Occupational Ergonomics: Principles and Applications

Abstract

This chapter provides the basic principles that underlie the field of ergonomics and their application to some of the current issues of importance in the workplace. Sections 2–4 deal with the physiology of muscles; biomechanics; cellular responses to tissue, nerve, and joint injuries as they relate to cumulative trauma disorders; and common types of overuse syndromes. The remaining sections deal with applications of the principles to workplace ergonomic issues and proposed ergonomic regulations. The word “ergonomics” is made up of two Greek words, “ergo” meaning work and “nomas” meaning laws. The field of ergonomics is highly interdisciplinary. It applies principles from engineering, physiology, medicine, and psychology to the understanding of the interaction of humans with their workplace. The interaction of humans with their workplace may consist of identifying the relationship between job physical risk factors and physiological responses. For example, a specific ergonomic problem of paramount importance in the occupational health and safety is the issue of work‐related musculoskeletal disorders (WMD). Some of these issues are discussed further in this chapter. The specific areas of application relevant to the field of ergonomics are defined and briefly explained. Activities that involve repetitive stress have effects that are extremely complicated. Adding internal or external forces to the body can, as described, alter bone, joints, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and muscles. Belief that a repetitive motion will result in an isolated nerve injury without affecting surrounding joints, ligaments, muscles, or tendons is likely to inhibit appropriate care and control of exposed individuals. Additional research is needed to further characterize changes that occur, and current approaches to recognizing, managing, and preventing repetitive injuries must address all tissues in the involved area.

Physiological strain in the Hungarian mining industry: The impact of physical and psychological factors

“…Our results are in agreement with other examples in the literature that showed similar reduction in physiological strain due to better illumination at workplaces [39,40]. In addition to the demonstrated examples ( Figures 6, 7 and Table 3) the complex nature of strain is also confirmed in the literature [27,31,39,41]. In a unique analysis we have shown that those workers who were frequently involved in accidents, experienced greater physiological strain compared to those without history of accidents.…”