Ergonomic Tips (02/03)
Stretch Break Pro
by John R. Chait D.C., drchait@home.com
Member of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc.
History of Ergonomics
Ergonomics has been in existence since the late 19th century when a man named Frederick W. Taylor completed a series of studies which bestowed upon the world of business a strong foundation of understanding which defines our contemporary outlook on work. Fredrick's efforts had such an impact on the business world of today that he has been named the father of scientific management.
Originally,
Taylor's interest in scientific management arose from the campaign of a
progressive activist group that was looking to improve the work situations of
the middle classes as well as their employers by staging large scale changes
in manufacturing processes. The efforts in this group in conjunction with his
own observations as a foreman in a metals shop caused Taylor to experiment
with these studies.
First, Taylor recorded the amount of time it took for his workers to complete a specific task. Then, by rearranging the equipment to a more comfortable layout he noticed a substantial increase in productivity. Secondly, Taylor began using psychological methods such as encouragement and appreciation to optimize production.
After exercising several studies, Taylor developed a series of theories which became widely known as "Taylorism." These theories were popularized during World War I as businesses began to pay more attention to personnel selection, work methods, work standards, and motivation. Taylor consolidated his expertise on defining the capabilities and limitations of human labor. From this information contemporary managers are more easily able to amplify productivity by correctly marching employees to tasks, improving work methods, and defining work standards. Taylor evaluated jobs to determine the "One Best Way" they could be performed. At Bethlehem Steel, Taylor dramatically increased worker production and wages in a shoveling task by matching the shovel with the type of material that was being moved (ashes, coal or ore).
Frank
and Lillian Gilbreth made jobs more efficient and less fatiguing through time
motion analysis and standardizing tools, materials and the job process. By
applying this approach, the number of motions in bricklaying was reduced from
18 to 4.5 allowing bricklayers to increase their pace of laying bricks from
120 to 350 bricks per hour.
World War II prompted greater interest in human-machine interaction as the efficiency of sophisticated military equipment (i.e., airplanes) could be compromised by bad or confusing design. Design concepts of fitting the machine to the size of the soldier and logical/understandable control buttons evolved.
After World War II, the focus of concern expanded to include worker safety as well as productivity. Research began in a variety of areas such as:
* Muscle force required to perform manual tasks
* Compressive low back disk force when lifting
* Cardiovascular response when performing heavy labor
* Perceived maximum load that can be carried, pushed or pulled
Areas of knowledge that involved human behavior and attributes (i.e., decision making process, organization design, human perception relative to design) became known as cognitive ergonomics or human factors. Areas of knowledge that involved physical aspects of the workplace and human abilities such as force required to lift, vibration and reaches became known as industrial ergonomics or ergonomics.
The broad group focus and name duality continues at this time. Contributors to ergonomics/human factors concepts include industrial engineers, industrial psychologists, occupational medicine physicians, industrial hygienists, and safety engineers. Professions that use ergonomics/human factors information include architects, occupational therapists, physical therapists, occupational medicine nurses, and insurance loss control specialists. :
The potential of ergonomics is becoming widely recognized by industry, government, labor and the general public. Ergonomics has contributed to the development of industrial workplaces, transportation, aerospace systems, office design, computer hardware, software, and consumer products. It is testament to the importance as well as the success of ergonomics that its scope of application is expanding at an accelerated rate to encompass virtually all aspects of human activity at work, at home and at play. :
Copyright 2003. This article is from the February 2003 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/
The Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc. has 1,100+ members and was established in 1982. We are members of the Assoc. of PC User Groups (APCUG), the Florida Assoc. of PC Users Groups, Inc., and we are members of the America Online Ambassador Program.
See http://www.spcug.org for all reviews from the Sarasota PC Monitor, go to the Newsletter Section.