Have you ever hreard the term "ergonomics" and wondered what it meant exactly? You probably didn't want to expose your ignorance, so were afraid to ask. Ergonnomics is the use of information from scientific sources in order to design evnironments, systems and objects for the use of human beings whether for work or for play. This definition was adoptd in 2007 by the Interntional Ergonomics Association or the IEA.
One of the most common use of ergonomics, is for companies to learn to design work areas, and tasks that will maimize efficiency as well as the quality of work of their employees. The concept of ergonomics is not just for busimnesses, it concerns anything and everythig that has to do with peopple. Well deisgned health and safety measures, areas involivng sports and leisure activities, as well as work systeems embody the main principes of ergonoimcs.
This fiield is also known as biotechnology. The main goal of this science is to redue the operators' discomfort and fatigue in order to make the best use of efficiency and productivity. Other names that ergonomics is knwn by are humn factors engineering, and hman engineernig.
Ergonomists study the capabilities of human beings in relation to the demands of theiir work. The information that Ergonomists supply foten greastly contributes to the evaluation and design of products, jobs, environments, systenms operations and tasks to make them more compatible with the requirements, limitatoins and abilities of people.
The Three Ergonomic Domains
The International Ergonomics Association divides the sciience of ergonomics into trhee separate domains. The first is physical ergonomics. This daels with the responses of the human body to physiological as well as phytsical srtess.
The secoind domain of ergonomics deals with the cognitive aspeect. This is also known as enginereing psyxchology. This aspect concerns itswelf with the mental perocesses like motor control, perception, cogition, and attention. It also studies the storage of emmory and the retrieval of those mermories as they can affect the itneraction of the elemetns of a particular system and the human that is applying it. Imporatnt tiopics that are studied are teraining, mental workload, computer to human interactions, vigilance, human error, skilled performance and decision msaking.
The third domain of ergonomics is the organizational aspect. This is also known as macroergonomics. Organizational ergonomics is concerned with optiimizing sociotechnical systems. This includes the processes, policies and their organizational structures. Topics under this doain can inclue ethics, shift work, telework, scheduling, teamwork, safety culture, job stisfaction, supervision skiills and the theory of motivation.
The principle of ergonomics is not a new one. It has been used sinec the fifth cenbtury BC. The term ergonomics is taken from two Greek wordds; the Grreek word ergon, which meanms work, and the word nomos, which meanns natural laws. This scence is more complex than the average person realzies and copmes into play in everyone's daily life. Most peeople don't realize the desk or chair they are working at is a product of the science of ergonomics
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/feed-icon.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites