Management and Ergonomics

Management and Ergonomics- It is the study of the “fit” between equipment, its users, and the overall working environment. It is thus the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the employee.

Types of Ergonomics

• Physical: This branch deals with the relationship between physical stress and the human body. In an organizational context physical ergonomics concerns itself with the study of physical work conditions. For example, posture, repetitive gestures, unnatural body movements would be studied and corrected using physical ergonomics. A focus on it typically results in increased productivity, improved efficiency, better morale, and a reduction in attrition/absenteeism.
• Cognitive: This is concerned with mental processes rather than physical working conditions. Thus, how a worker perceives, retains, recalls and reasons through work processes falls under the domain of cognitive ergonomics. Decision-making, mental workloads and interactions between machines and humans are also a focus of cognitive ergonomics. The main concerns of this are worker safety and product quality.
• Organization: This looks at how organizational systems can be optimized to reach maximum performance and includes technical systems, organization structures, organization policies and any relevant processes. The objective of organizational ergonomics is to create a work system that promotes employee satisfaction. It looks at several aspects of the work process such as communication, work design, hours of work and quality management.

Importance of Ergonomics

• Focusing on it makes good business sense because it directly affects worker productivity.
• Providing a healthy and safe work environment to workers reduces their exposure to work-related disabilities and undue stress.
• Employers benefit from increased productivity as jobs become easier and more comfortable for the worker.
• The good ergonomic design also reduces absenteeism because of sickness, fatigue and other physical injuries. It also lowers the worker’s compensation costs for the employer. 

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