Ergonomics is about ensuring a good fit between people and what they interact with.

This could
include the objects they use or the environments they live in. Ergonomics should be considered in
the design of every product, system or environment.
Ergonomics are often not given enough priority early in the design process, because of commercial
or time pressures. But this is a false economy. Ignoring ergonomics can lead to designs which are
likely to fail commercially - as they don't fit the needs of the user.
Ergonomists are trained in analytical techniques to identify which user characteristics should be
taken into account during your design process. This is important when you consider how much
individuals vary in terms of:

body size

body shape

strength

mobility

sensory sensitivity

mental ability

experience

training

culture

emotions

When applied at the earliest stages of the design process, ergonomic methods often identify
opportunities for innovation.
Ergonomics can be split into three broad areas:
Physical ergonomics looks at how human anatomical, anthropometric, physiological and
biomechanical characteristics relate to physical activity. This includes:

working postures

manual handling

repetitive movements

musculoskeletal disorders

workplace layout and environment

Psychological ergonomics studies mental processes - eg perception, cognition, memory, reasoning

and emotion - and how people interact with products, systems and environments. This includes:

mental workload

decision-making

human-computer interaction

human reliability

attitudes

stress

motivation

pleasure

cultural differences

Organisational ergonomics is about optimising the organisational structures, policies and processes
of socio-technical systems. This includes:

communication

work design

staff resource management

working time patterns

co-operative work

quality management

organisational culture

To ensure your end-users' needs are kept in focus at all times, ergonomists should be an integral
part of your design development team. Constantly evaluating the ergonomics of anything your
business designs as it develops will help increase the likelihood that your product or service will be a
success.
Ergonomic disorders are the fastest growing category of work-related illness. According to the most
recent statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, they account for 56-63 percent of illnesses
reported to OSHA.
Ergonomic-related injuries and illnesses often strike in work environments not associated with large
numbers of workplace injuries, like the office environment. For example, if an employee is able to
type 40 words per minute, he or she presses 12,000 keys per 8-hour day. Approximately 8 ounces of
force is necessary to depress one key. Almost 16 tons of force will be exercised by his or her fingers
each day. The fingers of typists whose speed is 60 words per minute exert up to 25 tons of pressure
each day.

The office workplace has other musculoskeletal disorders, including carpal tunnel syndrome,
tendonitis, tenosynovitis and myositis. These conditions affect 7 percent of the population of the
United States. More than 8 million people are affected by carpal tunnel syndrome each year. Surgery
for carpal tunnel syndrome is the second-most common type of musculoskeletal surgery, with well
over 230,000 procedures performed annually. Only 23 percent of all carpal tunnel syndrome
patients return to their previous professions following surgery, according to the Bureau of Labor &
Statistics and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the surgery has a 57
percent failure rate.
PREVENTION IS KEY
Both safety and ergonomics risk assessments can be used identify workplace hazards and who is at
risk, and determine adequate preventive measures and risk monitoring. Each type of assessment
should be based on a holistic approach and the total load on the body should be considered.
There is no single factor that causes musculoskeletal disorders (MSD). For example, manual handling
alone rarely is the cause of back pain; there are many other factors that may contribute to its
development, such as stress, force, posture, vibration, cold and work organization. Safety
professionals currently conduct job safety analyses, so why not assess the ergonomics risk factors at
the same time?
It is very important to assess the full range of ergonomic MSD risks and to address them in a
comprehensive way. The risk assessments must be completed by a set of appropriate actions
targeted to elimination, where possible, or reduction of the risks to the human musculoskeletal
systems, as well as eliminate or reduce safety hazards. When deciding on preventive actions, a wide
range of possible changes should be considered.
Determining work tasks is one of the most important requirements to reduce the physical demands
of the job by decreasing the levels of force, repetition, awkward postures and/or vibration. Job
descriptions are necessary to understand how tasks impact the worker: which body part is used,
whether right or left side, cycle times, weights, reaches, etc. This is how safety managers and
ergonomists will determine which part of the task has to change. This often necessitates the use of
new tools or working methods, adopting best practices and training the employees on the new
changes.
Once a job description is created that clearly outlines the demands of the job, any ergonomic or
safety risks can be addressed in a systematic and cogent fashion. Changes might necessitate
decreasing the levels of force, repetition, awkward postures and/or vibration. It may be possible to
reallocate tasks between workers to reduce repeated motions, forceful hand exertions and
prolonged bending and twisting.
Workers must be trained to increase their awareness of ergonomic factors and to recognize and
avoid unsafe working conditions. Workers also must be convinced why it is important to pay
attention to prevention and be educated about the benefits in terms of reduced pain and
discomfort of adopting good practices and work methods.
On an organizational level, practical solutions can include developing appropriate work/rest ratios to
reduce fatigue, organizing breaks and rotating jobs. At the corporate level, adoption of policies to

develop a strong safety/ergonomic culture should be promoted to gain higher top-level commitment
and involvement in identifying and controlling MSD risk factors, and to improve safety and
surveillance measures.