Liberty Mutual gift expands research initiatives into workplace safety and occupational health issues

At the School of Public Health (SPH), scientists are accelerating their research and training in the area of ergonomics, the science of matching a job's physical demands to the capabilities of the worker. These researchers are trying to find ways to prevent common afflictions such as lower back pain, repetitive motion syndromes, and other musculoskeletal problems that can occur on the job.

Now this research, which is conducted through the Liberty Mutual-Harvard Program in Occupational Safety and Health at the School of Public Health, will be expanded over the next five years with new research initiatives, thanks to a $2.5 million gift from Liberty Mutual Insurance.

Every year in the United States, carpal tunnel syndrome, lower back pain, and a variety of work-related muscle strains and ligament sprains account for more than 1 million reported on-the-job injuries, with direct costs of more than $13 billion annually, according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in Washington, D.C. By studying workplace design and the mechanics of lifting, typing, and other common tasks, SPH investigators are developing strategies to reduce the risk of being injured at work.

"Adding ergonomics, occupational safety, and biomechanics to our already strong partnerships in industrial hygiene and occupational health will allow us to build a world-class program affecting workplaces worldwide," said Joseph D. Brain, Cecil K. and Philip Drinker Professor of Environmental Physiology and chair of the Department of Environmental Health at the SPH. "These new focus areas will also fortify the international vision shared by Harvard and Liberty Mutual to expand the program's activities in Latin America and the Pacific Rim. By working together, we can increase the number of professionals dedicated to improving the health and safety of workers."

Boston-based Liberty Mutual is one of the largest property and casualty insurers in the United States and a world leader in occupational safety and health.

The Liberty Mutual Research Center for Safety and Health, located in Hopkinton, Mass., undertakes experimental investigations in the laboratory and field on the causes of accidents and injuries and how to avoid them. The Center is one of the few facilities of its kind in the world.

In 1994, the SPH and the Liberty Mutual Research Center for Safety and Health began a partnership dedicated to researching workplace safety and occupational health issues. The partnership fosters faculty and staff exchanges between the two institutions, supports internships at Liberty Mutual for students from the Department of Environmental Health, and sponsors joint continuing professional education courses in safety and industrial hygiene offered both at Harvard and Liberty Mutual.

"This generous gift ensures our continued progress on vital research initiatives," said James H. Ware, acting dean of the School of Public Health and Frederick Mosteller Professor of Biostatistics. "It also highlights the importance of university and industry partnerships to our efforts to improve the public's health."

"Occupational health and ergonomics create the perfect opportunity for the marriage of academia, public health, and industry. People spend the majority of their waking hours on the job, and job-related injuries and illnesses have a profound impact on all aspects of life," said Tom Leamon, vice president and director of the Liberty Mutual Research Center for Safety and Health. "The addition of ergonomics and biomechanics to the partnership will have a profound effect on the program's efforts to reduce workplace injury and illness in the United States and abroad."

Since its founding in 1922, SPH has housed one of the nation's premier programs in industrial hygiene and occupational health. SPH's Fall Dean's Weekend Symposium on Environmental Health will be held Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1. Gary L. Countryman, CEO and chairman of the board of Liberty Mutual, and his wife, Sally, will cohost the event with Ware, and his wife, Janice.