Ergonomics is the application of scientific principles, methods, and data from various disciplines to develop engineering systems where people play a significant role.
The Ergonomics Knowledge Base focuses on understanding human dimensions, capabilities, and limitations.
Design Applications refer to the design of tasks, equipment, and environments based on knowledge of human size, strengths, and weaknesses.
'Designing-in' refers to creating a better interface to improve the interaction between users and machines.
The basic disciplines involved in ergonomics include psychology, cognitive science, physiology, biomechanics, applied physical anthropometry, and industrial systems engineering.
Medicine is concerned with illnesses and their prevention and healing.
Sociology is concerned with the development, structure, interaction, and behavior of individuals or groups.
Intelligence testing was developed to screen military recruits during World War I and later used to assess industrial workers for jobs that matched their mental capabilities.
Anatomy describes the build of the human body.
Psychology is the science of mind and behavior.
Success in ergonomics is measured by improved productivity, efficiency, safety, acceptance of the resultant system design, and improved quality of human life.
Creating finished products from raw materials and manufacturing in quantity followed the shaping of tools.
By the 20th century, industrial physiology and psychology were well advanced and recognized for both theoretical research on human characteristics and practical applications for designing living and work environments.
It is the study of interaction between people and machines and the factors that affect this interaction, aimed at improving system performance by enhancing human-machine interaction.
Orthopedic is concerned with the skeletal system.
Physiology studies the functions and activities of the living body, including physical and chemical processes.
Undesirable aspects include inefficiency, fatigue, accidents, injuries & errors, user difficulties, low morale, and apathy.
Psychotechnology is the development of methods and tools to assess individuals' abilities to perform physical and mental work, including their vigilance, attention, mental workload capacity, driving behavior, and ability to interpret road signs.
The 19th century saw a shift towards theories aimed at understanding the complex human being, influenced by increasing industrialization and military needs, leading to applied aspects of previously pure sciences.
The primary focus of industrial ergonomics within the workplace is on both the prevention of injuries and the improvement of worker efficiency.
Employers have the ethical responsibility to minimize potential injuries to their workforce.
Analyzing the work system helps identify points of application for basic knowledge in the design and evaluation process, ensuring efficiency and safety.
Systems can be improved by designing user interfaces for compatibility with tasks and users, changing the work environment for safety and appropriateness, adjusting tasks to fit user characteristics, and organizing work to meet psychological and social needs.
Ergonomics is also called human factors or human engineering.
The relationship between energy consumption and heart rate indicates how the body's energy expenditure during various activities correlates with the physiological response of the heart, reflecting the intensity of physical exertion.
A work system is a structured environment where human and machine components interact to achieve specific tasks or goals, defined by its boundaries.
'Designing-out' involves eliminating factors in the work environment that negatively affect human-machine interaction.
Using objects found in the environment as tools is an ancient activity that distinguishes humans from other primates, marking the beginning of ergonomic practices.
The next step was the purposeful shaping of these tools to better fit human use.
Ergonomics applies to systems ranging from the use of simple tools by consumers to multiperson sociotechnical systems.
The Hawthorne Study focused on assessing the relationship between lighting conditions and worker efficiency in workrooms producing electrical equipment.
Applying physiological knowledge and measuring techniques to the body at work.
The focus is on the interaction between the person and the machine and the design of the interface between the two.
Acceptable conditions in ergonomics are those upon which the people involved can voluntarily agree, based on current scientific knowledge and under given sociological, technological, and organizational circumstances.
The two distinct aspects of ergonomics are study, research, and experimentation to determine specific human traits for engineering design, and application and engineering to design tools and environments that fit human needs.
The 18th century marked the diversification of the sciences of anatomy and physiology, leading to the accumulation of specific detailed knowledge, and the beginning of psychology as a separate science.
Fitting clothes and making shelters were early activities that can be considered 'ergonomic'.
The fundamental aim of ergonomics is to ensure that all human-made tools, devices, equipment, machines, and environments enhance the safety, well-being, and performance of human beings.
Initially, pieces of stone, bones, and wood were not shaped but rather selected for their fit to the human hand.
The term ergonomics is derived from the Greek words 'ergon' meaning 'work' and 'nomos' meaning 'laws', and it involves analyzing work to design jobs and tools that fit workers' capabilities.
Dealing with and coordinating the intentions of the employer and the employees.
A Simple Work System refers to the interaction between users and machines, emphasizing the need for better task design to enhance productivity.
Ergonomics can reduce costs associated with work-related injuries and increase profits through improvements in overall worker productivity.
The components of a work system include human elements, machine elements, and the local environment that influences their interaction.
The goal of ergonomics is the 'humanization' of work, which involves making work safe, efficient, and satisfying.
In ergonomics, absenteeism, injury, poor quality, and high levels of human error are seen as system problems rather than 'people' problems, suggesting that solutions lie in better system design.
The measuring and description of the physical dimensions of the human body.
Practical concerns in ergonomics include sending and receiving Morse Code, measuring perception and attention at work, using psychology in advertising, and promoting industrial efficiency.
Ergonomists call for a better interface and better interaction between the user and the machine, focusing on improved task design.
Task design plays a crucial role in productivity by ensuring effective interaction between users and machines, which can lead to improved performance.
Ergonomics adapts the human-made world to the people involved, focusing on the human as the most important component of our technological system, with the goal of humanizing work to make it safe, efficient, and satisfying.
The minimal nutrition required to perform certain activities refers to the essential dietary intake necessary to sustain energy levels and physical capabilities during tasks such as agricultural, industrial, military, and household work.
The Hawthorne Effect refers to the phenomenon where workers' productivity increases due to the awareness of being observed, regardless of changes in environmental factors like lighting.
Describing the physical behavior of the body in mechanical terms.
One approach focused on physiological and physical properties of humans (Europe), while the other concentrated on psychological and social traits (North America).
Ergonomics aims to generate tolerable working conditions that do not pose known dangers to human life or health.
Optimal conditions in ergonomics are those that are well adapted to human characteristics, capabilities, and desires, achieving physical, mental, and social well-being.
Suitable body posture at work involves positioning the body in a way that minimizes strain and maximizes efficiency, thereby reducing the risk of injury and enhancing productivity.
In France, researchers such as Lavoisier, Duchehhe, Amar, and Dunod focused on the energy capabilities of the working human body.
The study of people’s attitude and behavior at work.
Designing equipment to fit the human body is crucial for ensuring comfort, safety, and efficiency in the workplace, as it helps to accommodate human physical characteristics and capabilities.
Marey developed methods to describe human motions at work, while Bedaux conducted studies to determine work payment systems.
Concerned with the control of occupational health hazards that arise as a result of doing work.
