Unit-2

Human factors And Furniture Design

What are Human factors?
 Human Factors

In industry, human factors (also known as ergonomics) is

the study of how humans behave physically and
psychologically in relation to particular environments,
products, or services.
Man- Machine -Environment
 Human Factors

According to a definition shared by the World Health

Organization, human factors “refer to
environmental, organizational and job factors, and
human and individual characteristics which
influence behavior at work in a way which can affect
health and safety.”
These factors can be further isolated to include
several specific elements as follows:

Tasks, workload and work patterns.

Working environment and workplace design.
Workplace culture and communication.
Leadership and resources.
Policies, programs and procedures.
Worker competency and skill.
Employee attitude, personality and risk tolerance
How do human factors impact safety?
• The thing to remember when looking at human
factors is the fact that everyone in the workplace
is indeed “only human.” Thus, they are fallible.
Accidents can normally be attributed to one of
three actions:

1.Errors and unintentional mistakes.

2.Poor judgment and bad decision making.
3.Disregard for procedures.
What about ergonomics? Is that
a human factor?
 Yes.  OSHA recommends a periodic review of workplace
conditions and processes in order to proactively identify
potential issues with ergonomics. This is includes looking at
the facility as a whole, as well as assessing individual
workstations and working practices.  Workers’ compensation,
injury and illness reports will also provide insight into
problem areas. The danger of poor ergonomics is primarily
that of musculoskeletal disorders, which are caused by
repetitive motion, excessive use of bodily force, awkward
posture, temperature extremes, or a combination of these
factors.
Can risks from human factors be eliminated?

No dangers can be fully eliminated from

a workplace. However, proper education
can go a long way in mitigating risk.
END