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An assessment of non-keyboard input devices (NKID) was conducted to identify factors for good design in relation to operation, performance and comfort. Twenty-seven NKID users, working in health and safety, evaluated eight devices that included mice, trackballs and a joystick mouse. The factors considered important for good design were: (1) comfortable hand and finger position, (2) adequate control, (3) intuitive and easy to use, (4) ease of device, button and trackball movement, (5) good interaction with software, (6) provision of suitable accessories. Mice were rated more favourably than trackballs or the joystick mouse. The design of the standard 2-button mouse (D4) was considered most desirable to use; the 3-button mouse (D1) and 3-button curved mouse (D8) were also favoured. Assessment data and comments were drawn together with previously published research to produce useful tools for NKID purchasing (i.e. Device Purchasing Checklist) and assessment (i.e. Device Assessment Checklist). Keywords: Non-keyboard input devices; Design; Checklists

This paper reports findings from three focus groups, involving 24 people, aged 65 to 79 years (20 women, four men), concerning their knowledge of safety on stairs. Findings indicate that older people use their stairs as and when necessary, but tend to avoid stair use when it becomes more difficult. The location of essential facilities in some homes (e.g. the lavatory), however, may lead to increased use of stairs for some. Despite recognition of hazardous behaviour, participants reported that they continued to engage in activities which may increase risk of falling, e.g. leaving objects on stairs and using stairs in the dark. Cleaning stairs presents problems in some cases due to difficulties with access or the need to use heavy and awkward equipment. Focus group participants recognised that medications and use of alcohol may increase the risk of falling, but it seems that individuals may not always appreciate when they personally are at increased risk. Most participants indicated they had given only limited thought to stair safety prior to the focus groups. Possibilities for prevention are reviewed, including modifications to the stair environment and equipment design, coupled with safety education, to raise awareness of risks and strategies for dealing with these. KEY WORDS -- falls, stairs, safety, older people, qualitative research.

This article is concerned with scholarly ergonomics and human factors (E/HF) contributions to date to the field of research inquiry known as the 'future of work'. The review considers E/HF perspectives on how the nature of work is changing and what this means for the practice of E/HF and for human performance and wellbeing at work. This field of research has attracted much attention from scholars from various disciplines as flexible working arrangements and casualised employment, in particular, have come under the microscope during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article begins by setting out the future of work field, focussing on the mega trends and future of work forces that are most relevant to the discipline. Next, E/HF contributions to this field are identified and discussed. Surprisingly, given the E/HF tradition as a system discipline fundamentally concerned with the study of human work, and as a contributor to transdisciplinary research related to the design of work systems, a search of the scholarly literature found few contributions outside of the automation systems field that addressed the future of work and E/HF directly. A research agenda is presented to address gaps in current knowledge in a number of key future of work domains. Practitioner's Summary: We reflect on E/HF contributions to the 'future of work' field and how the practice of E/HF needs to consider the changing nature of work. We outline future of work concerns and suggest research areas for further E/HF attention towards the design of decent and sustainable work for all. Abbreviations: E/HF: ergonomics and human factors; ILO: International Labour Organisation; COVID-19 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to evaluate the differences that existed between ergonomists and those with less ergonomic training in the manifestation of upper limb disorders (ULD) using the Cochran-Weiss-Shanteau (CSW) index. Results revealed that ergonomists had significantly better scores on the CSW index and this indicated the importance of imparting ergonomics advice for improved musculoskeletal or ULD health management.