Indian origin scientist gets Canada's highest civilian award  

An Allahabad-born scientist of Indian origin has been given Canada's highest civilian award - the Order of Canada.

Shrawan Kumar was honoured Thursday for his three decades of pioneering research on workplace injury and the spine at the University of Alberta.  
 
Born in Allahabad, Kumar is an alumnus of Allahabad University where he did his masters in zoology. After his higher studies in Britain, he worked from 1971 to 1973 at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences where he set up the first biomechanics laboratory.  
 
Before landing in Canada in 1974, he was an assistant director at the Central Labour Institute in Mumbai.  
 
Kumar is among 57 prominent Canadians who have been given the nation's highest civilian award for their excellence in various fields.  
 
Bestowing the highest Canadian award on Kumar, Governor General Michaelle Jean said he has been honoured for "his contributions to the field of rehabilitation ergonomics, in Canada and abroad, notably in his research and teachings on the causation, prevention and treatment of musculo-skeletal injuries".  
 
Kumar, who joined the faculty at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in 1977, has done path-breaking research, published and taught on ergonomics, occupational health and lower back pain for three decades. He retired from the Canadian university two years ago and moved to Fort Worth in Texas to join the faculty at the University of North Texas.  
 
"I feel honoured as well as humbled by the award. It is Canada's highest honour...the feeling has not yet sunk in," Kumar told IANS on phone from Texas.  
 
"I am an inter-disciplinary scientist and my research covers various disciplines from engineering to medicine to biology. My work involves orthopaedic research, occupational health, rehabilitation health etc," he said.  
 
Kumar said he was looking forward to his February visit to India where he is to deliver talks at the Lucknow Medical College and the Defence Institute of Physiology and Applied Sciences in Delhi.  
 
The Order of Canada was established in 1967 to mark the centenary of the formation of the Canadian Confederation.  
 
Over the last 40 years, more than 5,000 people, including many Indian-Canadians, have been given this honour.  
 
Recipients will be formally given the honour at a special ceremony in Ottawa later. .......NRIpress.com/IANSnews

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Serving up suds a hazardous task....Dr. Shrawan Kumar

by Bev Betkowski

October 6, 2005 - Too much time in the tavern can be hazardous to your health - and not just for the drinkers bending their elbows or scrapping with the bouncer, according to a new study done in part at the University of Alberta.

A joint study published in the September edition of Applied Ergonomics by the University of Alberta and Napier University of Scotland, shows that servers, cooks and bartenders risk serious injuries while doing their everyday jobs serving up suds and finger foods.

"The image of a pub environment conveys a homey, intimate atmosphere, but the physical demands associated with occupations in a pub have had little attention," said Dr. Shrawan Kumar, professor of physical therapy at the University of Alberta. "Working in a pub involves tasks that pose risk to workers and changes are required."

The case study of a neighborhood pub in British Columbia revealed that of all the tasks done in a pub, bartending has the highest potential for injury. Bartenders run a high risk of back injury from lifting beer kegs (weighing 72.5 kilograms), as well as shoulder pain from pouring pitchers and from reaching to upper shelves for premium liquor. Servers get aches and pains from lifting trays and stooping over tables of customers. Cooks are also prone to back injuries when retrieving bulk staples like onions and gravy from the cooler.

Pub injuries make themselves felt in the workforce, the study noted. Cost of compensation for hotel, restaurant and pub workers rose from $13,182,598 in 1996 to $18,458,551 in 1999, according to the Workers' Compensation Board of British Columbia. Repetitive lifting of heavy loads in constrained spaces such as cramped kitchens and storerooms was a main culprit. For instance, the study showed that only 3.6 per cent of the female worker population would have the trunk strength necessary to lift a keg of beer, and 100 per cent of the population would not have the shoulder or elbow strength required.

In determining the risk of injuries in the pub study, Kumar and his fellow researchers, factored in worker gender, height and weight.

The study recommended several changes for the pub in question, including reducing the height of the bar, installing a slip-free perforated floor behind the bar, using higher tables for customers, better organizing the cooler, and using a dolly to move heavy loads.

Pamphlets were also recommended for placement at each work station in the pub's kitchen and serving areas, to remind staff of how to avoid injuries.

Address of this ExpressNews article: 
http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/article.cfm?d=7007