What is ergonomics?

Question

I'm doing a report in school on ergonomics, i have the general idea of what it is, but would like an additional information i could get on this topic, and what peoples responses to this subject are. it might help in my report.

Answer 1

Ergonomics (or human factors) is the application of scientific information concerning humans to the design of objects, systems and environment for human use. (definition adopted by the International Ergonomics Association in 2007).

Ergonomists contribute 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). Ergonomics comes into everything which involves people. Work systems, sports and leisure, health and safety should all embody ergonomics principles if well designed.(International Ergonomics Association in 2007)

The IEA divides ergonomics broadly into three domains:

Physical ergonomics deals with the human body's responses to physical and physiological loads. Relevant topics include manual materials handling, workstation layout, job demands, and risk factors such as repetition, vibration, force and awkward/static posture as they relate to musculoskeletal disorders (see repetitive strain injury).

Cognitive ergonomics, also known as engineering psychology, concerns mental processes such as perception, attention, cognition, motor control, and memory storage and retrieval as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system. Relevant topics include mental workload, vigilance, decision making, skilled performance, human error, human-computer interaction, and training.

Organizational ergonomics, or macroergonomics, is concerned with the optimization of sociotechnical systems, including their organizational structures, policies, and processes. Relevant topics include shift work, scheduling, job satisfaction, motivational theory, supervision, teamwork, telework and ethics.

Answer 2

Ergonomics is the study that deals with making furniture and equipment (most often office equipment) fit with the human form for strain-free repetitive use. For example, office chairs, computer keyboards, desk configurations and other commonly-used office equipment and furnishings that must be placed at the right height and angle for the user so as to minimize injuries due to repetitive motion or long-term use.