ERGONOMICS 1

Module 1- Introduction
PREPARED BY
Engr. Rhodora N. Buluran, PIE

Prepared by Rhodora N. Buluran, PIE

 What is ergonomics?
The word ‘ergonomics’ is derived from the Greek
words ‘ergon’ (work) and ‘nomos’ (law).

The word ergonomics was coined by a Polish

scholar, Wojciech Jastrzębowski in 1857.
It became widely known when his book in Polish
was reprinted with English translation in 1997.
(Japan Ergonomics and Human Factors Society, retrieved on Sept. 27, 2020)

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Prepared by Rhodora N. Buluran, PIE
“Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific
discipline concerned with understanding of the
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.”

In simple terms, ergonomics is the study and

design of equipment and devices to better fit
the human body and its movement

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In the United States, the term ‘human factors’ is
often used. A succinct definition would be that
ergonomics aims to design appliances, technical
systems and tasks in such a way as to improve
human safety, health, comfort and performance.

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Ergonomics is a subject, when applied to work it
is termed Occupational Safety and Health.

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 History
• Basic ergonomics has existed since the first
ancestors of modern man began creating
primitive tools to make tasks easier.
Archaeological evidence from as far back as
some of the earliest Egyptian dynasties, and
other, more concrete findings from 5th
Century BCE Greece, have shown that tools,
household equipment, and other manmade
devices illustrated sophisticated (for their
time) ergonomic principles.
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Christensen (1987) points out that the
importance of a “good fit” between humans and
tools was probably realized early in the
development of the species. Australopithecus
Prometheus selected pebble tools and made
scoops from antelope bones in a clear display of
selecting/creating objects to make tasks easier
to accomplish.

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The association between occupations and
musculoskeletal injuries was documented
centuries ago. Bernardino Ramazinni (1633-
1714) wrote about work-related complaints
(that he saw in his medical practice) in the 1713
supplement to his 1700 publication, “De Morbis
Artificum (Diseases of Workers).”

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Wojciech Jastrzebowski created the word
ergonomics in 1857 in a philosophical narrative,
“based upon the truths drawn from the Science
of Nature” (Jastrzebowski, 1857).

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In the work environment, the selection and creation
of tools, machines, and work processes continued.
Over centuries, the effectiveness of hammers, axes
and plows improved. With the Industrial
Revolution, machines such as the spinning jenny (a
machine that produced yarn to make cloth) and
rolling mills (a method of flattening iron ore into flat
sheets) were developed to improve work processes.
This is the same motivation behind much of
ergonomics today.

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In the early 1900’s, the production of industry was still
largely dependent on human power/motion and
ergonomic concepts were developing to improve worker
productivity. Scientific Management, a method that
improved worker efficiency by improving the job process,
became popular.

Frederick W. Taylor was a pioneer of this approach and

evaluated jobs to determine the “One Best Way” they
could be performed. At Bethlehem Steel, Taylor
dramatically increased worker production and wages in a
shoveling task by matching the shovel with the type of
material that was being moved (ashes, coal or ore).

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Frank and Lillian Gilbreth made jobs more
efficient and less fatiguing through time motion
analysis and standardizing tools, materials and
the job process. By applying this approach, the
number of motions in bricklaying was reduced
from 18 to 4.5 allowing bricklayers to increase
their pace of laying bricks from 120 to 350 bricks
per hour.

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Shortly after the Industrial Revolution, factory
machinery and equipment started being built
with design considerations closer to what we
think of today as “ergonomics.”

Most of those designs, however, were created to

increase the speed and efficiency of production,
rather than to create comfort and/or ease of use
for the workers involved.

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Ergonomics in the modern sense began to become
more widespread during World War II. Military
equipment, machinery, and weaponry —
specifically airplanes — was becoming increasingly
complex.
The design of airplane cockpits included highly
sophisticated controls, but as these controls had
little to no logical organization, even the best-
trained pilots often crashed fully-functional planes.
As a result, cockpit interiors were redesigned to
include more easily differential controls and more
logical control placement, grouping similar
functions together.

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After World War II, the focus of concern expanded
to include worker safety as well as productivity.
Research began in a variety of areas such as:
• Muscle force required to perform manual tasks
• Compressive low back disk force when lifting
• Cardiovascular response when performing heavy
labor
• Perceived maximum load that can be carried,
pushed or pulled

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Areas of knowledge that involved human
behavior and attributes (i.e., decision making
process, organization design, human perception
relative to design) became known as cognitive
ergonomics or human factors. Areas of
knowledge that involved physical aspects of the
workplace and human abilities such as force
required to lift, vibration and reaches became
known as industrial ergonomics or ergonomics.
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After the innovations of World War II,
ergonomics continued to flourish, as its
principles were further applied to evolving
technologies. The Space Race lead to what could
be called “hypothetical ergonomics,” as
scientists tried to predict the effects of
weightlessness and extreme g-forces on human
functions.

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Perhaps the most significant development in
modern ergonomics was in the field of human-
computer interaction, brought on by the
explosion of computer usage in the workplace
and, soon after, the home.

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The science of modern ergonomics includes the
work of industrial engineers, occupational
medical physicians, safety engineers, and many
others studying both “cognitive ergonomics”
(human behavior, decision making processes,
perception relative to design, etc.) and
“industrial ergonomics” (physical aspects of the
workplace, human physical abilities, etc.).

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Nearly every aspect of modern life now includes
some level of ergonomic design. Automobile
interiors, kitchen appliances, office chairs and
desks, and other frequently used devices are
designed ergonomically.

Even the machines and tools used to build and

assemble those devices are superbly ergonomic.
By maximizing efficiency and, more importantly,
user comfort and safety, ergonomics continues
to make life easier.

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 Social Significance of Ergonomics
1. Safety
2. Health
3. Comfort
4. Efficiency

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The Five Elements of the Work System and its
External Environment
(Adapted from Carayon and Smith 1989)

(Source: Work System-Balance Theory, HFE, Salvendy, Retrieved

on September 1, 2013)
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The worker who is the human element of the
workplace has a range of characteristics that
need to be considered including physical or
learning capacities, education, experiences and
skills; age, sex, personality, health and personal
or physical challenges. The personal needs like
family life and aspirations of individuals are to
be considered also.

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The task or job design refers to the activity the
individual is required to perform and how to
perform it. It includes job content, work
demands, restrictions and time requirements
such as deadlines, individual’s control over
workload including autonomy in decision-
making, collaboration with other employees,
and responsibilities of the job.

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Physical environment refers to buildings,
facilities, work areas and spaces, lighting, noise,
vibration, odor, ventilation and the thermal
environment.

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Tools and technology are also referred to as the
hardware of the workplace. It includes
machinery and equipment, tools, protective
clothing, furniture and fixtures that employees
use to perform their task.

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Organizational condition refers to the broader
situation of how work is organized and how it
affects individuals. It includes work pattern,
workload variation, work schedule, rest and
work breaks, trainings or opportunities to learn
new skills, supervision and consultation,
organizational difficulties and inefficiencies,
teamwork, workplace culture, safety, as well as
the broader economic and social influences.
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According to the Work–System Balance Theory
of Carayon and Smith, ergonomics should
maintain a balance with all the five elements of
the Work System. All the main parts should
interact with one another in a state of symbiosis
or harmony. A malfunction of one element of
the system will put a strain on the other
elements of the system, thereby, increasing the
demand on other elements.
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REFERENCES:
(Source: Work System-Balance Theory, HFE,
Salvendy, Retrieved on September 1, 2013)

Dul and Weerdmeester (2003)

https://www.ergonomics.jp/
https://ergoweb.com/

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 FINISH

Prepared by Rhodora N. Buluran, PIE