ERGOSOFT

This is my first post.  My name is Melanie Loomos.  I used to be a court 
reporter (stenographer).  I usually did jury trials because I didn't like 
to fight with the other court reporters for the good jobs. 
Good jobs were usually depositions with a lot of parties (lawyers) because 
we got paid per page; and each copy (lawyer) was an extra $2.50 per page.

When I was in trial, I would just sit in whatever chair the bailiff told me 
to sit in; and I wasn't aware of ergonomics.  

I would write sometimes through lunch (for more 
than 8 hours without breaks); and when I got home, I had to run my hands 
under warm water for a long time before I could get started on my 
transcripts because I was in so much pain.  

I didn't know it but I was developing a upper extremity 
cumulative trauma disorder (carpal tunnel syndrome).  Cumulative trauma 
disorders are musculosketal disorders (MSD's) caused by risk factors 
that include repetition and awkward postures (risk factors I could have 
reduced).  

I also didn't know at the time that there had been a checklist created by
ergonomists ten years prior that could have identified the risk factors I
was exposed to, which would have given me the option of minimizing or 
correcting those risk factors (awkward postures and repetition).

Then came OSHA's Ergonomic Standard which became Federal Law in 2000 
under the Clinton Administration.  The Ergonomic Standard was repealed 
as a Federal Law in March 2001 by the Bush Administration.  

The Ergonomics Standard was not a good law.  It mandated that every 
employer adjust every work station to every employee to reduce ergonomic 
risk factors even if they needed to cut the legs off desks.  

That gave me the idea for what I called "the Carpal Tunnel Chair"; 
I submitted it to the USPTO through an attorney to try to get a patent. 
I also submitted a patent on the Ergonomic Seating Cushion.

After review of the boring Ergonomics Standard, I realized people 
could learn what ergonomic risk factors are and how to reduce or 
correct those risk factors themselves if it were put in a non-boring 
format.  Ergosoft provides the sitting computer user with information 
from the boring repealed Ergonomics Standard either every half hour, 
every hour, or every two hours when the individual sets Ergosoft to 
remind them to take their Ergo-break.  Ergo-woman, Ergo-man, or 
Ergo-doc (in cartoon format) appear with an Ergo-tip.

Why am I telling everyone this?  I didn't realize ergonomics was 
a verypolitical issue, and politics is coming in between people 
and ergonomics.  The checklist that ergonomists worked on for almost 40 
years is not being used in the United States; it is being used in 
other countries. You can't even copy it without permission, and you 
need to pay for it on online.  

The checklist which was used to develop the Ergonomics Standard gives 
an average person the ability to identify ergonomic risk
factors and reduce them before cumulative trauma disorders are developed.  

I intend to give Ergosoft away as a free download to help people identify 
and minimize ergonomic risk factors that can lead to Musculoskeletal 
Disorders (MSD's) or Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD's). 

I am seeking a manufacturer for the OhPillow
and the Ergonomic Seating Cushion.  Today is 2/27/2017.    
 

 
   
      
 
I

Author: Melanie Loomos

I was a court reporter for 10 years and spent most of my time in very uncomfortable chairs. As a result, I spent years researching seating and submitted two patent applications: "The Carpal Tunnel Chair,” and "The Pillow with Cantilever Supports," which was granted and became The Buttpillow®. Subsequently, The Buttpillow® was improved upon as it was determined different embodiments were needed for proper ergonomic positioning depending on the individual sitter. The Patented "Ergonomic Seating Cushion,” was was granted by the USPTO; and was later amended to include an embodiment specifically to help women maintain the natural curve of their lumbar spine during the second and third trimester of pregnancy. An extreme lumbar curve that restricts blood flow to the fetus is the only external risk factor for low birth weight babies. Subsequently, in 2003, I invented Ergosoft™ break reminder software based on OSHAs Ergonomic Standard so people can identify and minimize ergonomic risk factors for the development of sitting-related pain, eye strain, DVT and carpal tunnel syndrome. View all posts by Melanie Loomos