Ergonomics is fitting the task to the employee.  It is aimed at ensuring that equipment, tools, and job tasks are properly designed and/or arranged to minimize the risk of injury, to reduce discomfort and to promote efficiency.

Many Humber staff use computers regularly throughout the day.  Sitting for extended periods of time at a computer workstation in poorly designed/adjusted equipment, and in awkward postures can introduce a number of ergonomic risk factors that can lead to musculoskeletal pain and discomfort, as well as eye strain.

Please review the following general office ergonomics guidelines as they relate to your own computer workstation:

CHAIR:

• Chair height should allow your feet to rest flat on the floor or on a foot rest, with your thighs roughly parallel to the floor.
• There should be about two inches of space between the front edge of the seat and the back of your knees.
• You should be able to maintain contact between your back and the chair’s backrest while working on the computer to allow proper back support.

KEYBOARD/MOUSE POSITION: 

• Your elbows should be bent at about a 90 degree angle when your fingers are on the home row of the keyboard, with your upper arms hanging naturally from your shoulders.
• When using a mouse, your wrist should be in a neutral position.
• The mouse should be located beside the keyboard, and you should be able to move it freely on the work surface.

MONITOR AND WORKSTATION:

• Position the monitor about an arm’s length away; and the top of the monitor should be at, or slightly below, eye level.
• Regularly used equipment, such as a phone or files, should be located within an arm’s reach.
• When computer work requires entering information from source documents, document holders should be located beside the screen and on the same plane.
• There should be adequate leg-room under the desk. 
• Too much or too little light, or glare on the screen can have an impact on your eyes.
• Task specific lighting and appropriate brightness settings on the computer itself are important to consider.

Lighting

• Remember to vary your posture and tasks throughout the day to reduce fatigue and discomfort. To obtain further information, or to fill out our Office Ergonomics Self-Assessment Checklist, click here.

Thank you for reviewing this information.  Tomorrow’s message will focus on Slips, Trips and Falls, and remember that Friday’s message will offer the opportunity to win prizes!
HR Services | Health and Safety Services
NAOSH Week is led by the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE).
More information about NAOSH Week can be found at naosh.ca or csse.org.

Humber’s migration from FirstClass to Exchange concluded June 2013. And as discussed during the cutover, FirstClass will be shut down this year. Information Technology Services will be permanently shutting down FirstClass, Humber’s legacy e-mail and calendaring tool, on September 30th.

If you have not already done so, please retrieve any FirstClass data you wish to keep. Once shut down, data on FirstClass will not be accessible.

Note that, due to the proprietary nature of FirstClass, data (contacts, e-mail, etc.) must be migrated manually; there is no reliable migration tool.

Please use the remaining five months to move any FirstClass data you wish to keep. FirstClass will be forever shut down September 30, 2015.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ryan Burton, Director of I.T., Planning & Client Services at X5290.

North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week
Sunday, May 3^th to Saturday, May 9^th, 2015

Make Safety a Habit
----For Your Career----

What is NAOSH Week?
North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week is an international initiative focused on highlighting the importance of health and safety in all aspects of our lives.  Beginning in 1997, NAOSH Week events and activities have been held in Canada, the United States and Mexico with the goal of focusing the attention of all individuals on injury and illness prevention in the workplace, at home and in the community.

The NAOSH Week logo, three hands forming an equilateral triangle, represents cooperation and commitment among the many partners in health and safety. In Canada, NAOSH Week is led by the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), who, work in partnership with many organizations to promote NAOSH Week events.   NAOSH Week activities are coordinated across the country by committees, comprised mainly of volunteers, dedicated to raising awareness and reducing injuries and illnesses in our workplaces and communities.

Celebrating NAOSH Week at Humber.
Watch for our daily Communique announcements during NAOSH week starting, Monday, May 4^th, 2015 to Friday, May 8^th, 2015, where each day we will provide information on a common workplace hazard. 

The announcement on Friday May 8^th will include a chance to win some great prizes!  
Monday’s topic: Reporting Workplace Injuries.

HR Services | Health and Safety Services

NAOSH Week is led by the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE).
More information about NAOSH Week can be found at www.naosh.ca or www.csse.org.

The Department of English would like to bid a fond farewell to David Kemp, who will be retiring from faculty at the end of this academic year. David began teaching part-time at Humber in 1984 and became a full-time faculty member in 1986. Over the course of his career, David has made numerous and lasting contributions to the department, school, and college. David was an early adopter of technology in the classroom, piloting digital media, building portable media carts, and developing curriculum for online writing courses, notably Language 101 (1992-93), and Communications 200 (online text WinHelp). David has presented twice at the League for Innovation and at various Showcases and CALL conferences. David is a NISOD recipient (1994) and a winner of the Innovation of the Year Award (1994) for his contribution to the HumberNet Learning Support System (LSS) project. In addition, David has designed numerous bronze awards for SCAPA, including: Comedy (Thalia), Creative Writing (Calliope), Song Writing (Euterpe), and the Humber Oscar Peterson Award (1997-2002); he also designed and edited Northern Light, the League for Innovation Literary Contest anthology and poster (2004-05).

On behalf of the department, I would like to thank David for his service to the Humber community and to wish him well in his retirement.

Vera Beletzan                                                                                      
Associate Dean                                                                                                                                  Department of English, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences