Corporate Social Review Magazine 1st Quarter 2012 | Page 51

Review NEWS REVIEW REVIEW Ergonomics: Clearing away the confusion Words by Tyron Louw (MSc. Research Student; Department of Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, Rhodes University) W hen I tell people I study ergonomics many are mystified by the concept. Most liken it to some sort of pain alleviation; expensive to implement; or the know-how needed to create a better office chair. In short, ergonomists are able to calculate how the body will respond to different stresses, but they are not doctors and cannot diagnose disorders; true ergonomics is not a cash cow; and while office ergonomics is possibly the most widely known arm of ergonomics, ergonomists do more than provide new chairs for people. Although public awareness of the word ergonomics has improved in recent years, public understanding of this discipline remains scant; ergonomics is concerned with finding ways to keep people productive, efficient, safe, and comfortable while they perform tasks. The basic premise is to make the task fit the person, rather than the other way around. Ergo Web Inc. defines ergonomics in a proactive sense: “Ergonomics removes barriers to quality, productivity, and safe human performance in human-machine systems by fitting products, equipment, tools, systems, tasks, jobs, and environments to people.” The International Ergonomics Association (IEA) divides the field into three domains: physical, cognitive, and organisational. Physical ergonomics deals with how the human body responds to 49 physical and physiological stress, taking into account characteristics of the human such as anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics as they relate to physical activity. When ergonomic principles are ignored in the workplace, musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) may occur. However the reduction of MSD-risk or decrease in worker’s compensation cost is a main concern of physical ergonomics. Cognitive ergonomics is an emerging subset of the larger field of human factors. It focuses on the fit between human cognitive abilities and limitations, and the machine-task-and-environment. Cognitive ergonomics is concerned with mental processes such as perception, memory, reasoning, and motor response, as they affect interactions among humans and other elements of a system such as mental workload, decision-mak- CORPORATE SOCIAL REVIEW ing, human-computer interaction, and work stress. Cognitive ergonomics is important for operators in modern industries. Organisational ergonomics (a.k.a. macro ergonomics) is focused on the optimisation of socio-technical systems (organisational structures, processes, and policies), which proves that ergonomics as such is not just about how individuals interact with objects. Organisational ergonomics develop communication, work design, teamwork, crew resource management, teleworking, shift work, safety culture, job satisfaction, and motivation. The goal is to achieve a fully harmonised work system to ensure job satisfaction and employee commitment. The basis of the balance model (Figure 1) is that all elements of a system interact. If all elements are not designed to fit together, this may lead to safety, productivity, efficiency, or quality problems. The goal is to achieve cost savings or cost avoidance by balancing all elements of the system. Ergonomists understand the huge potential of the human factors/ergonomics discipline for improving employee health, safety, and comfort as well as human and system productivi ty. The science of ergonomics is making tremendous advances and research contributions.