Richard Wells

Dr. Richard Wells is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, University of Waterloo. He was educated as a Mmchanical engineer at the University of Manchester, England and McMaster University, Canada where he specialized in Applied Mechanics with application to human function and injury; head injury in boxing and description of human gait using assistive devices. Since joining the Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo, Richard has pursued similar work concerning seat belt loads and neck injury in head-first impacts. For the last two decades his main research and teaching interests have been work related musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity and low back in industrial and office settings.

His interests are work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) of the back and upper limbs; their causes, patho-physiology and prevention. He address these issues using anatomical and functional anatomical studies in cadavers and volunteers, by biomechanical modeling of the structures affected. Another approach develops measurement, recording and processing approaches to document exposure at work and using these methods in epidemiological studies to assess the work-relatedness of various workplace exposures. Lastly, he is involved in the development of workplace processes and changes to prevent musculoskeletal disorders and also to monitor their health effects.

He is the associate director, stakeholder relations for the Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD), a multi-university Centre hosted at the University of Waterloo. He is also an adjunct scientist at the Institute for Work & Health (IWH). He is a past member of the Board of Directors of Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW). He has been involved in ergonomics standards and regulations with ACGIH and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the USA and in the Ontario Strategy for the Prevention of MSD and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). He also acts as a consultant and speaker on ergonomic issues.