Our keynote speaker is, Davana Pilczuk, PhD, Corporate Wellness Manager for Gulfstream Aerospace, a division of General Dynamics. She is responsible for the corporate ergonomics and wellness programs for 13,000 employees at 11 Gulfstream sites across the US, Mexico and Great Britain. Due to the success of Gulfstream’s ergonomics program, Davana was recognized in 2010 as one of the top 10 performing women at Gulfstream and was selected as one of the top 20 performing managers in 2011. In 2011, she was nominated for the 'Creativeness in Ergonomics Practitioner of the Year Award' at the Applied Ergonomics Conference. Davana, an Auburn University College of Engineering alum and ergonomist, will share Gulfstream Aerospace’s vision for worker protection and health, both on and off the job, in her presentation:

Becoming an Effective Leader in Corporate America

Using Gulfstream and Gulfstream’s Environmental Health and Safety and Wellness programs as examples of the corporate environment, Davana will tie in all the 'soft skills' students may not realize they will need when implementing large programs. Davana’s presentation will focus on the things that can make or break programs. Many individuals are under prepared when entering the work force - while they may have great technical skills, many lack communication skills, business knowledge, and team building ability. Davana will share her insight on necessary skills to becoming an effective leader in corporate America.

Characterization of Wildland Firefighter Exposure to CO and PM2.5 Using Aerosol Real Time Monitors
Olorunfemitosin Adetona, PhD, University of Georgia
Exposure to PM2.5 in this study is characterized in real time and the data used to explore whether PM2.5 and CO are correlated in real time. We investigated the contributions of peak exposures to the overall exposure, and determined the effect of job task on exposure. Sixty individual person-day real time CO and 37 PM2.5 samples were collected from firefighters over 10 burn days at the fireline while they worked at prescribed burns. Results indicated that exposure to both pollutants correlated well over shorter temporal resolutions. Exposures to both CO and PM2.5 differed by task.
 

Testing the Effective of Dynamic Message Sign with a Driving Simulator
Lesley Strawderman, PhD, PE, Assistant Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mississippi State University
Work zone safety has long been a critical issue for transportation researchers. Results from a study that utilized a high-fidelity driving simulator to test how various Dynamic Message Sign (DMS) designs impact driver behavior will be presented.  Driver compliance with posted speed zone signs was measured in order to make design recommendations and reduce work zone related injuries and fatalities.  Significant results regarding the placement of signs, sign type (content) and user characteristics were found. The results provide important guidelines and suggestions on future DMS design and placement with the aim to reduce work zone injuries and fatalities.

Development and Validation of Portable Arm Supports for Mobile Laptop Users
Michael Porter, Master Candidate, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Auburn University
Computer users working in desk settings commonly utilize various Forearm/Wrists (FW) supports to reduce work-related physical stresses and discomforts. In contrast to the wide use of FW supports in desk settings, computer users rarely utilize them when working with laptops in non-desk environments. In order to reduce physical stresses for laptop users working in non-desk settings, the purpose of this study is to develop novel, low-cost, portable, easy-to-use FW supports for non-desk laptop tasks and empirically confirm their utilities in reducing physical stresses. An emphasis will be placed upon creating designs that are capable of fully supporting the forearms segments so as to eliminate the floating-arm posture problem.

An Efficient Method for Modeling an Individual’s Perception of Postural Stress
Jack Ogutu, PhD Candidate, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Auburn University
Various Posture Analysis Tools (PAT): OWAS and RULA, are used to evaluate and control work-related postural stresses. These tools do not consider substantial individual differences in the perception of postural stresses. An alternative is to develop individual-specific PAT and use them for protecting individuals. With a large database of individual-specific PAT, population level analyses become possible. As an initial effort towards individual-specific and population-level posture analyses, our goal was to develop a procedure for creating individual-specific PAT. This study was conducted to test the feasibility of the PSM function concept.

Sleep, Cognition, and Medication Use in Older Truck Drivers
Karen Heaton, PhD, CEN, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, University of Alabama at Birmingham
This study explores the relationships among cognition, sleep, and medication use in a group of older truck drivers. The study is highly significant because: (1) increasingly, new entrant truck drivers are over 50 years old; (2) increased sleep difficulties occur with aging; (3) cognitive processes, such as processing speed, degrade both as part of the aging process and in conditions of sleep loss; (4) driving performance deteriorates in sleep loss and cognitive decline. The study impacts both occupational and public health. Among U.S. workers, truck drivers have the highest risk of occupational motor vehicle crash fatalities. As this population ages and experiences changes in sleep and cognition, increased risk of motor vehicle crash and subsequent injury to truckers and the driving public may follow.

Participants who complete the training will earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs), the national standard of recognition for nonacademic professional education. Attendance is eligible for ABIH CM points.

Registration will begin at 8:00 am. The program will begin at 9:00 am and end at 2:30 pm. A contintental breakfast  and lunch will be served.  Registration fee of $50. Registration must be received in advance. A confirmation letter with details will be sent once registration has been received.

Registration Brochure
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Mail checks payable to: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Deep South Center for OH&S
1530 3rd Avenue South, RPHB 543
Birmingham, AL 35294-0022