How does employer support and educational background effect an Ergonomics Practitioner’s awareness of the relationship between ergonomics and psychosocial hazard control?

There is a growning need to address psychological health and safety in the workplace. Ergonomics tends to be widely recognized for its physical applications, such as ¨office¨ and ¨manual materials handling¨ however the other domains of specialization of ergonomics (cognitive and organizational) appear to be less well known. This study evaluates the level of understanding that professionals who practice ergonomics have of the relation between ergonomics and the control of psychosocial hazards in the workplace. A survey was distributed to ergonomics practitioners and asked them about their awareness of the relation between ergonomics and workplace psychosocial hazard control. Ergonomists and human factors specialists demonstrated a greater awareness of this relationship than other allied occupational groups that also practice ergonomics, however they indicated that there may be difficulties in the “real world” applying these areas of knowledge into practice. Participants who demonstrated a high level of awareness of the relation between ergonomics and psychosocial hazard control demonstrated stronger organizational commitment than participants with a low awareness. Ergonomics practitioners who reported having employer support for professional development also demonstrated a higher degree of awareness of the relation between ergonomics and psychosocial hazard control, as did the professionals who had been practicing in the field the longest. This research provides some insight for professional associations for Ergonomists, employers of Ergonomists, and human resource professionals about how ergonomics practitioners perceive the ergonomics field and the profession as well as their employing organization.

Educational Videos and Exposure to Nature as Predictors of Environmentally Responsible Behaviours among University Students

The purpose of this study was to examine if the effects of exposure to educational videos on climate change and exposure to a view of nature could elicit environmentalist behaviours and increase one’s environmental identity. It was predicted that participants who were exposed to a view of nature and saw a video on climate change would have a higher likelihood to plant a seed and experience greater connectedness to nature. Fifty-four students (38 females, 15 males, and 1 gender fluid) with ages ranging from 18 to 47 were recruited for the experiment. A 2 (type of video) x 2 (type of view) factorial design was conducted, in which participants were randomly assigned to watch either an educational video on climate change or on popsicles, and they either had a view of outdoors or indoors. There was no significant interaction for setting and video (p = .172) on whether participants chose to plant a seed or not. Likewise, there was no significant interaction for setting and video (p = .262) on planting intentions. There was a significant effect for the video on experiencing connection to nature (p = .039, ηp2 = .08). These findings suggest that this video could change one’s perception of nature.