Heather Kahle talks with Sharon Todd about her work, her manual handling projects and the tools that she uses.

As a Human Factors consultant and previous president of the Association of Canadian Ergonomists, Heather helps companies apply human organizational performance/human factors and ergonomics principles and methods. In 30 years with WorkSafeBC, she applies experience with investigations, MSI prevention, and error mitigation across many diverse industries.

Heather's journey into the world of Human Factors (HF) and System Safety began in the picturesque town of Lund, Sweden, where she earned my MSc from Lund University.

Three Decades at WorkSafeBC

For three decades, Heather had the privilege of working at WorkSafeBC, where her role spanned across various pivotal functions:

- Educator and Mentor: I educated investigators, applied scientific methods, and mentored officers in conducting complex and serious industrial investigations.

-HFE Expertise: Provided human factors and ergonomics (HFE) expertise to multidisciplinary teams across engineering, investigations, education, and prevention field services.

- Developer and Deliverer: Developed and delivered courses, webinars, and workshops to enhance understanding and application of methodologies such as

Appreciative Inquiry, Cognitive Interviewing, Fatigue Risk Management, and Human-Machine Interface to prevent struck-by incidents.

- Risk Project Leader: Led and supported risk-based projects applying systems methodologies to review performance, understand vertical risk integration, and develop effective preventative measures.

- Tool Creator: Developed tools to assess organizational readiness, compliance, and performance.

- Regulatory Advisor: Advised on regulation development relating to safety-critical work and systems theory, including Incident Command systems.

- Risk Analyst: Reviewed risk factors related to musculoskeletal injuries, error traps, and communication factors across a wide range of industries.

- Author: Authored technical reports, bulletins, risk assessment materials, and safety issues reviews, making complex information accessible to wide audiences.

- Standard Contributor: Participated in CSA Standards Z1005 - Incident Investigation and Prevention Program, Z1516 – Fatigue Risk Management for First Responders, and the CSA Express Document; Human and Organizational

Performance for Optimal Pipeline Performance.

- Collaborator: Assisted employers, health & safety agencies, and other regulatory stakeholders with developing, integrating, maintaining, and evaluating system safety strategies.

This educational podcast is brought to you by the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society of Australia. If you like this podcast please make us your favourite on your podcast app.

If you want to find out more about Human Factors and Ergonomics or if you have a question about this podcast please go to the HFESA website ergonomics.org.au and make your request via our contact page. We will be back with more episodes soon!

Sharon Todd chats to Dr Puji Silva a mechanical and medical engineer about his work and research into litigation injury data. Puji primarily works in ergonomic risk assessments and litigation matters related to permanent injury in both workplace and public liability cases, applying his expertise in biomechanics, human factors, and safety design principles to improve workplace outcomes and legal evaluations.

Dr. Pujitha Silva is a mechanical and medical engineer with extensive experience in human biomechanics, ergonomics, and injury prevention. His career spans over 15 years across industries such as healthcare, bulk material systems handling, wearable technology applications in sports and rehabilitation, and biomedical device development, where he has applied ergonomic principles and human factors research to optimize workplace safety and system performance. He is also a litigation consultant, researcher, and certified organizational coach, with a deep interest in the intersection of ergonomics, injury data analysis, and workplace safety strategies.

Dr. Silva is currently an Ergonomics Consultant where he specializes in:

• Ergonomic risk assessments & workplace safety solutions to mitigate musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and prevent injuries.
• Expert litigation reports for workplace injuries (manual handling, slips/trips/falls, and system failures).
• Implementation of Work Health and Safety (WHS) compliance strategies in Victoria and NSW.
• Developing human-centered design solutions to enhance safety in industrial and commercial environments.
• Data-driven research on injury trends, including a landmark 40-year analysis of litigation injury cases, presented at the HFESA 2024 National Conference.

The pursuit of a Bachelor’s in Medical Engineering was the start of Puji’s journey into understanding how the human body works and how it can be studied using engineering principles borrowed from various disciplines, differently from traditional medical approaches. This curiosity led him to the study of biomechanics, particularly focusing on the interactions of soft and hard tissues, their degeneration, and injury mechanisms.

His early research included intervertebral disc mechanics and non-invasive spinal stress measurement, providing insights into how biomechanical factors influence injury risk and degeneration. However, his career took a turn when he transitioned into port and infrastructure engineering, focusing on mechanical system design. This work introduced him to the critical interactions between machines and people, deepening his understanding of industrial safety and human-system integration.

This shift broadened his perspective on human factors and ergonomics, leading him to focus on performance-based biomechanics, which naturally incorporated human interactions with the environment—spanning industrial ergonomics, sports performance, rehabilitation, and biomedical device development and commercialization with a human-centric approach.

This educational podcast is brought to you by the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society of Australia. If you like this podcast please make us your favourite on your podcast app.

If you want to find out more about Human Factors and Ergonomics or if you have a question about this podcast please go to the HFESA website ergonomics.org.au and make your request via our contact page. We will be back with more episodes soon!

Dr Vanessa Huron discusses the use of drones in various environments and the human factors aspects of drone use.

Dr Vanessa Huron holds a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Diploma in Innovation Management and a PhD in Microbiology from the University of New South Wales.

Vanessa's research focuses on human factors and safety, accessibility management, and educational design and delivery applied across several domains, including

• Psychosocial hazards and work re-design
• Safety and risk management
• Educational design, delivery, and digital technologies

Vanessa is an Associate of the Disability Innovation Institute, which seeks to support disability research and foster collaboration at UNSW.

This educational podcast is brought to you by the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society of Australia. If you like this podcast please make us your favourite on your podcast app.

If you want to find out more about Human Factors and Ergonomics or if you have a question about this podcast please go to the HFESA website ergonomics.org.au and make your request via our contact page. We will be back with more episodes soon!