subject: The Founders Of Ergonomics [print this page] Many people believe that ergonomics is a new concept. They do not realize the history behind this amazing science and how it has helped people for many years. The concept of ergonomics is one that has been around for a long time.
Since the beginning of time, man has searched for ways to do things differently - methods to do things quicker, more efficiently and at the same time, reduce as much physical and emotional stress as possible. It is a fact that man has become more knowledgeable through the centuries and he has been able to use this to help make life easier and less stressful, while accomplishing more than ever.
Based on findings, scientists believe that early man made tools from pebbles and scoops from antelope bones in an attempt to accomplish their tasks quicker and more efficiently. Tools, machines, and various work processes were created and fine-tuned through the centuries, improving the effectiveness of their tasks. The Industrial Revolution brought even more creative ways of doing things with the invention of the spinning jenny and rolling mills. The concepts behind developing these products are the same ideas behind much of ergonomics today.
Work-related injuries are documented back into the sixteenth century, as Bernardino Ramazinni wrote in his medical journal about complaints from his patients. In his publication "De Morbis Artificum (Diseases of Workers)", he wrote an entire section about the relationship between various injuries and occupations. In 1857, Wojciech Jastrzebowski created the word "ergonomics" in a narrative he wrote about the science of nature. "Ergon" means work and "nomos" means natural law. In other words, it literally means "how to work according to nature" - as opposed to fighting against what is naturally best for us.
In the early 1900's, Scientific Management became popular. This was a method whereby a worker could have greater efficiency by improving the process of the task. At this time, industry production was still mostly man power and motion. Basic ergonomic concepts were used, but not completely understood or taken to their full potential.
Frederick W. Taylor was most interested in ergonomics and enjoyed evaluating various tasks to find the "one best way" to perform them. The workers experienced less stress and repetition through the various tools he created for factories. Of course, along with this idea, the number of work injuries decreased while production levels increased. Taylor's idea was to get the most output in the shortest amount of time.
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were interested in Taylor's theory, but had a different approach. Instead, they wanted to reduce the movements required to get a job finished. This concept truly takes us to the heart of ergonomics, which embraces the concept of maintaining a healthy body while performing necessary jobs. The Gilbreth's used time motion analysis and also made standards for tools and materials. Gilbreth completely changed the way bricklayers work, increasing their number of laid bricks from 120 to 350 bricks per hour. Through the changes, there was not only a decrease of strain on the worker's bodies, but also an increase in production. Lillian Gilbreth was an industrial engineer for General Electric and she interviewed over 4,000 women to learn the design that women preferred while working at their stoves, sinks and other appliances in their homes.
The ideas of ergonomics continued to develop. During World War II in 1943, an Army officer, Alphonse Chapanis, learned that if the control layouts in the cockpits of planes were simplified, the pilots made fewer errors. In other words, these pioneers of ergonomics learned that if we do things in a different way, we can often be more productive and safer.
It was after World War II that ergonomics began to include not only productivity, but also the safety of the workers. Research began to take place in various areas including: the affect of heavy labor on the heart; the maximum loads that should be pulled, pushed or carried; the amount of muscle force that should be required to perform manual tasks; and the force on the back when lifting heavy objects. Many sciences such as physicians, engineers and psychologists work together on ergonomic ideas to develop new ideas on how people can avoid injuring their bodies and work more efficiently.
Ergonomics is a concept that has been with us for many centuries. Although it was not perfected as today, people have been looking for new ideas of productivity and health for centuries. The less strain we feel on our bodies, the easier it will be for us to do the tasks at hand and also do a better job. Ergonomic products are becoming more popular, as people everywhere are beginning to realize that with these devices and designs, they feel better and are able to get as much work, or even more work, accomplished in the same amount of time.
