Ergonomics

So, I know this is terribly late but I figured that its better late than never…

When we watched the movie “Objectified” I noticed that they mentioned ergonomics a few times.  I had heard the term before but didn’t know exactly what it meant.  I have since done some research.
The term ergonomics comes from the Latin words “ergon” which means works and “nomoi” which means natural laws.  In a sense it is like engineering in that it purports to improve a system and its efficiency.  The focus is on a system that takes the human element as its central pivot.  Ergonomics attempts to improve the interactions between a person and the objects of their work environments.  It is, in essence, the design of the work place.  The goal is to reduce stress and injury due to repetitive movements, and to decrease the amount of energy and time spent doing a task.

In the context of the workplace it is easy to see how this can be beneficial.  Not only will ergonomics ameliorate many issues a worker may have with their daily jobs causing an increase in overall happiness with their employment which will in turn increase productivity further, but because of this increase in productivity the employer will profit.  Thus, it makes sense that all businesses should employ ergonomics.  It may cost a good deal to hire an ergonomist to evaluate a work environment but if it is done before problems arise then it will save money.  The greater productivity will obviously be good for business, also.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergonomics

http://www.ergonomics.org/

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/index.html

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