An undergraduate ergonomics laboratory is being introduced in the Industrial Engineering department at Marquette University. Through this experimental training and the electromyographic measurements carried out in a simulated work environment, industrial engineering students learn the problems associated with cumulative trauma disorders. The education of industrial engineers in this laboratory addresses not only the well-being of the workers but also the reduction of the costs of occupational injuries, such as low back pain and cumulative trauma disorders, which include the common carpal tunnel syndrome. Study of the redesign of the workplace through ergonomic intervention reduces the incidence of these injuries and enhances industrial productivity.
