Certified Health Ergonomics Safety Specialist
Learn practical techniques to assess ergonomic risk factors and prevent musculoskeletal injuries
Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) are the single greatest health cost a company faces – current WCB injury statistics (2010) show that MSIs account for 59% of all time-loss injuries.
The Certified Health Ergonomics Safety Specialist (CHESS) Designation Program provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of human factors and ergonomics to assess the risk of MSIs in the workplace and prevent injuries with practical, real-world solutions.
Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) are injuries such as sprains, strains and tears that affect muscles, joints, bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves and other soft tissues. These injuries have both physical and psychological causes and effects. MSIs often are caused or made worse by a combination of physical factors like posture, repetition and force, and psychological factors like stress and mental workload.
Human factors and ergonomic methods assess the way people work within their environments and interact with equipment, tools and other systems; then design solutions to improve workers’ well-being and overall system performance.
What is CHESS?
The Certified Health Ergonomics Safety Specialist Designation Program is an evidence-based program that trains safety professionals to:
- Recognize and assess physical and mental risk factors in the workplace
- Apply ergonomic design principles to reduce risk
- Implement practical solutions to the most common and costly workplace hazards – those that contribute to MSIs
The 40-hour program is completed in two parts: a three-day in-person workshop and home study equivalent to an additional two days of training. Participants must complete the full program to earn the CHESS designation.
The CHESS Designation Program covers the following topics:
- Ergonomic and human factors approaches for office and industrial workplaces
- Anatomy and physiology
- Workplace injury causes, consequences and treatment
- Occupational health psychology
- Physical and mental risk factors
- Risk assessment
- Pain and performance at work
- Design ergonomics and anthropometrics
The first CHESS Designation Program will be held February 13-15, 2012.
What: CHESS Designation Program
When: February 13-15, 2012
Where: Safety Services Manitoba, 3-1680 Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg
Fee: $1,895
To register: Contact us
Download CHESS flyer.
Why CHESS?
When you have completed the Certified Health Ergonomics Safety Specialist Designation Program, you will have a working knowledge of physical and mental ergonomics in the workplace and be able to apply practical ergonomic solutions to improve the health and productivity of your workplace.
CHESS is unique among ergonomics training programs:
- Uses accurate, evidence-based ergonomic, medical and anatomical research to provide leading edge insights into ergonomics and injury prevention
- Includes human factors – the psychological aspects of human error, performance, pain and disability
- Designed and taught by Dr. Stephan Cooper – a health care professional with extensive ergonomic training
- A full five-day program that accommodates busy work schedules with just three days of classroom teaching paired with two days of home study
- Continuing education opportunities will allow CHESS designation holders to maintain their designation without repeating the full program
- CHESS may also be eligible for maintenance points for other professional designations you currently hold.
Who is CHESS for?
The Certified Health Ergonomics Safety Specialist Designation Program is designed for individuals who are responsible for health and safety, injury prevention and return-to-work programs in any industry or workplace.
- Safety supervisors and managers
- Disability managers
- Occupational health nurses
- Employee/committee representatives
- Front line safety personnel
- Human resource personnel
- Engineers
- Case managers
- Risk managers
- Workplace designers
- Healthcare professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, chiropractors, athletic therapists, medical doctors, massage therapists)
Dr. Stephan Cooper
Dr. Stephan Cooper is a chiropractor, researcher and health ergonomist in Winnipeg. He holds a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) from Cleveland Chiropractic College and a Master’s of Health Ergonomics from the University of Derby. Dr. Cooper has published and presented his work in Canada and internationally. Through his private practice, Spectrum Health Centre, he consults with large and small organizations on injury prevention, return-to-work, ergonomics and disability management.
Dr. Cooper has worked with Safety Services Manitoba to develop the Certified Health Ergonomics Safety Specialist Designation Program for safety professionals and workplaces that want to add ergonomics to their skill set.