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What is Ergonomics?

The term ergonomics comes from the Greek syllables ergon, which means “work”; and nomos, which means “laws”, first appeared in a Polish article published in 1857, but the modern discipline did not take shape until half a century later.  The study of human factors did not gain much public attention until World War II (1939-1945).  Accidents with military equipment were often blamed on human error, but investigations revealed that some were caused by poorly designed controls.  The modern discipline of ergonomics was born in the United Kingdom on July 12, 1949, at a meeting of those interested in human work problems in the British navy.  At another meeting, held on February 16, 1950, the term ergonomics was formally adopted for this growing discipline.       

             Today in the United States, ergonomics professionals belong to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), an organization with over 5,000 members interested in topics ranging from aging and aerospace to computers.  The HFES is active in developing national and international technical standards to help improve the design of products and workplaces.  Ergonomists also work with the United States Ocupational Safety and Health administration(OSHA) to develop ergonomic guidelines, standards, and regulations to ensure the safety and comfort of American workers.

Ergonomic design makes consumer products safer, easier to use, and more reliable.  In many manufacturing industries, ergonomists work with designers to develop products that fit the bodies and meet the expectations of the people who will use them.  An ergonomically designed toothbrush, for example, has a broad handle for easy grip, a bent neck for easier access to back teeth, and a bristle head shaped for better tooth surface contact.  The shaving razor has undergone a similar design revolution.  The bent-handled, easy-grip models popular today are more comfortable to use and have a better shaving performance than the straight-edged razors of days gone by.

Ergonomic design has dramatically changed the interior appearance of automobiles.  The steering wheel—once a solid, awkward disk—is now larger and padded for an easier, more comfortable grip.  Its center is removed to improve the driver’s view of the instruments on the dashboard.  Larger, contoured seats, adjustable to suit a variety of body sizes and posture preferences, have replaced the small, upright seats of early automobiles.  Equipped with seatbelts and adjustable headrests that prevent the neck from snapping backward in the event of a collision, modern automobile seats are not only more comfortable, they are also safer.  The principles of ergonomic design affect other features of the automobile as well.  The center-mounted rear windshield brake light, now a required component of all new automobiles, is an ergonomic innovation that saves lives.