Ergonomics Society President's Medal awarded to IOM for its work relating to PPE
Dr Richard Graveling receiving President's Medal
Have you ever had to remove your gardening gloves to do a fiddly job, or found your glasses misting up when wearing a disposable respirator? What about getting sweaty when out walking wearing your rainwear (despite its so-called breathable lining)? In working situations, such interference; interactions with other items of equipment; or discomfort, can make all the difference between workers wearing or not wearing their PPE (personal protective equipment) – with ill-health or even death the result.
For over 30 years now, the IOM has examined issues such as these in a wide variety of industries and with different forms of protection. Studies on mineworkers, firefighters and many other occupational groups; with PPE as varied as fall-arrest harnesses and hearing defenders; have helped to improve our understanding and awareness of this important issue. All PPE imposes some form of barrier between the wearer and the environment. Good ergonomic design can help to minimise the impact of this barrier and can therefore help to ensure safe and healthy working conditions through the correct use of well-designed PPE.
Now, the value of this work has been recognised by the Ergonomics Society which has awarded the IOM its prestigious President's Medal for its work relating to the Ergonomics of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). The award was accepted at the Ergonomics Society Annual Conference by Dr Richard Graveling, Principal Ergonomics Consultant at the IOM (pictured).
Speaking after the award, Richard thanked all those at the IOM who had contributed to this effort over the years. He said “The ergonomics of PPE has been a particular interest of mine for many years. In that time we have looked at helmets, eye protection, respiratory protection, gloves, clothing, fall-arrest harnesses and many other items of PPE. Recent developments in European and British Standards, which we have contributed to, have helped to spread the word still further. There is now less reason than ever why workers should not feel able to wear PPE because it ‘gets in the way’.”