| Ergonomics is the science of work. Derived
from the Greek words ergon (work) and nomos
(laws).
The official International
Ergonomics Association (IEA) definition of ergonomics is
as follows: "Ergonomics is the scientific discipline concerned
with the understanding of interactions among humans and other
elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory,
principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize
human
well-being
and overall system performance.
Ergonomists contribute to the
design and evaluation of tasks, jobs, products, environments
and systems in order to make them compatible with the needs,
abilities and limitations of people". Taken from http://iea.cc/
Ergonomics has a number of domains
of specialisation. These include the following broad
areas: physical, cognitive and organisational
ergonomics. Practicing Ergonomists are likely to come
from a number of diverse areas, but all will be concerned with
the assessment of people in their working environments.
Ergonomics in Industrially Developing Countries (IDCs) is a
major focus for ESSA as we work at growing the discipline in
Africa.
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