Ergonomics in the workplace

Outside of the discipline itself, the term 'ergonomics' is generally used to refer to physical ergonomics as it relates to the workplace (as in for example ergonomic chairs and keyboards). Ergonomics in the workplace has to do largely with the safety of employees, both long and short-term. Ergonomics can help reduce costs by improving safety. This would decrease the money paid out in workers’ compensation. For example, over five million workers sustain overextension injuries per year. Through ergonomics, workplaces can be designed so that workers do not have to overextend themselves and the manufacturing industry could save billions in workers’ compensation.

Workplaces may either take the reactive or proactive approach when applying ergonomics practices. Reactive ergonomics is when something needs to be fixed, and corrective action is taken. Proactive ergonomics is the process of seeking areas that could be improved and fixing the issues before they become a large problem. Problems may be fixed through equipment design, task design, or environmental design. Equipment design changes the actual, physical devices used by people. Task design changes what people do with the equipment. Environmental design changes the environment in which people work, but not the physical equipment they use.

¹Repetitive strain injury (RSI) - is an injury of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems that may be caused by repetitive tasks, vibrations, mechanical compression (pressing against hard surfaces), or sustained or awkward positions.

²overall system performance - загальна продуктивність праці

3. Comprehension:

a) Match the words from (a) with the words from (b) according to the text.

1. b)

1. user interaction

2. to fit

3. to prevent

4. long-term

5. scientific

6. the understanding of

7. to fulfill

8. takes account of

9. tasks, equipment, information and

10. Physical

11. Organizational

12. Cognitive

1. repetitive strain injuries

2. ergonomics

3. with equipment

4. ergonomics

5. disability

6. discipline

7. interactions

8. the two goals

9. the user's capabilities

10. the environment suit each user

11. ergonomics

12. the user

b) Make up sentences putting the words in the correct order beginning from the first word.

1. Ergonomics, the science, designing, of, the workplace, is, the user, environment, to fit.

2. Proper, different, design, can, ergonomic, a lot of, illnesses, prevent.

3. Reactive, where is, when, know, you, a problem, is, ergonomics.

4. Proactive, suppose, where, is, when, will, you, the, problem, appear, ergonomics.

5. Cognitive, mental, processes, thinks, about, ergonomics.

6. The approach, reactive, be, or, proactive, may, to ergonomics.

7. Ergonomics, disciplines, many, in, of humans, draws on, its, and, their, study, environments.

c) Match terms in the box with their definitions.

1.Organizational ergonomics 2.Physical ergonomics 3.Cognitive ergonomics 4.Proactive ergonomics 5.Reactive ergonomics 6.Ergonomics

1. the engineering science concerned with the physical and psychological relationship between machines and the people who use them. 

2. is a branch of ergonomics that deals with the  mental ergonomic aspects.

3. is a branch of ergonomics that deals with the human side of the ergonomic coin such as anatomy, anthropometry, physiology and bio-mechanics.

4. is a branch of ergonomics that deals with the optimization of systems.

5. is responding to an issue that needs fixing and has already caused problems.

6. is to actively seek out potential problems before they happen. 

d) Match two halves of the sentences and translate them.

1. The object of ergonomics is

2. The aspects of cognitive ergonomics include

3. Organizational ergonomics subjects include

4. Ergonomics draws on many disciplines

5. Ergonomics can help

1. reduce costs by improving safety.

2. understanding how your senses work and how you perceive through them.

3. to improve the efficiency of operation by taking into account a typical person's size, strength, speed, visual acuity, and physiological stresses.

4. such as anthropometry, biomechanics, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, industrial design, kinesiology, physiology and psychology.

5. communication, work design, shift (work hours) management, crew resource management, teamwork, virtual organizations, telework, and quality management.

4. Read and say about the importance of human factors. Think of your own examples.

Applications

M ore than twenty technical subgroups within the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) indicate the range of applications for ergonomics. Human factors engineering continues to be successfully applied in the fields of aerospace, aging (старіння), health care, IT, product design, transportation, training, nuclear and virtual environments, among others. Kim Vicente, a University of Toronto Professor of Ergonomics, argues that the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl is attributable to plant designers not paying enough attention to human factors. "The operators were trained but the complexity of the reactor and the control panels nevertheless outstripped (випереджати) their ability to grasp (схоплювати) what they were seeing [during the prelude to the disaster]."

Physical ergonomics is important in the medical field, particularly to those diagnosed with physiological ailments (нездужання) or disorders (непорядках) such as arthritis (both chronic and temporary) or ¹carpal tunnel syndrome. Many ergonomically designed products are also used or recommended to treat or prevent such disorders, and to treat pressure-related chronic pain.

¹a condition characterized by pain and tingling ( відчувати кольки у затерплих місцях) in the fingers, caused by pressure on a nerve as it passes under the ligament(зв’язки) situated across the front of the wrist