March 01, 2016: This year's Ludwig-Wilhelm-Ries-Award goes to the young scientist Maxi Thinius. It was awarded in Stuttgart Hohenheim as part of the 20th industrial science colloquium. Martina Jakob (ATB), herself the owner of the award (2007), was responsible for the technical support of this year's winner.

The study "A strategy for workplace health promotion on German dairy farms" deals with exploring various risk factors and working conditions in German dairy farms that are responsible for musculoskeletal disorders of milkers. Aspects of gender physiologies as well as the use of different equipment during the milking process were explored. As a result of the study was shown that there is no general approach toward only one solution. The individual is in focus. Furthermore a flexible plan of actions, tailor-made for each enterprise and each worker is necessary. Prevention is priority. 

The Ludwig-Wilhelm-Ries-Award is one of the most important awards for young scientists in the field of industrial science. The expert committee industrial sciences in agriculture of the VDI department Max Eyth Society for Agricultural Engineering (VDI-MEG) awards the Ludwig-Wilhelm-Ries-Award in a 2-3-years cycle. In commemoration of his life's work, the award was donated for the first time by the former Society of Ergonomics in agriculture and the Ries family in 1982.

Prof. Dr. Ludwig Wilhelm Ries was director of the Academy for Agricultural Sciences Berlin from 1927 to 1945, the predecessor of ATB located in Potsdam-Bornim. He was one of the pioneers in the field ergonomically working methods in agriculture.

Contact: Martina Jakob

More about the study: A strategy for workplace health promotion on German dairy farms