2. Ergonomics
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Ergonomics (ergon=work nomoi= natural laws/study)
Ergonomics is the study of optimizing the interface between human beings and the designed
objects and environments they interact with.
An ergonomically designed product implies that the device blends smoothly with a person’s body
or actions.
It is also the science of people- machine relationships.
3. Cont..
3
Study of the relationship between people and the furniture,
tools, and
machinery they use at work.
The object is to improve work performance by removing sources of muscular stress and general
fatigue,
For example by presenting data and control panels in easy-to-view form,
making office furniture comfortable,
and creating a generally pleasant environment.
4. Cont..
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It is the applied science of equipment design as for workplace, intended to maximize productivity
by reducing operator fatigue or discomfort.
Also called biotechnology, human engineering, human factors engineering.
Ergonomics (or Human Factors):
Is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and
other elements of a system,
and the profession that applies theory,
principles,
data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and
overall system performance.
5. Physical Ergonomics
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Deals with the human body’s responses to physical and physiological loads.
Relevant topics: Manual materials handling Workstation layout Job demands Risk factors such as
repetition, vibration, etc.
6. Cognitive Ergonomics
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Also known as engineering psychology concerns mental processes such as
perception,
attention,
cognition,
motor control, and
memory storage and retrieval as they affect interactions.
Relevant topics:
–Mental workload
–Decision-making
–Human-computer interaction
–training
7. Organizational Ergonomics
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Also known as macro-ergonomics is concerned with the optimization of sociotechnical systems,
including their
Organizational structures,
Policies and processes.
Relevant topics:
Shift work
Scheduling Job
satisfaction
Supervision
Teamwork.
8. Contribution of Ergonomics
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Ergonomics contributes to the design and evaluation of:
tasks,
jobs,
products,
environments
and, systems in order to make them compatible with the needs,
abilities and limitations of people (IEA, 2000).
9. Goals of Ergonomics
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Occupational injury and illness reduction
Worker’s compensation costs containment
Productivity improvement
Work quality improvement
Absenteeism reduction
Government regulation compliance
10. Methods of achieving the goals
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Evaluation and control of work site risk factors
Identification and quantification of existing work site risk conditions
Recommendation of engineering and administrative controls to reduce the identified risk conditions
Education of management and workers to risk conditions.
11. Human Factors
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Human factors is a set of structured methods and principles for identification, quantification and
evaluation of the user’s needs and tasks for the development of systems, products, services and
environments
Human Factors is a term mainly used in the United States.
In Europe and the rest of the world, the term ergonomics is more prevalent.
It is the study of how humans behave physically and psychologically in relation to particular
environments, products, or services.
The term usability is sometimes used as an alternative to ERGONOMY.
Although human factors is really a larger area of study, including responses that are unrelated to
usability, such as reactions and preferences in relation to visual and other sensory stimuli.
12. Benefits gained by implementing Human Factors in a development and a
modification project 12
Increased safety
Reduced possibility of human error
Increased user value, satisfaction and user friendliness
Faster learning
Lower rate of failure
Improved stability
Reduced probability of redesign
Reduced costs in design and operation
Improved communication between professions.
