Croatian Ergonomics Society (CrES)

Officers

President: Asst. prof. Jasna Leder Horina, PhD, CrES [email protected]

Vice-president: Prof. Tanja Jurčević Lulić, PhD, CrES [email protected]

Secretary general: Asst. prof. Dorota Kovačević, PhD, CrES  [email protected]

Fact sheet

About CrES

The Croatian Ergonomics Society (CrES) is a federated society of the IEA and a member of the Federation of the European Ergonomics Societies (FEES). CrES was established at the founding Assembly on 20 May 1974 in Zagreb. It is one of the oldest societies in Croatia that is interdisciplinary and brings together people from diverse scientific groups. Even after the separation from the former Yugoslavia, CrES still has a good relationship with ergonomics professionals and societies from neighbouring countries.

Although Croatia is a small country, it has recognised ergonomics as an important field in industry, as well as in education and science. The advocacy work that CrES has done over time has contributed to this. This is an important development since many basic worker challenges are yet to be addressed in workplaces. While there is an acknowledgement of the importance of HFE in industry and some of the HFE requirements are incorporated into legislation, HFE is currently not comprehensively implemented in all workplaces. Thus far, occupational safety engineers are predominantly involved in implementing and ensuring that HFE is implemented effectively in industry. However, CrES has identified this as an area they would like to get more involved in moving forward.

Through collaboration with cognate disciplines in the science community, CrES is working with relevant stakeholders towards implementing HFE in all spheres of industry. This includes participating in various projects such as in the field of public transport as well as other initiatives connecting universities with industries and organisations such as the textile industry, logistics, information technologies and product development.

While CrES currently does not certify HFE professionals, the society has set plans in motion to change this. In this regard, CrES is in the process of obtaining certification from CREE for Eur. Erg for three CrES members to enable the society to work towards becoming an authorised certification body for HFE professionals in Croatia.

Overview of CrES activities

CrES members receive a wide range of benefits through interdisciplinary cooperation between the scientists whose interests lie within the field of ergonomics. Members have discounted registration fees for the Ergonomics Conference which is regularly organised by the society. CrES also supports collaborations among different researchers at every stage of their careers. Members are encouraged to improve their professional knowledge, exchange ideas on professional matters and at a scientific level, and interact with industry and related associations. The CrES also actively supports informal gatherings where members have a chance to meet other recognised engineers and experts.

While CrES organises various events for its members, the main event that is organised by the society is the Ergonomics Conference. The next Ergonomics Conference, which will be organised by CrES and several faculties of the University of Zagreb. It will be the jubilee 10th conference, and also the celebration of 50 years of CrES. The conference is going to be held in Zagreb at beginning of December 2024. For more information, please visit the official website http://www.h-e-d.hr/conferences.htm. Please keep an eye on this website for any future information.

CrES Membership

To find out more about CrES membership and the registration process, please contact CrES here: [email protected]

Recent Activities

The main activities of CES are: promoting implementation of ergonomics into professional practice in Croatia, introducing the subject of ergonomics into the educational system in Croatia, encouraging research work within the field of ergonomics, connecting with ergonomic societies abroad, organizing conferences within the field of ergonomics and co-organizing, supporting or endorsing conferences in Croatia (8th Congress of the Alps Adria Acoustics Association, Zagreb, 2018; 4th International Professional and Scientific Conference Safety and Health, Zadar, 2012.) and abroad (Third International Conference Ergo 2018: Human Factors in Complex Technical Systems and Environments, St. Petersburg, Russia, 2018.) which contain groups of topics from the field of ergonomics.
In May 2014, CES celebrated its 40th anniversary. Anniversary conference took place at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture in Zagreb where CES was founded. This was an excellent opportunity to present the current research and professional activities of the CES members. The celebration was enhanced with the presence of the then IEA president, Professor Eric Min-Yang Wang.

Until now, CES has organized international ergonomics conferences every three years since 2001, and from 2016 every two years. The conferences are great opportunity for all participants and all stakeholders to contribute to a valuable exchange of knowledge and experience, to encourage stronger interconnections between science and business, as well as a great way to open up new possibilities, meet old and make new friends, and contribute to advances in ergonomics in Croatia.