about Consultants - ergonomics and disability Management Consulting

Jane E Sleeth, Hon. B.P. & H.E., B.Sc.PT., C.P.T.

Jane Sleeth holds the position of Managing Director of Optimal Performance Management & Optimal Performance Consultant Inc. Over the past 23 years, Jane has been involved in the management & prevention of disability as a physiotherapist; rehabilitation department manager in a large Toronto Hospital; wellness and prevention consultant; case manager and managing director of OPM Inc. which Jane founded in 2001.

Jane is author of the best selling book published by Thompson Carswell - "Return to Work Compliance Toolkit"; and author of “The Internal Ergonomic Program Book” published by OPC Press in 2000. Jane is currently completing the writing of a new book which will be released by Thompson Carswell in 2007 entitled - "The Crisis of Psychological Disabilities in Canadian Workplaces", Case Studies & Guidance for Human Resource Managers”.

Jane holds an Honours Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology and Physiology from the University of Toronto; and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physiotherapy also from the University of Toronto. While studying for her Hon. B. of P. & H.E., Jane was one of the main researchers for the published study “The Physiological Impact of Exercise in the Cold” , Primary Author R. Sheppard, U of T/DCIEM. After completion of Jane’s B.Sc. in Physiotherapy she was co-researcher for a study conducted at Toronto East General Hospital. The study co-designed and researched with Dr. Dana Sinclair PhD Psych Cambridge University was internally published and is entitled “The Impact of Mental Training on Functional and Healing Outcomes of Patients with Carpal Tunnel Release”.

In 2000 OPC Inc hired then Master of Science in Ergonomics (U Windsor) L. Ross to develop a research study which would both validate each and every ergonomic guideline used by both the Ministry of Labour for Ontario as well as OPC Inc and each of its consultants in North America. This same study included validation of these guidelines in one large manufacturing environment and one large law office in Ontario. Subsequent to these two studies there was a further validation of these Ergonomic Guidelines as well as the development of the first set of Ergonomic Guidelines for the Transportation Industry in Canada. The Reliability and Validation Research Study can be accessed under L Ross University of Windsor, Masters Program in Ergonomics and Engineering 2000. The second study conducted in conjunction with the WCB in BC and Coast Mountain Bus Company can be accessed at http://www.worksafebc.com/ under Ergonomics Regulations, Transportation Industry.

Jane is a regular & sought after speaker at national and international conferences speaking about how OPM & OPC has collectively taken a unique & innovative approach to the management and prevention of injuries illness and disability in the workplace which differs from any insurance company or other ergonomic and disability management firms in the country.

Jane has a considerable body of published work and articles in national health and safety; ergonomic; human resources and peer reviewed journals which dates back to 1989. Most of these articles can be accessed and downloaded for your review and research within this website.

Carrie DeMaeyer, B. of P.E., Cert. Kinesiologist, CET
Manager - OPC Inc.

Carrie-Lynn is Senior Consultant and Manager of OPC Inc. (Ergonomic Consulting Services). She brings 18 years of rehabilitation & injury prevention experience to the OPC Inc. Team. Prior to joining OPC Inc. in 1999, Carrie-Lynn worked in the rehabilitation medicine field for 11 years. Specifically she worked with a national rehabilitation & health facility as clinical Kinesiologist, Program Coordinator and Clinic Manager.

With OPC Inc., Carrie-Lynn has extensive experience in the areas of Job Demands Analysis; complex industrial assessment and design; office ergonomic design; Ergonomic Evaluation; and in the development and delivery of ergonomic training and education programs and workshops. Carrie-Lynn is a much sought after speaker. Most recently she lectured at the annual Ontario Kinesiology Association’s Annual Conference in the areas of: How to Perform Physical Demands Analysis; the Important Role of Functional Ability Evaluations in the Management of Disabilities; The Use of Gold Standard Ergonomic Practices in the Field of Rehabilitation.

On an on-going basis employees & employers regularly request Carrie-Lynn provide Lunch and Learn Ergonomic Sessions and hands on workshops. These requests occur as Carrie-Lynn delivers the material in a unique and skillful way that captures the audiences' attention and brings about measureable learning and improved work behaviours in offices and industrial settings alike.

Most recently Carrie-Lynn has been guiding and providing consulting expertise on an on-going basis to a private commercial power company; a number of Ontario Hospitals and packaging technology companies.

Anita Ellement, Hon. B.Sc. (Kinesiology), Cert. Kinesiologist, Sr. Ergonomic Consultant

Anita Ellement is Senior Ergonomic, Ergonomic Design and Job Demands Analysis Specialist at Optimal Performance Consultants.

Anita has been with OPC Inc. since 1999 and as a result brings substantial experience and know how to each of our clients.

Anita graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1991 with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, where she specialized in physiology and ergonomics. Following graduation Anita worked exclusively in the specialist areas of functional abilities testing & physical & job demands analysis within a clinical setting. This rehabilitation perspective allows Anita to understand the outcomes of poor ergonomic design in the workplace as well as the human and employer’s costs associated with this.

Anita subsequently studied ergonomic assessment techniques; ergonomic & human factors design and has applied this extensively in heavy industrial; manufacturing and assembly type work settings. Anita is now an Ergonomic Specialists with a unique combination of skills and knowledge which is not often found in an ergonomic consultant.

Anita brings significant experience in a wide variety of workplace settings including; offices and data entry settings; assembly operations; heavy industry. As part of this experience Anita is regularly part of the product and process design with the engineers and designers associated with our clients. Anita is also regularly involved and an integral part of engineering time & efficiency studies; and SIX SIGMA quality teams.

Anita’s broad experience in high pressure, just-in-time automotive and manufacturing environments has honed her skills in identifying costs effective and productive solutions that address the unique requirements of these workplaces. This experience and knowledge has a wide application in any type of complex work environment in Canada and the US.

Olga Dosis, Senior Accessibility Consultant

Olga Dosis holds a Masters degree in Psychology, a Masters degree in Critical Disability Studies and has over 20 years of experience working with people with disabilities.

During her career, Olga has been actively involved assisting small and large organizations with their accessibility initiatives. She has supported the development and execution of training, conducting environmental scans of policies, practices and procedures, as well as accessibility built audits to assist organizations in becoming barrier free.

Olga has written several papers on disability and the workplace and developed an evaluation and reporting mechanism to conduct thorough workplace accommodations. Her extensive cross disability and accommodation knowledge has been indispensable in developing realistic plans and strategic direction to implement the requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Customer Service Standard.

Olga's ability to synthesize cross disability and diversity issues and access the appropriate resources has been beneficial in spearheading access initiatives which are aligned with the Governments initiatives to advance public awareness.