Worksafe BC award for Innovation in Ergonomics won by GSC Engineers
Cryoport and Crane operated by Darlene Lee and Carrie Hirst. Photo by Jared Slobodan
Cryports are sample transport dewars which absorb liquid nitrogen into a foam lining. To fill, liquid nitrogen (LN2) is poured into the Cryoport and excess unabsorbed liquid is poured off. The LN2 level can be measured by weight and once ready for shipping, the ~50lb Cryport is loaded into a plastic outer container. All of these steps require lifting or moving the awkwardly shaped Cryoport and handling large volumes of LN2. The cart and crane system was developed by Evan Goodacre, an Engineering Group co-op student supervised by Robin Coope in 2010. The system allows all Cryoport activities to be handled with a minimum of lifting and allows the operator to be well away from the LN2 during the pouring off operation. The sample holder insert that goes in the Cryoport was also developed by Evan, and has been featured previously in a GSC newsletter.
Carrie Hirst pouring excess LN2 from cryoport.
Photo by Jared Slobodan.
Occupational Ergonomics Month (OEM) is a global outreach campaign during the month of October focusing on increasing awareness and promoting the science and application of ergonomics and human factors. It's a time to explore and expand initiatives to enhance the work environment and improve the fit between people and their jobs for better efficiency, comfort, productivity, health, and safety. OEM is also known as Global Ergonomics Month by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) and National Ergonomics Month by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) in the United States. To celebrate Occupational Ergonomics Month, WorkSafeBC sponsors a yearly Innovations Contest, won this year by the GSC Engineering group. Top prize is a $200 gift certificate for a work lunch. There will also be an article in the March/April 2013 edition of Worksafe BC's magazine featuring the description of the winning Cryoport cart and crane system.
For further information on the GSC Engineering Group please contact:
Lynn MacIntyre, Project Manager
Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Agency
Email: lmacintyre@bcgsc.ca
Phone: 604-707-5800 x 3250