The third ErgoWork International Conference took place in Bucharest on October 31st and November 1st, 2024. The first day of the conference featured a casual format with interdisciplinary workshops and broader debates, hosted by the National University of Arts Bucharest, represented by Lecturer Razvan Clondir and Department Director Radu Comsa.
Following a welcome message from the President of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA), Andrew Thatcher, Prof. Erminia Attaianese systematically presented her approach to ergonomics in education for architecture and design. Professors Codruta Iana, Dan Moga, Andreea Anghel, and Elena Soltuz shared their perspectives on integrating ergonomics into the training of designers and architects in faculties of architecture, product design, and interior design, providing insights from the academic centers of Bucharest, Timisoara, and Iasi. A widely accepted view was that practical work incorporating ergonomic principles should play a central role in these fields. An example of this was the use of the Urban Link 15’ competition, coordinated by the ErgoWork Society, as an application within the ergonomics course at the Faculty of Architecture, Politehnica University Timisoara.
A special highlight was the introduction of the Virtual Edu platform – Ergonomics and Work Management in Remote, Online Activities – Upskilling and Certification Scheme for Virtual Educators, Managers, and Workers (the VirtualEDU project, https://www.virtual-edu.eu/) by Prof. Anca Draghici and Maria-Elena Boatca.
Cristian Vasiliu continued by presenting the continuing education programs organized by the Romanian Workplace and Facility Management Association, addressing current challenges in local and international workplace management.
A key case study on organizational ergonomics, workplace management, biophilic design, and outdoor work was the Cognyte project, presented by Ruxandra Simion, Operations Manager from the beneficiary side, and Bianca Rada, Interior Architect at CBRE, interior design concept author.
Tudor Popp, co-founder of HotSpot coworking spaces, highlighted the benefits of coworking spaces and led a guided tour of one of the HotSpot locations for conference attendees on Friday, November 1st.
Alexandra Malaies addressed some challenges of the return to office spaces in the IT sector and the positive contributions of Outdoor Office in achieving this goal. Ioana Biris from Nature Desks, initiator of International Outdoor Office Day, shared the general advantages of working outdoors and tools to support it.
The first day successfully served as a bridge, fostering better understanding between educators and trainers in ergonomics, architecture, workplace design, and facility management, and the users and practitioners of these services.
The second day of the conference was dedicated to scientific presentations and discussions, hosted by the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Robotics at the Politehnica University Bucharest, represented by dean Cristian Doicin and department director Oana Chivu.
The Federation of European Ergonomics Societies was represented by General Secretary Prof. Aleksandar Zunjic, who discussed FEES contributions to EU policy on Industry 5.0 and Human-Centered Design, and Prof. Gyula Szabo, who addressed health and safety aspects in the AI era.
Melita Milenkovic, from the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia, presented safety aspects and legal responsibilities regarding autonomous vehicles, while Anca Mocan discussed ergonomic and logistical optimization solutions for baggage handling at Brussels International Airport.
The plenary session concluded with Elena Filip and Ghiorghi Filip from the “All for You” association, Romania, https://www.totulpentrutine.ro/, with a demonstration of training, skill development, and specific products designed for people with disabilities, delivering an inspiring life lesson.
In both physical and online parallel sessions, over 70 scientific papers were presented, which will be published in partner scientific journals and publications.
Main partners: International Ergonomics Association, Federation of European Ergonomics Societies, Universitatea Politehnica Timisoara, Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Robotics from Politehnica Bucharest, Universitatea Nationala de Arte Bucuresti, Facultatea de Arte si Design din UVT, Universitatea Tehnica din Cluj Napoca, ROFMA, Romanian National Research and Development Institute of Occupational Safety, GreenForest, Hungarian Ergonomics Society (HES), Ergonomics Society of Serbia (ESS), Croatian Ergonomics Society (CES)
The formal ErgoWork 2024 Conference webpage: https://mpt.upt.ro/ergowork2024/
Project funded through Universitatea Politehnica Timisoara, by Ministerul Cercetarii, Inovarii si Digitalizarii Romania, Programul de Finantare a Manifestarilor Stiintifice si a Evenimentelor Asociate 2024
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