INTRODUCTION TO

ERGONOMICS
BMMD 3553 Ergonomics Design
OBJECTIVE:

 Understand the concept of

ergonomics
 Be able to describe ergonomic risk
factors
ERGONOMICS DEFINED
• Early 1700’s, Ramazzini’s study of ill-effects of poor
posture &
poorly designed tools on the health of workers

Greek “Ergon = work, Nomikos

Words = law”
Ergonomic Study of Work Laws
WHAT IS ERGONOMICS?

Modern Definition

Science of fitting workplace

conditions
and job demands to the
capabilities of
the working population
BRIEF HISTORY OF ERGONOMICS
 Ramazzini (1700) -
Ramazzini realized
that a variety of common workers’ diseases
appeared to be caused by prolonged irregular
motions and postures

 Occupational injury and disease has existed since

the
beginnings of “work”.

 Around 1914-1918, institutions were founded in

Britain for occupational medicine
BRIEF HISTORY OF ERGONOMICS

 1857 – Jastrzebowski from Poland –

treatise on “An outline of ergonomics
or Science of Work”
 1949 – the term “Ergonomics” was
coined by Murrell in USA. In USA, the
field is known as “human factors”.
WHAT IS ERGONOMICS?

Ergon – work
Nomos – laws of

Ergonomics is the
laws of work that
define the limits to
human capability.
WHAT IS ERGONOMICS?

Ergonomics is the science of

improving employee performance
and well-being in relation to the
» job tasks,
» equipment, and
» the environment.

Ergonomics is…
» A continuous improvement effort
to design the workplace for what people
do well, and design against what people
don’t do well.
WHAT IS ERGONOMICS?
Ergonomics is fitting the job to the person.
WHICH ONE HAS ERGONOMICS
DESIGN?
APPLYING ERGONOMICS

1. Study, research, &

experimentation
 Evaluate human traits/characteristics
we need to know for engineering design

1. Application & engineering

 Design tools, machines, shelter,
environment, work tasks, and job
procedures to fit and accommodate the
human
ERGONOMICS

Human Machine

Work Environment

Utmost Goal: “Humanization” of Work

Design with “E & E”: Ease and Efficiency
THE BASICS OF ERGONOMICS
 INDUSTRIAL
SAFETY

HEALTH
MACHINE
HANDLING

ATHLETE
SKILL

WILL

COACHING

GREAT EQUIPMENT
APPLICATIONS FLOW OF ERGONOMICS

Anatomy
Orthopedics
Physiology
Medicine
Anthropometry
Psychology
Biomechanics
Sociology
Work Physiology
Industrial Hygiene
Management
Labor Relations
Industrial Engineering
Bio-Engineering
Systems Engineering
Safety Engineering
Military Engineering
Computer-Aided Design
OTHER EXAMPLES OF ERGONOMICS APPLICATIONS
 The climber;
This illustrates sports ergonomics which includes
 identifying the effects of clothing (including footwear, gloves,
headwear, etc) on the body’s ability to cope with physiological
demands (e.g material characteristics of weight, friction, weather
resistance, safety, etc).
 designing equipment such as carabiners, rucksacks, belts in the
case of climbing (bicycles, kayaks, skis, for example, in the case of
other sports) for function, safety, weight-bearing capacity,
usability under all conditions, etc.
OTHER EXAMPLES OF ERGONOMICS APPLICATIONS

 The oil rig

This illustrates ergonomics in the process industries which
includes:
 investigating safety procedures and training.
 designing equipment and tooling fit for the job and for the
environments
that they will be used in.
 assessing personal protective equipment (such as helmets,
gloves, facemasks, etc) to ensure their effectiveness in all
conditions.
 EXAMPLES OF ERGONOMICS
APPLICATIONS
 The Formula One team
This illustrates systems ergonomics which can apply to many
industry sectors and includes:
 identifying and analyzing individual tasks to see how they fit together
to achieve a single goal.
 identifying the number of people needed to perform those tasks and
what skills
are needed.
 carrying out training needs analysis to find gaps in skills and learning,
and then designing training to fill those gaps.
 using appropriate communication systems suitable for the environment
in which people will be working.
 EXAMPLES OF ERGONOMICS
APPLICATIONS
 The health worker
This illustrates healthcare ergonomics which includes:
 identifying the safest way to move and handle patients (safe for both
patient and worker) and designing equipment for the job if none exists.
 investigating packaging and instructions for medication to reduce
errors.
 analyzing design and use of surgical equipment to ensure that it’s fit
for
purpose.
RISK FACTORS

 A risk factor is any attribute,

characteristic or exposure of an
individual that increases the likelihood
of developing a disease or injury.
-Definition by WHO

Some examples of the more important

risk factors are underweight, high blood
pressure, tobacco and alcohol
consumption, and unsafe water,
ERGONOMIC RISK FACTORS

 Repetition
 Awkward postures
 Excessive force/Forceful exertions
 Vibration
 Static postures
 Contact stress
 Extreme temperatures
ERGONOMIC RISK FACTORS

Repetition
 Assembly Line work
 Doing the same thing over
and over again
 Thousands of keystrokes
typing
 Hours of filing, day after
day
 Stamping dozens of
papers
 Frequent lifting
 Repeated motions with
ERGONOMIC RISK FACTORS
Awkward postures refer to positions of the
body (limbs, joints, back) that deviate
significantly from the neutral position while job
tasks are being done
ERGONOMIC RISK FACTORS

Forceful exertions
 Lifting heavy weights
 Exerting too much
force
to operate something
ERGONOMIC RISK FACTORS
Contact Stress : results from occasional, repeated
or continuous contact between sensitive body tissue
and a hard or sharp object.
FORCE + REPETITION
+ POSTURE + NO REST =
FORCE + REPETITION + POSTURE + NO REST

ADD IT ALL UP ---

•CUMULATIVE TRAUMA
DISORDERS!!

A cumulative trauma disorder, also known as CTD, is

defined as the excessive wear and tear on tendons,
muscles and sensitive nerve tissue caused by continuous
use over an extended period of time.
 MECHANISMS OF INJURY
DEVELOPMENT
•  Increased tendon length Inflammation and pain Tissue
remodeling and
• scarring Decreased structural integrity Soft tissue and bone
destruction
•  Sustained muscle contraction
•  Repetitive motions
•  Awkward postures
•  Neurovascular disorders
•  Compression of nerves and arteries on hard surfaces
•  Vibration
•  Sustained muscle contraction,

• repetitive motion and awkward postures

 ERGONOMIC RISK FACTORS

Static postures (or

"static loading") refer to
physical exertion in
which the same posture
or position is held
throughout the exertion.

 Why are static postures

bad? Static postures will
impede the flow of
blood that is needed to
bring nutrients to the
muscles and to carry
away the waste
products of muscle
ERGONOMIC RISK FACTORS
Temperat
ure
 Cold environments impair sensory
and motor function, reduced
manual dexterity and accentuates
symptoms

 Hot environments promote

fatigue, overwhelms the body’s
ability to deal with heat.
ERGONOMIC RISK FACTORS
Vibrati
on
 Contributes to circulatory, skeletal,
and neurological impairment and
fatigue
 Can be local, such as:
 Use of hand tools
 Can be whole body, such as:
 Riding in truck
 Operating jackhammer, floor
buffers...etc
ERGONOMIC RISK FACTORS

•  Magnitude (how much ?)

•  Duration of exposure (how long?)
•  Frequency of exposure ( how
often?)
SUMMARY

•  Define ergonomics according to your understanding.

•  What is “awkward posture”?
•  List down THREE of the ergonomic risk factors.
Q&A