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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20150219T155544Z
DTSTART:20150224T130000Z
DTEND:20150224T140000Z
SUMMARY:Mapping the Diffusion of Ergonomics Knowledge from Academia to In
 dustry via the TUC - or not!
UID:{http://www.columbasystems.com/customers/uom/gpp/eventid/}r15e-i5im8q
 9h-b6q9r1
DESCRIPTION:This seminar is part of the lunchtime seminar series for the 
 Centre for the History of Science\, Technology and Medicine (CHSTM). Lun
 chtime seminars are typically no more than 30 minutes in length\, follow
 ed by a period for audience questions (ending before 2pm). All are welco
 me.\n\nMapping the Diffusion of Ergonomics Knowledge from Academia to In
 dustry via the TUC - or not!\n\nRoland Edwards (University of Manchester
 )\n\nAbstract:\nPost war Labour and Conservative administrations viewed 
 the application of human factors research as a viable means of raising i
 ndividual and group productivity across the workforce to ease any balanc
 e of payments issues and help modernise UK industry. From 1947 until the
  formation of the Science Research and Social Science Research Councils 
 governments established and funded a series of human factors research pa
 nels such as the Individual Efficiency Committee and the Human Sciences 
 Committee which were empowered to identify\, contract and fund both soci
 al science and ergonomics research. These panels comprised members from 
 academia\, the employers’ federations and the TUC. \n\nFrom the outset t
 he employers’ federations were ambivalent in their support for these com
 mittees\, viewing them as government interference in their business proc
 esses. The TUC\, however were staunch supporters and championed their ou
 tput\, in particular ergonomics research. The exploitation of ergonomics
  research into the industrial base was\, however hampered by a relative 
 lack\, until the mid to late 1960s of ergonomics practitioners and the a
 pparent resistance by the employers and employers’ associations.  The TU
 C made active efforts to stimulate both education and exploitation of er
 gonomics in the UK and across Western Europe. Through their leadership o
 f the European Productivity Council they were responsible for organising
  the first international conference in ergonomics and nurtured the forma
 tion of the International Ergonomics Association. In the UK they include
 d ergonomics lectures in their work study courses and held a series of c
 onferences on general ergonomics and specific issues such as ergonomics 
 and safety in the design of commercial vehicle cabs.  \n\nIn this presen
 tation I will explain the ideological reasons behind the TUC’s support f
 or ergonomics and then describe the attempt by the TUC to persuade the g
 overnment to encourage bodies responsible for management and design trai
 ning to increase attention given to ergonomic  in their courses. This wi
 ll expose the tensions that existed between departments at the approach 
 to a general election and how\, and why the request changed from educati
 on to procurement action.  
STATUS:TENTATIVE
TRANSP:TRANSPARENT
CLASS:PUBLIC
LOCATION:2.57\, Simon Building\, Manchester
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