1What Is Ergonomics?

2Ergonomics is the study of work. The goal of an ergonomics program is to

3ensure employees can work comfortably with their workplace demands or

4tasks, thereby decreasing the risk of injury or illness.Ergonomics applies
5information about human behaviour,abilities and limitations and other
6characteristics to thedesign of tools, machines, tasks, jobs and
7environmentsfor productive, safe, comfortable and effective human
8use (McCormick and Saunders

91993).http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Occupat
10ional_Health/Ergonomics.pdf

11So what is ergonomics (or human factors)?

12Ergonomics is about designing for people, wherever they interact with

13products, systems or processes. We usually dont notice good design
14(unless perhaps, its exceptional) because it gives us no cause to, but we
15do notice poor design. The emphasis within ergonomics is to ensure that
16designs complement the strengths and abilities of people and minimise
17the effects of their limitations, rather than forcing them to adapt. In
18achieving this aim, it becomes necessary to understand and design for
19the variability represented in the population, spanning such attributes as
20age, size, strength, cognitive ability, prior experience, cultural
21expectations and goals. Qualified ergonomists are the only recognised

22professionals to have competency in optimising performance, safety and

23comfort. The IEHF is the only body in the UK managing and representing
24this competency.

25Researchers study the biomechanical, physiological and cognitive effects

26of work on people, or users understanding of processes, or the efficiency
27of systems. See the lists oflatest research papers in leading journals to
28appreciate the scope and depth of some of this research.

29Practitioners study how people interact with products, processes and

30environments day to day in order to improve them, to make them easier
31to use, safer, more comfortable, more efficient. They take into account
32and apply relevant research to help with this and to suggest
33recommendations. But none of this can happen without a thorough
34knowledge and understanding of the users and their experiences. A look
35at some of the articles, events, careers information and jobs posted on
36this site will show you the variety of work thats carried out.

37Applying good ergonomics will make a product easy to use, it will help
38make a manufacturing process efficient, it will make furniture

39comfortable, it will contribute to safety, it will add many of the dimensions

40a product, system or environment needs to make it fit for purpose.

41http://www.ergonomics.org.uk/learning/what-ergonomics/

42

43Definition: Ergonomics is the science of work.

44Ergonomics derives from two Greek words: ergon, meaning work, and nomoi,

45meaning natural laws. Combined they create a word that means the science of work

46and a persons relationship to that work.

47In application ergonomics is a discipline focused on making products and tasks

48comfortable and efficient for the user.

49Ergonomics is sometimes defined as the science of fitting the work to the user

50instead of forcing the user to fit the work. However this is more a primary ergonomic

51principle rather than a definition.

52http://ergonomics.about.com/od/glossary/g/defergonomics.htm

53

54Introduction

55This leaflet is aimed at employers, managers and others and will help you

56understand ergonomics and human factors in the workplace. It gives

57some

58examples of ergonomics problems and simple, effective advice about how

59to solve them.

60You may have heard the term ergonomics. In some industries, such as

61major hazards, defence and transport, ergonomics is also called human

62factors. This leaflet helps to explain how applying ergonomics can

63improve

64health and safety in your workplace.

65Ergonomics is a science concerned with the fit between people and their

66work. It puts people first, taking account of their capabilities and

67limitations. Ergonomics aims to make sure that tasks, equipment,

68information and the environment fit each

69worker.http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg90.pdf\WHAT ISERGONOMICS?

70Ergonomics can be defined asfitting the job to the worker.Notallworkers

71are the

72same size and everyonehaslimits.Ergonomicsaimstodesignworkstations,

73work

74processes, equipment, and toolsto fit you.As a worker,itisimportant that

75you

76know how to adjust your office workstation to suit your

77needshttp://www.ohcow.on.ca/uploads/Resource/Workbooks/ergonomics.p
78df

79

80

81Product Design Ergonomics 101

82The word ergonomics comes from two Greek words:

83 ERGO: meaning work

84 NOMOS: meaning laws

85Ergonomics is a science focused on the study of human fi t, and

86decreased fatigue and discomfort through product design.

87Ergonomics applied to office furniture design requires that we

88take into consideration how the products we design fi t the people that are

89using them. At work, at school, or at home, when

90products fi t the user, the result can be more comfort, higher

91productivity, and less stress.

92Ergonomics can be an integral part of design, manufacturing,

93and use. Knowing how the study of anthropometry, posture,

94repetitive motion, and workspace design affects the user is critical to a

95better understanding of ergonomics as they relate to

96end-user needs.

97This reference will explain some of the human factors that can

98be observed and should be applied to ergonomic product

99design.

00

011. INTRODUCTION

02Ergonomics focuses on human beings and their interaction with machines,

03materials, information, procedures and

04environments used in work and everyday living [2]. Human factors

05discovers and applies information about human

06behavior, capabilities, limitations, and other characteristics to the design

07of products, machines, systems, tasks, jobs,

08and work-environments for productive, safe, comfortable, and effective

09human use. The International Labor

10organization (ILO) has defined the term Ergonomics as the application

11of human biological sciences in conjunction

12with engineering sciences to the worker and his work environment, so as

13to obtain maximum job satisfaction, which at

14the same time enhances productivity [3].

15Ergonomics is the science of fitting the job to the worker. In a phrase, the

16task/job must fit the person in all respects,

17and the work situation and environment should not compromise with

18human capabilities and limitations. In general

19human factors finds out the best possible match between the physical and

20mental demands of work and the capabilities

21of the individual members of the workforce in order to optimize both the

22productivity of the organization and the

23physiological cost of human beings. In a sense, the goal of human factors

24is to guide the applications of technology in

25the direction of benefiting humanity

26

27

283..1 Implications of Ergonomicsin Industrial Engineering Field

29Ergonomics has a wide application in everyday living and domestic

30situations, however there are even more

31significant implications for efficiency, productivity, safety, health, and

32comfort in work settings. For example: human

33factors plays the following basic roles:

34 a. Methods and operation design b. System and interface design

35 c. Product and equipment design d. Task and job design

36 e. Workstation and work arrangement design f. Information design

37 g. Working environment design.

38

39ndustrial engineering has great systematical thinking that considers all environment's
40elements.
41in other side, ergonomic needs to know your environment and their relation with
42other elements.
43so they are to complementary for each other.

44Industrial Engineering Defined

45In general, industrial engineering is concerned with the design of

46production and service systems. The

47industrial engineer analyzes and specifies integrated components of

48people, machines, materials, and

49facilities to create efficient and effective systems that produce goods and

50services beneficial to mankind.

51Industrial engineers are the bridge between management goals and

52operational performance. They are

53expected to exert leadership in workplace education as well as analysis,

54design and implementation of

55systems and plans for operating those systems that bring value to the

56organization. Industrial engineers

57identify opportunities for improvement with equipment, materials,

58methods, layouts, and they develop plans.

59Below are examples of fields or careers in industrial engineering.

60Work Design, Human Factors & Ergonomics

61Industrial engineers design complex work systems by considering the

62capabilities and limitations of human

63operators. They seek to optimize work performance, safety and comfort

64by fitting the task, machine and

65environment to the humanoften referred to as ergonomics. There are

66two general divisions of ergonomics:

67industrial (or occupational) ergonomics and cognitive ergonomics. The

68former area focuses on the

69dimensions and strength capabilities of the human body in relation to

70performance of manual work tasks,

71such as material handling. This subdivision also concentrates on potential

72affects of the work environment

73on the human, including thermal conditions, vibration, etc. Work in this

74area is aimed at reducing

75occupational injuries and promoting work environment safety. In the area

76of cognitive ergonomics, engineers

77attempt to quantify human behavior in interacting with complex systems

78as a basis for designing display

79interfaces and controls to support decision-making. Task analysis is a

80primary tool used to ensure systems

81are developed to support operator goals, limit workload and promote

82situation awareness.

83Examples of some careers in this area include working as a plant engineer

84in implementing interventions such as standardized work practices,

85redesigning manual work (lifting and upper-extremity tasks) and
86applying personal protective equipment (PPE). Other jobs include working
87as an ergonomics consultant to

88educate companies on workplace safety in order to ensure conformance

89of work systems designs with

90Federal regulations. Careers in cognitive ergonomics are primarily

91research- oriented and include working

92as a systems design engineer for aviation equipment manufacturers

93developing aircraft cockpit displays and

94controls, or working for the Federal Aviation Administration to design a

95new air traffic control workstation.

96Careers in human factors consulting are also available in cognitive

97ergonomics, including those that support

98the government in new military systems designs, etc.

99The ergonomics area is closely related to the manufacturing area in terms

00of educating students about the

01need for workplace safety and how to design safe production systems.

02Courses in the ergonomics area include work measurement (IE 352),

03ergonomics (IE 452), occupational

04safety (IE 541), human factors (IE 540) and several others.

05The premiere technical society in the ergonomics area is the Human

06Factors & Ergonomics Society (HFES).

07It hosts annual meetings for engineers and psychologists, as well as

08professionals from other disciplines,

09and allows them to network and share information about recent research

10in human-machine system design.

11The science concerned with designing safe and comfortable machines for humans.

12For example, one branch of ergonomics deals with designing furniture that avoids
13causing backaches and muscle cramps.