Activities - 2006 - Report April 2005 to July 2006

Background

This Activities Report is a slightly abbreviated version, the full report was made available to the federated societies.

Executive Committee

The day-to-day routines have been handled by the voted officers: President Pieter Rookmaaker (the Netherlands), Secretary General Clas-Håkan Nygård (Finland), and Treasurer Dirk Delaruelle (Belgium). The activities in FEES have been significantly speeded up by the start of new working committees. The chairmen of the working committees have been included in the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee include now in all eight people: Kamiel Vanwonterghem (Belgium, European Union Task Force), David O´Neill (England, Meeting Committee), Dietmar Gude (Germany, Web Committee), Lina Bonaparte (Italy, Communications and Promotions Committee), and Christophe Maes (Belgium, EUTF Secretary). The Executive Committee met three times since the last Council meeting and will also meet the day before the Council 2006 in Maastricht.

European Union Task Force

The European Union Task Force (EUTF) had its kick-off meeting in December 2005 and includes at the moment about ten people. At the meeting the following objectives for the coming two years were set:

• Promoting Ergonomics/Human Factors at EU organizations and their related bodies.
• Offering an outstanding ad hoc expertise concerning research, project evaluation, standardization, and legislation.
• Getting acquainted with the various EU facilities, programs, and initiatives.
• Dissemination of EU information to the FEES members.

At the second meeting in March 2006 the members reported their activities and concluded, among others:

• Ergonomics as such is - obviously - not very well known in the European Union.
• It was decided to send a questionnaire to authorities about knowledge and applications of ergonomics.
• To plan an eventual common project via the European Social Fund or other EU programmes.
• Priorities are set to see how FEES can be involved in the different existing organizations / Directorates. Priorities for contacts.
• FEES and EUTF will be active during the IEA 2006 Congress because it offers unique opportunities for making contacts.
• FEES members should stimulate their experts to put their candidature for expert evaluator.

EUTF members have been very active in making contacts with different EU-related institutes and people.

Other Working Groups

The Meeting Committee (MC) has not had possibilities to have any face-to-face meeting, thus communicated only through emails. The MC has organised a one day workshop on the 'Commercial benefits of Ergonomics' in conjunction with the Ergonomics Society Annual Conference in Hatfield, UK. Two conferences have been endorsed: the Nordic Annual Conference and the Belgian Society Annual Conference. At the Nordic conference the MC facilitated a workshop on IEA guidelines on MSc courses in Ergonomics. The MC has been busy by planning a European session to IEA 2006 and other related events in Maastricht. The MC has also made a questionnaire together with EUTF to be sent to EU institutions asking about their interest in getting information and contacts to ergonomics.

The Communications and Promotions Committee includes for the moment only one person (Lina Bonapace) but will be extended soon. The committee has updated the FEES flyer and prepared several occasions to IEA 2006. A proposal for an 'European Ergonomics Month' has been discussed.

The web committee (Dietmar Gude) has updated and made further plans for FEES web site, which already has proved to be a very important and appreciated channel for the spreading of information. By a secured forum the communication between FEES and societies is hoped to be enhanced soon.

The Standards Committee is planned to start after next Council when it has a chair.

Contacts with Societies

FEES officers have been busy to keep up contacts with member societies and other related societies. The minutes from FEES meetings have been mailed to both IEA and CREE in order to keep contacts. During the Nordic conference in Oslo the presidents of IEA, FEES, and CREE were present and had mutual discussions. Czech Ergonomics Society is a new member and the Polish Ergonomics Society has applied for membership. After the inclusion of these two societies FEES will have in all 16 member societies.

Tampere, 05.07.2006

Clas-Håkan Nygård

FEES, Secretary General

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Page created 2006 by Clas-Håkan Nygård - last revision 11.10.2007 by Dietmar Gude