Preventing Back Injuries with Ergonomics – At Home & At Work

Date: Oct 5, 2022

Time: 9:00AM-10:30AM (PST)

Speaker: Rachel Mitchell, R.Kin., CCPE, Manager Ergonomics Services ERGO Inc.

 

Low back pain is a common issue that most people experience at some point in their lives, with an increased prevalence as we age. Furthermore, most people who experience low back pain endure recurrent episodes during their lifetime. Low back pain is not only potentially debilitating, but it affects our productivity at work and our ability to participate in activities outside of work. Through awareness of body mechanics and posture, care taken in the activities we perform, and attention to maintaining our general health and wellness we can minimize the loads we place on our backs, protecting them into the future.

In this presentation we will discuss

  • Why posture matters to the health of our backs
  • What postures are ideal to protect our backs
  • How to apply these postural principles to activities of work and home, including computer work, driving, and yard work
  • Strategies to optimize physical and mental health and wellbeing

Upon completion, Sit / Stand Ergonomics and Back Safety Toolkit cards will be provided to all participants.

About the Speaker

Rachel Mitchell is a Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomist and a Registered Kinesiologist with over 19 years of experience in both Canada and the United States. She holds a Masters of Science in Human Factors Engineering from Nottingham University.

Rachel is the past President of the Canadian College for the Certification of Professional Ergonomists and is actively involved regulating and promoting ergonomics.

Rachel has spent the majority of her career providing ergonomic consulting services to clients in a range of environments including manufacturing, warehousing, health care, construction, transportation, public utility, office, childcare, retail, educational, pulp and paper, aerospace and food preparation. She has worked providing Return to Work Coordination for clients attending the WSIB Specialty Programs. Rachel has successfully assisted clients with extended work absences, those suffering from Chronic Pain, and those with work-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder return to meaningful work.

Rachel’s experience includes completing detailed ergonomic analyses, Physical Demands Analysis (PDAs), Cognitive Demands Analysis (CDAs), office assessments, ergonomics program development & evaluation, return to work assessments, ergonomics integration into engineering designs, , as well as a wide range of training programs including 1-hour lunch and learns to 3-day workshops.

Rachel builds relationships with employers, workers, and unions to ensure successful outcomes; whether it be risk reduction, workstation and work flow design, ergonomic program development, or return to work planning.