Education
BSc (Manchester)
MEng (McMaster)
PhD (Manchester)
Research interests
I am interested in injuries and disorders to the upper limbs and back occurring in the workplace, commonly called repetitive strain injuries or work-related musculoskeletal disorders. I use a number of approaches to looking at the problem including studies on cadavers in the anatomy lab, laboratory studies of hand function, workplace studies to quantify the demands of various jobs, ergonomic intervention studies to examine the process and effectiveness of changing the workplace and epidemiological studies to link the work people perform and injuries and disorders that might result.
Selected publications
Berolo, S, Wells, R., and Amick, III B. Musculoskeletal symptoms among mobile hand-held device users and their relationship to device use: A preliminary study in a Canadian university population, Applied Ergonomics, 42(2):371-378 (January) 2011
Cole, D., Theberge, N., Dixon*, S., Rivilis*, I., Neumann, P., Wells, R. Reflecting on a program of participatory ergonomics interventions: A multiple case study, Work; 34:161-178, 2009.
Willms, K*., Wells, R. and Carnahan, H. Determinants of force decrement in gloved power grip, Human Factors, 51:797-812, 2009.
Norman, R., Wells, R., Neumann, P., Frank, J., Shannon, H. and Kerr, M. A Comparison of Peak vs Cumulative Physical Loading Factors for Reported Low Back Pain in the Automobile Industry, Clinical Biomechanics, 13(8): 561-573, 1998.
Hagberg, M., Silverstein, B., Wells, R., Smith, R., Carayon, P., Hendrick, H., Perusse, M., and Kourinka, I. and Forcier, L. (eds). Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD): A Handbook for Prevention, Taylor and Francis, London, 1995.