CHAPTER 04: ERGONOMICS

LECTURE 01
DATE: 22.11.2015

4.1. INTRODUCTION
4.2. TYPES OF INTERACTION BETWEEN MEN AND
MACHINE
4.3. ROLE OF ERGONOMICS IN WORK PLACE
4.4. DISCIPLINES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO HUMAN
FACTORS
4.5. ANTHROPOMETRICS
4.6. PHYISOLOGY
4.7. PSYCHOLOGY
4.8. VISUAL DISPLAYS
4.9. CASE STUDIES

4.1.
INTRODUCTION
Ergonomics is a relatively new science and can be described as 'The
science study of looking at human beings in their work
environment.' It helps to minimize stress in work setting and
maximize efficiency.
Ergonomics is the study of how people work (rest and play) in their
environment, which could be an office, school, factory or even at
home.
In simple terms ergonomics is about how to make people more
efficient at what they do.
Effective Use of ergonomic principles improves:Productivity, Morale
and, Stress Reduction
It studies the interactions or relations between MAN-MACHINE
and MAN-ARTIFACT.

EXAMPLE

4.2. TYPES OF INTERACTION

Most machines work in coordination with people.

There are four ways a person interacts with the
product:
as occupant of work space,
as power source,
as sensor, and
as a controller.
It forms the basis of the study of the human factors
that play a major role in the design of a device.
Products are perceived to be best if they are:
comfortable to use (there is a good match between
the device and the person in workspace),
they are easy to use (minimal power required),
their operating conditions is easily sensed,
and their control logic is natural, or used friendly.
concern for safety.

4.2. TYPES OF INTERACTION

an unsafe design will never be perceived as quality
product. Customers assume that neither they nor
others will be injured, and that no property will be
destroyed (obvious exceptions are products that are
designed to destroy or injure).
further human interactions issues.
devices that spend their operating life remote from all
human interaction, at the bottom of a well or in a deep
space, must first be assembled. The assembler must
interface with the device.
devices have to be maintained
Human factors must be taken into account for every
person who comes into contact with the product,
whether
during
manufacturing,
operation,
maintenance and repair or disposal.

GAS-POWERED LAWN MOWER

occupy a work space around the

mower
Starting bend in this space to
reach the starting of mechanism
Pushing position yourself while
holding your arms at a certain
height to push and steer the mower.
a source of power
Even if electrically started
you have to push a button
or turn a key.
muscle power to steer it,
whether you are walking
behind or riding it

GAS-POWERED LAWN MOWER

act as a sensor
listening to determine if anything is
stuck in the mower, and feeling
with your hands any feedback
motion through seeing whether
you are going so that you can
steering that might give you
information on how well you are
guiding the mower.
act as a controller
Based on the information received
by the sensory inputs, you. You
determine how much power to
provide and in what direction the
mower under control.

ROLE OF ERGONOMICS IN WORK PLACE

Ergnomics is about making things the right shape, size and
weight for humans.
Ergnomics also considers noise, vibration, light, and smell.
The designer should aim for sitting position of work when it is not
possible due to nature of work then only standing position should be
considered
Any unnatural position of the body should be avoided for reduction
of body fatigue
The working area should be properly designed both for sitting and
standing postures of the body
The most frequent movement of the arms should be close to the body
as possible so that a person can use implements without stretching
them
The system requiring the use of knobs, levers, hand grips and push
buttons should be properly designed and located for efficient control
as they directly influence the efficiency of the operator.

COMPUTER
OPERATOR
people who spend a long

time in
the same position do not develop
painful and crippling problems
such as repetitive strain injury
(RSI) - design a better chair adjustable chairs
The heating, lighting and noise are
carefully controlled - to work
efficiently

ILLUSTRATIONS ON APPLICATION OF ERGONOMIC PRINCIPLES

SITTING AND STANDING POSTURES

ILLUSTRATIONS ON APPLICATION OF ERGONOMIC PRINCIPLES

SITTING AND STANDING POSTURES

ILLUSTRATIONS ON APPLICATION OF ERGONOMIC PRINCIPLES

SITTING AND STANDING POSTURES

MATERIAL
HANDLING

TOOL
DESIGN

CONTROL
PANEL

DISCIPLINES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO

HUMAN FACTORS

The basic human sciences involved are anatomy, physiology and

psychology. These sciences are applied by the ergonomist towards
two main objectives:
the most productive use of human capabilities and,
the maintenance of human health and well-being.
1) Anatomy or Anthropometrics
t s bascally the study of the structure of the human body.
The study of human measurements such as height, arm length,
reaches,etc. helps engineers to design for varous crtera
demanded by the human body.
The contribution of anatomy lies in improving physical fit
between people and the things they use, ranging from hand tools
to aircraft cockpit design.

DISCIPLINES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO

HUMAN FACTORS

2) Physiology
The study of bodily strength, fatigue, reaction times etc.
a) Work physiology addresses the energy requirements of the body
and sets standards for acceptable physical workrate and workload,
and for nutrition requirements.
b) Environmental physiology analyses the impact of physical
working conditions thermal, noise and vibration, and lighting
and sets the optimum requirements for these.

DISCIPLINES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO

HUMAN FACTORS

3. Psychology
It is concerned with human information processing and decisionmaking capabilities. In simple terms, it is the cognitive fit
between people and the things they use. Relevant topics are:
perception, long and short-term memory, decision-making and
action.
a) Physiological Psychology Deals with the functioning of the
brain and the nervous system. eg. When a sound or smell comes
from the environment, the brain reacts and a decision is made.
b) Experimental Psychology Deals with the parameters of human
behaviour.

DISCIPLINES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO

HUMAN FACTORS

4) Management: Deals with the organization of the work and the

work space.eg. Where you should put the things in a kitchen or in
an office.
5) Engneerng: Gives information about the environment the
human is within. This is important because, for example, the
temperature or the amount of humidity in a room has to be known
to obtain human comfort.
6) Desgn: Is the way of representation of any artifact.When we
design any artifact we must consider human health, safety, and
comfort. We use ergonomic principles to do this.

ANTHROPOMETRICS
The challenge for designers and engineers is to design things
which can be used by the majority of the population. Because we
are all different this often means providing a limited form of
adjustment.
This is the branch of ergonomics that deals with body shape, size,
weight, strength, proportions, and working capacity of the human
body.
It is the technology of measuring human physical traits such as
size, reach, mobility and strength.
It is the study of human body measurement for use in
anthropological classification and comparison.

ANTHROPOMETRICS
The science of anthropometrics provides data on dimensions of
the human body in various postures and other physical
characteristics. The application of this information is useful to the
design of things they use from something as simple as a pencil to
something as complex as a car.
The drivers seat in a car has a number of adjustments which allow
it to be customized by each driver.
It is only Formula One drivers who have cockpits tailor-made to
their own measurements! Knowing the measurements of the
person or persons for whom you are designing is the key to
successful design.
Anthropometric side of ergonomics is matching the physical form
and dimensions of the product or work space to those of its user;
and Matching the physical demands of the working task to the
capacities of the work force.

ANTHROPOMETRICS

PHYISOLOGY
Science of how living things work. This subject is of interest to
designers so that they can design products or systems within the
limitations of the human body.
The designer must also consider which part of the body is most suited
to performing a specific task.
Legs are stronger than arms more suited to simple repetitive tasks
involving large forces such as applying the brakes.
Hands and fingers more nimble and are better suited to finer
controls such as a steering wheel or adjusting the volume on a radio.
shape and size of hand - grips vary tremendously and depend on the
tasks that they are used for.

PHYISOLOGY - EXAMPLES
a gas cooker ring
The cooker control has a smooth
texture and no grip as it is easy to
turn and is used for fine adjustment
chair adjuster
has to be gripped firmly to enable
the user to tighten it; therefore it
has been serrated to provide plenty
of grips.

18 COMMON TYPES OF CONTROL

18 COMMON TYPES

18 COMMON TYPES

BIOMECHANICS (THE MECHANICS OF HUMAN

BODY) FORCE / POWER TO ACTUATE ITS
CONTROLS

PHYISOLOGY - FORCE / POWER TO

ACTUATE ITS CONTROLS

PSYCHOLOGY
study of the mind and the way it works
Using your five senses you transmit information from the world
around you to your brain.
The brain interprets this information and provokes a reaction.
For example, a sudden loud noise will prompt you to cover your ears
with your hands.
All aspects of the environment affect the way you behave i.e. if it is
sunny you may feel happy and if it is cloudy you may feel sad.
In the same way a bright room will heighten your senses whereas a
dull room will make you subdued. There are a variety of aspects of
product design which will affect your behavior and having an
understanding of how the mind works is important when designing
the human/product interface.

PSYCHOLOGY
study of the mind and the way it works
product semantics
The shape of a product can also suggest its function and dictate the
way in which used - The position of the input and output trays,
combined with the rounded form, suggest the path of the paper
through the printer.

PSYCHOLOGY
study of the mind and the way it works
Designers can improve the human/product interface by making a
product easy to use.
The user must be able to easily sense important information be it
through touch, sight or sound and then react accordingly.
For example the on/off button must be easy to find
symbols for each of the different functions of a product should be
easy to understand.
product semantics
The shape of a product can also suggest its function and dictate the
way in which used - The position of the input and output trays,
combined with the rounded form, suggest the path of the paper
through the printer.

PSYCHOLOGY
study of the mind and the way it works
Designers can improve the human/product interface by making a
product easy to use.
The user must be able to easily sense important information be it
through touch, sight or sound and then react accordingly.
For example the on/off button must be easy to find
symbols for each of the different functions of a product should be
easy to understand.
product semantics
The shape of a product can also suggest its function and dictate the
way in which used - The position of the input and output trays,
combined with the rounded form, suggest the path of the paper
through the printer.

VISUAL DISPLAY
controls for interface with humans

VISUAL DISPLAY
controls for interface with humans

VISUAL DISPLAY
controls for interface with humans