Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Living


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Coffee City

Melissa Allison tracks Seattle's — and the world's — caffeine addiction.

Blog Home | E-mail Melissa | RSS feeds Subscribe | Twitter feed

July 1, 2009 at 11:55 AM

Comments (0)     E-mail E-mail article      Print Print view      Share Share

UW lecturer designing ergonomically sound baskets for Nicaraguan coffee farmers

Posted by Melissa Allison

After spending months with workers in Nicaragua, Kate Stewart decided the country's coffee farmers need new gathering baskets.

The ones they use now are large, shallow baskets held at the waist that "not only puts pressure on the back, but also forces them to reach out further to get the beans -- an ergonomic nightmare," according to an article by Elizabeth Sharpe at the University of Washington, where Stewart teaches graduate courses in ergonomics and safety at the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences.

"Stewart hopes to change that situation by working with the harvesters to design a new basket that will allow them to do their jobs without getting hurt. The change will have a significant impact in Nicaragua, where coffee provides agricultural jobs and supports more than 45,000 families who own coffee farms," Sharpe wrote.

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail E-mail article      Print Print view      Share Share

Comments
No comments have been posted to this article. Start the conversation.

Recent entries

Nov 6, 09 - 5:30 PM
Cortona Cafe in Central District hosts grand opening party Saturday evening

Nov 6, 09 - 2:51 PM
Starbucks begins store redesigns in U.K., prompting Wall Street Journal to recall Schultz's offense to Lord Mandelson

Nov 6, 09 - 2:05 AM
Seattle's Best Coffee will sell four brewed coffee blends through Subway

Nov 5, 09 - 5:47 PM
Starbucks to put Seattle's Best Coffee in 9,000 U.S. Subway shops by year-end, Schultz says

Nov 5, 09 - 1:59 PM
Starbucks stock soars on fourth-quarter profit boost

Advertising

Advertising

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 

Advertising

Browse the archives

July 2009

June 2009

May 2009

April 2009

March 2009

February 2009