Have you ever heard the words ergonomics or ergonomics? This term refers to the principle that emphasizes physical and mental posture to prevent pain or illness due to working for long periods of time. There is actually only one goal of ergonomics, namely to improve health so that the quality of human life can increase. There has been a lot of research discussing the principles of ergonomics. Ergonomics in particular is always discussed when talking about office work that requires you to sit for long periods of time. The reason is that there are so many employees who complain of pain in their waist, shoulders, back and neck due to working too long. That's why ergonomics is here to make everyone aware of maintaining their health and well-being. But furthermore ergonomics has another purpose that you need to know. Are you curious about the purpose of ergonomics? Let's see in full below.
What is the Goal of Ergonomics?
The ergonomics are actually quite good, which is very useful for maintaining health by maintaining body posture. But not only that, ergonomics has three main goals, namely:
- The application of ergonomics tries to create balance in various aspects such as technical, anthropological, economic and cultural aspects. In the future, it is hoped that the application of ergonomics can create a better quality of work and life than before.
- Improving physical and mental well-being through efforts to prevent disease, reduce physical and mental workload, and strive for promotion and job satisfaction.
- Increased social welfare due to better quality of social contacts. The application of ergonomics also seeks to manage and organize work effectively so that it can increase social security, both in productive age and after becoming unproductive.
The three goals above can be summed up as a unified whole and prioritize understanding interactions between humans and their surroundings to improve their quality of life and welfare. Also Read:
7 Applications of Ergonomics in the Workplace and Their Benefits Problems that Can Be Avoided When Applying Ergonomics
The application of ergonomics which aims to improve human welfare and quality of life really has a very positive impact. Its application in various fields of work can specifically prevent you from problems that are very fatal if left alone. Here are some examples of problems that can be avoided.
1. Injury
Injuries can occur when parts of your body are in abnormal positions. It can also happen if parts of your body are under heavy load for a long period of time. For example, when lifting heavy objects using your hands all day. This will certainly put pressure on the bones and joints in the palms. If heavy loads continue to be carried by the hands, the potential for injury becomes very high. However, with the implementation of ergonomics, your hands will remain in a normal condition without excessive stress.
2. Fatal work accident
The application of ergonomics to work, especially those that use a lot of hand, shoulder and waist strength, can reduce the potential for fatal work accidents. Various jobs such as cutting metal by squatting or lifting heavy materials can result in work accidents. Your spine, which was previously in a normal condition, can become bent excessively or eventually even break.
3. Posture Disorders
Squatting or bending for too long can turn good posture into excessive slouching. This can happen due to various types of work. Starting from field work to indoors. Your posture can change when you lift a lot of heavy objects throughout the day. On the other hand, body posture also changes when you sit hunched over for a long time. Both of them cause posture disorders. But with the application of ergonomics, this problem can be avoided. The use of tools that prioritize ergonomics really helps maintain the normal body posture of each worker. Also read: This is the correct sitting position when reading
Ergonomics Principles
All the problems described previously can be avoided when companies and employees consciously apply the principles of ergonomics. There are at least 10 ergonomic principles that you need to know, namely:
- Reduce excess load.
- Work according to the height of body dimensions.
- Always place equipment within arm's reach without bending over.
- Have sufficient clearance.
- Create a comfortable work environment.
- Work in normal body posture.
- Minimize static movement.
- Minimizes load points.
- Minimize repetitive or excessive movements.
- Stretch while working.