession grows, hopefully more national ergonomics standards will follo=
w
to improve the success of ergonomics programs for all companies in Americ=
a.

Ergonomics practitioners from any related discipline may attend this
training program, and  they are given the opportunity to complete this
certification process.  Completion of the CEES is not mandatory after the
one week long Ergonomics Professional Residency Program.

I have absolutely no financial interest in RMA, but feel that they are
doing a good job and others should be able to find out more about what th=
ey
have to offer.

You can contact  RMA by calling 800-443-7690.

If I were them, I would try and encourage more people from the various
medical, rehab, biomechanical and engineering disciplines to attend.

Ergonomics is multifaceted and people from all discipline have something
unique to offer to improve the health of America's workforce.

America needs a Sub or Para-Ergonomist Certification Process.  One that
focuses more on your practical knowledge and experience.


Regards,

James

PS- I will do my best to increase the exchange of ideas and success stori=
es
in the Boston area with the various professional organizations that have =
a
interest in this growing field.

Anyone interested in Joining the Human Factors & Ergonomics Societies, NE
Chapter, send me an e-mail at ergo@contourdes.com or directly to me at
James-XL@contourdes.com
James Golden
Contour Design, Inc.
http://www.contourdes.com
800-462-6678 X 11
fax:603-893-4558