Introduction to Ergonomics
Ergonomics comes from the Greek words "ergon" and "nomoi". Ergon stands for "work", while "nomoi" means natural laws. Thus, the term "ergonomics" generally means the science of work and an individual's relationship to the specific work implied. Ergonomics is very important in the workplace and several companies and professionals consider this very carefully from the initial up to the final stages of business development.
Defining the Term
Ergonomics is described as the careful study of creating and designing tools and equipment that properly suit the human body, its particular functions and movements, as well as cognitive capacities. The International Ergonomics Association also has a specific definition of the term. Ergonomics or human factors are the scientific approach that covers the relationship or interaction between a human being and the components of a given system. It also refers to the professional work that takes into account all the methods, principles and information to properly design the tool or system to improve the capacity of the person using it, thus boosting overall performance and efficiency.
Goals and Objectives
Ergonomics is commonly used to achieve two main goals: health and productivity. This can be applied in different situations and materials, such as the arrangement of seats in the office, the best design for furniture and easy-to-use machines and tools for staff. There are several benefits that come with proper ergonomic design, such as prevention of injury, repetitive strain injuries, improved output of workers and saving more time.
Experts will carefully consider the tasks to be done and determine the factors and elements that create the synergy between the person and the equipment. Some of the things that will be checked include the shape, size, type of task, general profile of the user and how information can be accessed, shown and adjusted. There are several disciplines and principles used and applied to match the person well with the given equipment and surroundings like psychology, physiology, biomechanics, industrial design, kinesiology, industrial engineering and mechanical engineering.
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