The International Ergonomics Association and You

By Andrew S. Imada, IEA President

     It is again a pleasure to write to you, my fellow HFES members - this time in my capacity as president of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA). Although I'm now in a different role from the one when I last addressed you as HFES secretary-treasurer, my aspirations are similar to those of the many people who serve HFES on Executive Council, domains, committees, chapters, and technical groups. We are all working toward promoting and advancing the science and practice of human factors/ergonomics. Did you know that as a member of HFES, you are also an IEA member? This is because IEA comprises 49 federated HF/E societies and networks and their members around the world. Therefore, you are part of this 25,000-member global community.

HFES Contributions

     HFES has always had a strong presence on the IEA Council. This can be seen most readily in the strong leadership tradition that HFES members have established. HFES can claim as its own 7 of the 17 presidents in IEA history, 4 secretaries-general, and 2 treasurers. These include some of our most visible professionals: Alphonse Chapanis, Harry L. Davis, Hal W. Hendrick, Martin G. Helander, Y. Ian Noy, Waldemar Karwowski, Pascale Carayon, and Kenneth R. Laughery.

     HFES members have also held nonelected but very important positions in IEA. For example, Barbara A. Silverstein currently serves on the Executive Committee as chair of the International Development Standing Committee. Many other HFES members have served in similar positions and contributed mightily. This rich heritage can be traced to the early founding of the organization by those who did much even without holding official leadership positions. Moreover, there has consistently been an officer from HFES during the last 11 terms of the IEA Council, now spanning 31 years. The IEA is indebted to all the contributions that HFES members have made.

     HFES members belong to the largest federated society in IEA. This is an indication of the Society's vitality and its contribution to the worldwide community. Several years ago, the HFES Executive Council approved sending the president and executive director to IEA Council meetings as part of our delegation, which also includes the chair of the HFES IEA Representatives Committee. Their presence shows a commitment and expertise that is invaluable in demonstrating leadership by example. It gives HFES leaders a useful perspective on what is going on in the rest of the world as well as new opportunities.

     Beyond the leadership and active involvement on the IEA Council, I appreciate the contributions that mature societies such as HFES have made financially. We recently modified our 50-year-old dues structure, which caused a significant increase for HFES. I know that this contribution is difficult in these challenging economic times. Additionally, HFES members have been generous in their individual contributions to IEA. It is precisely because of this generosity that IEA is able to take on such important endeavors as spreading ergonomics expertise via "lighthouse" projects in industrially developing countries. Once again, IEA and the world community are grateful for your contributions and generosity.

     Of course, any list of the many contributions HFES has made must include its information infrastructure and scientific contributions to the field. HFES publications - including Human Factors, the HFES Annual Meeting proceedings, the Digital Library - and active participation at various international meetings have advanced our discipline around the world.

A Challenge

     At a town hall meeting convened by former HFES President Waldemar Karwowski, HFES members identified a number of challenges and needs that HFES should address. The most memorable contribution for me was the idea that we need to reach "the other 80%" of the world's population. The knowledge we generate and the work we do has the potential to transform peoples' lives and influence the way they work, live, and play. But our greatest impact may be with that vast majority who share the planet with us and who struggle to achieve the basic necessities of health, safety, comfort, security, and well-being. This vast population can be found mainly in industrially developing countries.

     Not all of us can travel to faraway places to help people implement our human-centered technology. It's not possible for all of us to understand the pressing needs of this 80% and determine which of our technologies we can use to improve human-system interactions. However, we can, through our work, lead by shaping the conversation in our areas of expertise so that our work can become accessible to colleagues in industrially developing countries. Your work can spark imaginations about what is possible. Perhaps not now, but at some point in the future, the work you produce today may become a model to be implemented elsewhere and may affect more people than you might believe. High-quality work can be inspiring and scalable to international arenas through technologies and networks like IEA.

IEA Initiatives

     At the first IEA Executive Committee meeting earlier this year, our team set priorities in our strategic goals and agreed that a high priority would be supporting lighthouse projects in industrially developing countries. For example, we are supporting a project, chaired by Barbara Silverstein, to redesign coffee bean harvesting baskets in collaboration with the workers and enterprises in Central America that use them. Coffee is the world's second-largest commodity and provides work for thousands of people throughout Central America. Using participatory ergonomics strategies, the project will incorporate ergonomics best practices with the growers' concerns and the users' expertise to redesign and test this new tool. The aim of this project is to create a safer, more productive work environment by reducing the risk of back and shoulder injuries among coffee bean harvesters.

     We would like to create visibility for similar projects around the world and encourage this kind of application of our discipline. Barbara Silverstein and Kate Stewart are currently seeking funding for this worthwhile endeavor, and IEA is following up on a number of funding alternatives. If you would like to help, please contact Barbara at bassilver@comcast.net.

     In another effort to spread the benefits of our discipline, we have been in discussions with Hal Hendrick and the Foundation for Professional Ergonomics to develop a memorandum of understanding with Ergonomists Without Borders (EWB) to bring together those with ergonomics expertise and those who need this expertise. IEA has a network of ergonomists around the world who can identify needs and serve as liaisons between the supply and demand sides of these potential partnerships. We believe that this is a nexus of talent, goodwill, and needs that the international ergonomics community can serve. If you are interested in getting involved, contact EWB representative Greg Cresswell gcresswell@ergonomistswithoutborders.org or Kevin Perdeaux kperdeaux@ergonomistswithoutborders.org, or IEA Industrial Development Chair Barbara Silverstein bassilver@comcast.net.

Your Opportunity

     To reiterate, you, as an HFES member, are already part of the international community through IEA. You come from a rich tradition of leadership and financial and scientific contribution to this international body, and your contributions are valued and appreciated. There are many challenges to get our technology and expertise to those around the world who need it most. If any of this intrigues you, I encourage you to get involved with our discipline at the international level through IEA. Please go to our Web site to look up standing committees or technical committees to see what might draw your interest. You can contact the chair of a Standing Committee or Technical Committee and find a way to get involved. Alternatively, if you do not have the time but would like to contribute financially, you can contact IEA Treasurer Klaus Zink, kjzink@iea-kl.de and find out how you or your company can become a Sustaining Member.

     Of course, you can always contact me directly to express your interest and ideas. Whatever you do, I think you will find it richly rewarding and comfortably reaffirming that our work can, and does, make a difference in this world.

Back to the Table of Contents for the April 2010 HFES Bulletin

Download a .pdf version of this issue

Archive of past HFES Bulletin issues (in .pdf format)