The study of work, including the design of the work situation, the analysis and training of work skills, the effects of physical and psychological environments, work-stress, errors, and accidents. Human engineering and human factors are equivalent terms. Ergonomic investigations commonly involve collaboration between anatomists, physiologists, psychologists, and engineers. Large amounts of data are collected on the capabilities of the human body in terms of strength and size. The systematic study of work developed from the early 20th-c introduction of mass production, and the use of time and motion study for job analysis and improvement. The subject has applications in such areas as factory design, power station layouts, and the design of vehicle instruments. Recommendations are made about noise and pollution limits, operating times, and lighting conditions. With increasing automation, the requirements for work skills have shifted from eye-hand co-ordination towards information-monitoring and decision-making. Whereas much of pre-1970 ergonomics was concerned with manmachine interaction (MMI), contemporary ergonomics is more concerned with humancomputer interaction (HCI). The subject owes much to the early work of US engineer Frederick W Taylor (18561915) and the US husband-and-wife team of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth (18681924 and 18681972).
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 (definition adopted by the International Ergonomics Association in 2000).
Overview
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).
Domains
The IEA divides ergonomics broadly into three domains:
Physical ergonomics deals with the human body's responses to physical and physiological loads.
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.
Organizational ergonomics, or macroergonomics, is concerned with the optimization of sociotechnical systems, including their organizational structures, policies, and processes.
History
The term ergonomics (from the Greek words ergon [work] and nomos [natural laws]) first entered the modern lexicon when Wojciech Jastrzębowski used the word in his 1857 article Rys ergonomji czyli nauki o pracy, opartej na prawdach poczerpniętych z Nauki Przyrody (adapted from a previous version of this page).
Later in the 19th century, Frederick Winslow Taylor pioneered the "Scientific Management" method, which proposed a way to find the optimum method for carrying out a given task.
World War II marked the development of new and complex machines and weaponry, and these made new demands on operators' cognition.
In the decades since the war, ergonomics has continued to flourish and diversify.
Foundations
Ergonomics draws on many disciplines in its study of humans and their environments, including anthropometry, biomechanics, engineering, kinesiology, physiology and psychology.
Typically, an ergonomist will have a BA or BS in Psychology, Industrial/Mechanical Engineering or Health Sciences, and usually a MA, MS or PhD in a related discipline. Many universities offer Master of Science degrees in Ergonomics, while some offer Master of Ergonomics or Master of Human Factors degrees.
Applications
The more than twenty technical subgroups within the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, HFES, indicate the range of applications for ergonomics.
Human factors issues arise in simple systems and consumer products as well.
Colloquial Use
Outside of the discipline itself, the term 'ergonomics' is generally used to refer to physical ergonomics as it relates to the workplace (as in for example 'ergonomic chairs' and keyboards).
Resources
Books
Ergonomics for Beginners - Jan Dul and Bernard Weerdmeester - A classic introduction on ergonomics - Original title: Vademecum Ergonomie (Dutch) -published and updated since 1960's.
Bodyspace - Stephen Pheasant - A classic exploration of ergonomics.
The Human Factor - Kim Vicente - Full of examples and statistics illustrating the gap between existing technology and the human mind, with suggestions to narrow it.
The Design of Everyday Things - Donald Norman - An entertaining user-centered critique of nearly every gadget out there (at the time it was published).
Evaluation of Human Work - Wilson & Warning: very technical and not a suitable 'intro' to ergonomics.
Engineering Psychology and Human Performance - Wickens and Hollands - Discusses memory, attention, decision making, stress and human error, among other topics.
The Measure of Man & Woman - Henry Dreyfuss Associates - A human factors design manual that has controversial elements.
Peer-Reviewed Publications
(between brackets mean ISI impact factor 2001-2003)
Ergonomics (0.747)
Applied Ergonomics (0.738)
Human Factors (0.723)
International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics (0.395)
Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing (0.311)
Travail Humain (0.260)
Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science (-)
International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics (-)
17th cent.
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