Date: July 29, 2020

Presenter: Rachell Mitchell, MSc Human Factors, RKin, CCPE

About the Webinar

COVID-19 has brought our focus onto how we protect the imminent Health and Safety of our employees and our clients.  As we begin to consider re-opening our doors, everyone is working hard to ensure the that required social distancing, physical barriers and PPE are in place to allow everyone to operate safely.  However, the intense focus on COVID-19 protection has pulled the focus away from our other Health and Safety responsibilities, specifically those related to ergonomics.   Our responsibility to protect employees from Ergonomic hazards, both physical and psychosocial, need to remain a priority.

This webinar will focus on how to prepare the physical workplace, as well ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of employees as they return to work.  Some of the anticipated challenges include employees returning to physically demanding jobs who may be under conditioned to their work demands, increasing their risk of injury. Employees who have been working from home, in less than ideal workstations, may be returning to work with increased physical discomfort, and some employees may now be working from home on a more permanent basis and need to have their workstation set-up appropriately.   From a mental health perspective, we have to also anticipate that some employees may be experiencing increased anxiety and stress related to an anticipated return to work.

During this webinar, participants will be provided with strategies to assess job demands and employee needs to ensure that all necessary measures are put in place to ensure that all aspects of these employees’ physical and mental well being are taken care of as they resume their work.

About the Speaker

Rachel Mitchell is the Manager of Ergonomic Services with ERGO Inc. – a national ergonomics consulting and training organization. Rachel is a Canadian Certified Professional Ergonomist and a Registered Kinesiologist with over 16 years of experience. She holds a Masters of Science in Human Factors Engineering from Nottingham University and has over 15 years of ergonomics consulting experience in a range of industries ranging from manufacturing, corporate services to health care. She is also the President of the Canadian College for the Certification of Professional Ergonomists.

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