Ergonomics

'Ergonomics', from the Greek word ergon meaning work, and nomoi meaning natural laws, is the science of refining the design of products to optimise them for human use. Historically, ergonomics was another name for Human Factors. Human Factors has its origins in the Industrial Revolution and advanced as a discipline in its own right during World War II. At this time it was recognised that aircraft cockpit design needed to consider the human interface for controls and displays. Design engineers and industrial psychologists worked together one on the technology and the other on optimising the interface. Application of ergonomics to aircraft cockpits is a life or death difference, that is not often found in the work environment. But companies came to see that a product's success is dependent upon good Human Factors design.

Today, ergonomics is used to describe the science of 'designing the situation to fit the person, not forcing the person to fit the situation'. All large corporate and military manufacturers carry design engineers with engineering psychologists to ensure optimum usability of products and environments. In designing ergonomic environments, human characteristics, such as height, weight, and proportions are considered, as well as information about human hearing, sight, temperature preferences, and so on.

Ergonomics covers all aspects of a job, from the physical stresses it places on joints, muscles, nerves, tendons, bones, etc, to environmental factors, which can affect hearing, vision, and general comfort and health. Biometrics and anthropometrics play a key role in ergonomics.

In the past, companies felt there was a bottom-line trade-off between safety and efficiency. Now it is commonly accepted that designing a safe work environment can also result in greater efficiency and productivity. This design is not just ergonomic furniture – it is design of the workplace as a whole. It also includes ergonomic training. The easier it is for a worker to do their job, the more likely it is to see gains in productivity due to greater efficiency.

Physical stressors incurred whilst performing a job can include repetitive motions such as those caused by typing or continual use of a manual screwdriver. Stressors could involve vibration such as from using a jackhammer, or could involve tasks that require using excessive force, such as lifting heavy boxes. Stressors may be those that result from working in an awkward position. The repetitive nature of these stressors are frequently linked to ergonomic disorders.

Cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) or repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) are usually caused by repetitive motions that would not result in undue stress or harm if only performed once. Some of the conditions that may result for repetitive motions include: carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, tenosynovitis, DeQuarvain's syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome and many back injuries.

The other area that ergonomics covers is environmental factors including such things as indoor air quality of excessive noise. Poor air quality in a workplace can result in 'sick building syndrome', with its accompanying headaches, congestion, fatigues and even rashes. Permanent hearing loss can result from excessive noise around heavy machinery or equipment. Eyestrain and headaches can result from improper lighting, especially in conjunction with a computer monitor.

Computers, computer desks and chairs are often the focus of ergonomic analysis. Some of the factors evaluated in an ergonomic analysis are:

Although the primary goal of ergonomics is to minimise workers' exposure to ergonomic hazards that lead to CTDs and RSIs and other conditions, the benefits of ergonomics are:

It is important to remember that ergonomics is not a one time fix, it is an on-going process.