It comes from the Greek word ERGON, which means WORK and NOMOS, which means LAW: LABOR RULES.
Pereda (1993): «Discipline that studies how people, machines and the environment communicate with each other, in order to act among themselves or some of its elements, to optimize the criteria of efficacy, safety, comfort and satisfaction»
According to Oliver (1996) the ergonomics classes are:
1. Psychosocial ergonomics. It deals with man's interaction with the environment, be it the immediate one or the one that encompasses the organization, with all that this entails.
2. Cognitive Ergonomics. It focuses on increasing representational compatibility between worker and machine, with an emphasis on the operator doing the work and the way it is done, rather than focusing on the technology component or the environment.
3. Geometric ergonomics. It focuses its attention on man's relationships with the workplace, seeking to optimize work space and posture, whether static or in motion.
4. Environmental ergonomics. Study the relationship between man and the environment, taking into account the incidence of environmental factors on the health of the worker, the most important being physical (temperature, lighting, vibration, noise), chemical and biological.
5. Temporal ergonomics or chronoergonomy. It is dedicated to the time-health relationship, both physical and psychological, focusing on the rhythms of biological and social work, together with its impact on the worker, the environment and the organization.
But how do you design workplaces that meet acceptable ergonomic conditions?
When designing jobs, we must design on four fundamental elements:
Factors to take into account when carrying out an ergonomic analysis of jobs:
Organization and job
- Anthropometry: study of the physical and human dimensions and their variations. Biomechanics: it is in charge of studying people in their relationship with work, when they are in a static and moving or dynamic position.
Workplace ergonomics
- Environmental environment conditions Accident risks Dimensional analysis of the Workplace
When carrying out this analysis, it is important to start analyzing the tasks on three basic axes, as can be seen in the following graph: personal abilities, remuneration level and task demands.
When analyzing the tasks, an evaluation of the tasks must be done beforehand thanks to:
- Observational studies (photos, videos, diagrams, etc.) Psychometric Evaluations Use of Questionnaires (check list of specific activities) Interviews Discussion Groups Consultations Critical Incident Analysis
It is important to talk especially about the environmental environment and its characteristics briefly:
Air quality:
- Temperature, Humidity and Air Movement (THM) must be controlled It is important to also consider powders
Noise:
The variables are:
- The type of noise (continuous and impact) The intensity level The frequency The expansion time
The vibrations:
- Segmental vibration - transmitted to a localized area of the body Total body vibration - transmitted while standing or sitting
The lighting:
To consider:
- The intensity of the light that falls on a surface The brightness of the surfaces The reflections that can cause glare
The glare:
Two types:
- Direct: light that falls directly on the eyes Specular: light reflected from a work surface into the eyes
Visual comfort:
Three measures:
- Lighting systems appropriate to the type of task Avoid annoying reflections Anticipate the maintenance of the Facility
