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In this episode, Dr. Menekse Barim shares her journey from Türkiye to the global stage of occupational health and safety. Motivated by a mining disaster that claimed over 300 lives, she has dedicated her career to advancing ergonomics through research, technology, and collaboration. From her early interdisciplinary projects at Auburn University to her work at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, she explores how innovations like computer vision and exoskeletons are transforming the way we prevent musculoskeletal disorders. Now a senior researcher at the European Trade Union Institute in Brussels, Dr. Barim discusses the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork, evolving ergonomic standards, and using research to shape policy that safeguards workers’ physical, psychological, and psychosocial well-being.
Key Points From This Episode:
[00:00] Dr. Menekse Barim’s extensive work in researching ergonomics
From growing up with a strong desire to serve the public through meaningful work to pursuing further education at Auburn University and now working as a senior researcher at the European Trade Union Institute, Dr. Menekse Barim has spent many years honing her expertise in ergonomics through academia and industry roles.
[04:20] Pivotal career moments in Türkiye and the USA
In 2014, a mining explosion in Türkiye that killed over 300 people inspired Dr. Barim to champion workplace safety, leading her to organize an international workshop for occupational health professionals. During her PhD, she expanded her practical expertise through interdisciplinary projects, from heat-testing in a kinesiology lab to designing ergonomic workstations for injury prevention.
[09:28] Surveillance data, computer vision, and exoskeletons
Working as a research fellow at NIOSH, Dr. Barim focused on the impact of emerging technologies to reduce musculoskeletal disorders. Key lessons that have shaped her understanding emerged from sharing expertise among students with different expertise, from field data collection to lab work.
[12:18] The impact of fast-evolving technology on ergonomics
From old ergonomic assessment tools which were mostly manual, we are now able to monitor postures and get real-time data before analyzing it. It can be difficult to predict the future of workplace safety because we don’t have access to all the data yet. But one thing we can definitely agree on is that the accuracy of new technology is promising for this industry and beyond.
“When you are thinking about traditional ergonomic assessment tools, old ergonomists would be familiar with that. You’re in the field with your pen and pencil, with your papers, and you’re taking measurements and making workers stop at certain points to make sure you are taking right measurements to be able to identify the risk factors. With these technologies, you are able to monitor their postures, you can get real-time data monitoring, and then we can analyze that data, and as an ergonomist, that is really promising.” — Dr. Menekse Barim
[20:31] The role of interdisciplinary interaction in our field of evolution
One person cannot do everything; that’s why we need all the expertise we can bring together. Interdisciplinary teamwork will shape the future of work, and as this evolution continues, our standards will keep growing to include physical, psychological, and psychosocial factors.
“I would definitely tell [young ergonomists] to be open-minded. [It’s] really important to just test everything. It was really hard for some of the occupational health and safety ergonomists to just introduce some of the new technologies. We shouldn’t be scared of trying out new things because we never know what that would actually bring out. Of course everything comes with some risks, but they also come with some benefits too.” — Dr. Menekse Barim
[25:10] Using ergonomics to shape policy
As a senior researcher at the European Trade Union Institute in Brussels, Dr. Barim is part of an interdisciplinary team dedicated to conducting independent research to support trade unions in addressing workplace challenges. Bringing ergonomic expertise to shape policy and legislation is very rewarding.
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In this episode, Dr. Menekse Barim shares her journey from Türkiye to the global stage of occupational health and safety. Motivated by a mining disaster that claimed over 300 lives, she has dedicated her career to advancing ergonomics through research, technology, and collaboration. From her early interdisciplinary projects at Auburn University to her work at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, she explores how innovations like computer vision and exoskeletons are transforming the way we prevent musculoskeletal disorders. Now a senior researcher at the European Trade Union Institute in Brussels, Dr. Barim discusses the importance of interdisciplinary teamwork, evolving ergonomic standards, and using research to shape policy that safeguards workers’ physical, psychological, and psychosocial well-being.
Key Points From This Episode:
[00:00] Dr. Menekse Barim’s extensive work in researching ergonomics
From growing up with a strong desire to serve the public through meaningful work to pursuing further education at Auburn University and now working as a senior researcher at the European Trade Union Institute, Dr. Menekse Barim has spent many years honing her expertise in ergonomics through academia and industry roles.
[04:20] Pivotal career moments in Türkiye and the USA
In 2014, a mining explosion in Türkiye that killed over 300 people inspired Dr. Barim to champion workplace safety, leading her to organize an international workshop for occupational health professionals. During her PhD, she expanded her practical expertise through interdisciplinary projects, from heat-testing in a kinesiology lab to designing ergonomic workstations for injury prevention.
[09:28] Surveillance data, computer vision, and exoskeletons
Working as a research fellow at NIOSH, Dr. Barim focused on the impact of emerging technologies to reduce musculoskeletal disorders. Key lessons that have shaped her understanding emerged from sharing expertise among students with different expertise, from field data collection to lab work.
[12:18] The impact of fast-evolving technology on ergonomics
From old ergonomic assessment tools which were mostly manual, we are now able to monitor postures and get real-time data before analyzing it. It can be difficult to predict the future of workplace safety because we don’t have access to all the data yet. But one thing we can definitely agree on is that the accuracy of new technology is promising for this industry and beyond.
“When you are thinking about traditional ergonomic assessment tools, old ergonomists would be familiar with that. You’re in the field with your pen and pencil, with your papers, and you’re taking measurements and making workers stop at certain points to make sure you are taking right measurements to be able to identify the risk factors. With these technologies, you are able to monitor their postures, you can get real-time data monitoring, and then we can analyze that data, and as an ergonomist, that is really promising.” — Dr. Menekse Barim
[20:31] The role of interdisciplinary interaction in our field of evolution
One person cannot do everything; that’s why we need all the expertise we can bring together. Interdisciplinary teamwork will shape the future of work, and as this evolution continues, our standards will keep growing to include physical, psychological, and psychosocial factors.
“I would definitely tell [young ergonomists] to be open-minded. [It’s] really important to just test everything. It was really hard for some of the occupational health and safety ergonomists to just introduce some of the new technologies. We shouldn’t be scared of trying out new things because we never know what that would actually bring out. Of course everything comes with some risks, but they also come with some benefits too.” — Dr. Menekse Barim
[25:10] Using ergonomics to shape policy
As a senior researcher at the European Trade Union Institute in Brussels, Dr. Barim is part of an interdisciplinary team dedicated to conducting independent research to support trade unions in addressing workplace challenges. Bringing ergonomic expertise to shape policy and legislation is very rewarding.
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