ergonomics4schools


	Ergonomics For Beginners: A Quick Reference Guide 2nd Edition
Authors: Jan Dul, B A Weerdmeester ISBN: 0748408258 Pub Date: 10 May 2001 Type: Paperback, 160pp Publisher: Taylor & Francis Price: Ł11.99
	Fitting The Task To The Human: A Textbook Of Occupational Ergonomics 5th edition
Author: Karl Kroemer ISBN: 0748406654 Pub Date: 31 Jul 1997 Type: Paperback, 432pp Publisher: Taylor & Francis Price: Ł19.99
	An Introduction To Usability
Author: Patrick Jordan ISBN: 0748407626 Pub Date: 20 Jan 1998 Type: Paperback, 136pp Publisher: Taylor & Francis Price: Ł15.99

What is ergonomics?

Ergonomics is about 'fit': the fit between people, the things they do, the objects they use and the environments they work, travel and play in. If good fit is achieved, the stresses on people are reduced. They are more comfortable, they can do things more quickly and easily, and they make fewer mistakes.

So when we talk about 'fit', we don't just mean physical fit, we are concerned with psychological and other aspects too. That is why ergonomics is often called 'Human Factors'.

Are Ergonomics and Human Factors just the same thing?

I would argue that they are, with the essential difference that ergonomics has always been the more common term within the UK and Human Factors favoured by the North Americans interchangeable. However, others would disagree and suggest that Human Factors is a more general term and a few years ago the terms were combined in the name of the American Society - now know as the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Incidentally, the Oxford English Dictionary supports the equivalence of the terms.

Isn’t ergonomics just a little part of product design?

Well, it can be a part of design – and increasingly ergonomists are getting involved in design projects, where the human user is seen as an important aspect of the product. However, ergonomics is all about designing for humans, wherever they are, and whatever they are doing, so it can be much broader than product design. For instance, ergonomists are heavily involved in Health and Safety, where they design work stations and working environments which ensure that workers do not suffer from injury or illness (such as back problems, or repetitive strain injury). Ergonomists also work in the project teams which design and install large computer systems – where the needs of the end user are paramount to the success of the implementation (think about air traffic control systems!). Similarly, they might be involved in the design of systems where human psychological capabilities are important – cockpit design in a fighter plane, for instance. Most teams designing transport systems and vehicles now include ergonomists too – a large number of ergonomists work on railway related projects, not to mention the design of passenger aircraft, buses, and other public transport systems. So, wherever it is important to understand and design for human capabilities and limitations, you should find an ergonomist.

Can I ignore ergonomics?

Some years ago, researchers compared the relative positions of the controls on a lathe with the size of an average male worker. It was found that the lathe operator would have to stoop and move from side to side to operate the lathe controls. An ‘ideal’ sized person to fit the lathe would be just 1.3m tall, 60cm across the shoulders and have an arm span of 2.4m!
This example epitomises the shortcoming in design when no account has been taken of the user. People come in all shapes and sizes, and the ergonomist takes this variability into account when influencing the design process. In addition to physical size, ergonomists look at strength, compatibility of controls, vision, sound, thermal comfort, motion, vibration and workloads.
Vision is usually the primary channel for information, yet systems are often so poorly designed that the user is unable to see the work area clearly.
Many workers using computers cannot see their screens because of glare or reflections. Others, doing precise assembly tasks, have insufficient lighting and suffer eyestrain and reduced output as a result.
Sound can be a useful way to provide information, especially for warning signals. However, care must be taken not to overload this sensory channel. A recent airliner had 16 different audio warnings, far too many for a pilot to deal with in an emergency situation. A more sensible approach was to have just a few audio signals to alert the pilot to get information guidance from a visual display.
Motion and vibration can have a detrimental effect upon the worker’s efficiency, health and comfort, ranging from motion-sickness in vehicles to ‘whitefinger’ for vibrating hand tool users. Chemicals, pollutants and ‘Sick Building Syndrome’ also need to be taken into account in many working situations.
Ignoring ergonomics can be costly, especially in terms of people's health.

What is the role of an ergonomist?

Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of the interactions among humans and other elements of a system. The profession applies theoretical principles, data and methods to design in order to optimise human well-being and overall system performance.
Practitioners of ergonomics, ergonomists, contribute to the planning, design and evaluation of tasks, jobs, products, organisations, environments and systems in order to make them compatible with the needs, abilities, and limitations of people.
Domains of specialisation:
Derived from the Greek ergon (work) and nomos (laws) to denote the science
of work, ergonomics is a systems-oriented discipline which now applies to all aspects of human activity. Practicing ergonomists must have a broad understanding of the full scope of the discipline, taking into account the physical, cognitive, social, organisational, environmental and other relevant factors. Ergonomists often work in particular economic sectors or application domains. These application domains are not mutually exclusive and they evolve constantly. New ones are created; old ones take on new perspectives.
Within the discipline, domains of specialisation represent deeper competencies in specific human attributes or characteristics of human interaction:
Physical ergonomics is concerned with human anatomical, anthropometric, physiological and biomechanical characteristics as they relate to physical activity. The relevant topics include working postures, materials handling, repetitive movements, work-related musculoskeletal disorders, workplace layout, safety and health.
Cognitive ergonomics is concerned with mental processes, such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system. The relevant topics include mental workload, decision-making, skilled performance, human-computer interaction, human reliability, work stress and training as these may relate to human-system design.
Organisational ergonomics is concerned with the optimisation of sociotechnical systems, including their organisational structures, policies, and processes. The relevant topics include communication, crew resource management, work design, design of working times, teamwork, participatory design, community ergonomics, cooperative work, new work paradigms, organisational culture, virtual organisations, telework, and quality management.