Ergonomic furniture has become an effective solution in supporting employee health while working. The presence of ergonomics has brought great benefits to employees and companies. However, do you know about the history of ergonomics until it was finally applied to furniture?
PEXIO will provide a complete review of ergonomics in this article, starting from its definition, history, objectives and scope. Read until the end so that you better understand the ins and outs of ergonomic furniture.
What is Ergonomic Furniture?
Ergonomic furniture is furniture that is designed or used to increase efficiency and comfort in the work area. You can be more productive and effective when completing work and no longer complain about discomfort thanks to the presence of ergonomic furniture. Ergonomic furniture consists of a variety of chair and table designs according to the needs of the user. Ergonomic chairs are designed to maintain the health of the human spine. Apart from that, there are also ergonomic tables whose height can be adjusted according to the user's height. You need to understand that the design of ordinary furniture and ergonomics are very different. For example, traditional work chairs do not have wheels and the backrest is too upright. This design is certainly less comfortable to use for a long time. However, ergonomic work chairs are different because they are equipped with a neck rest, lumbar support (waist support), and have wheels underneath. You can see examples of ergonomic chair designs in BRIGHTON products.
Ergonomics Goals
There are three goals of implementing ergonomics in office furniture, namely:
1. Improved work system balance
Ergonomic furniture is designed to improve the balance of technical, anthropological, cultural and economic aspects in the work system. This balance aims to create high quality work.
2. Improved Physical Well-Being
Ergonomic furniture designs are designed in such a way that users do not experience injuries or illnesses such as low back pain. Employee satisfaction increases so they have the opportunity to improve their careers thanks to this furniture.
3. Increasing Social Welfare
The application of ergonomics also aims to increase the quality of communication and coordination between employees. This good quality of cooperation will improve social welfare thereby reducing miscommunication or disputes. Also read: 7 Applications of Ergonomics in the Workplace and Their Benefits
History of Ergonomics
Ergonomics has gone through a long history of implementation. Even though it is synonymous with modern design, in fact the application of ergonomics has been around since prehistoric times. Check out the journey of ergonomics from time to time below.
1. Prehistoric Period
The principles of ergonomics can be seen in the transformation of the use of tools. Initially, humans only used equipment or tools to survive and face natural attacks. Time passes and people's lifestyles change to become more cultured, but their demands on life increase. Therefore, they changed some simple tools to make them easier and more efficient to use. For example, ordinary stones used for all purposes began to be sharpened into knives so that their function was more specific.
2. The Age of the Industrial Revolution
These ergonomic principles continued until the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. In 1831, Thackrah, a British doctor, observed the body postures of workers around him. He really cares about body posture as part of human health. At that time, he saw a tailor working with the position and dimensions of the chair and the lighting was not good. As a result, the tailor had a bent body and often experienced back pain. The solution to this problem was initiated by Gilbreth, an engineer from the United States, in 1911. He published a motion study containing a solution to overcome body posture by creating a table that could be adjusted up and down according to the user's anthropometry. Elton Mayo, a researcher from Australia, also researched ergonomics based on room lighting in 1933.
3. World War II period
The need for ergonomics can actually be seen from the use of military equipment used since World War II (1942-1945). The discipline of ergonomics is starting to be developed in order to create machines that suit human needs. Unfortunately, ergonomics could not be developed because of the economic and personnel crisis caused by the war. World War II was proof that technological advances forced humans to adapt to machine designs that were not necessarily suitable. For example, there have been plane crashes because the placement of the configuration equipment was considered less ergonomic, not because the pilot was not skilled. That was the moment when the discipline of ergonomics was born, namely in 1947.
4. The Present (1960 and Beyond)
The science of ergonomics has continued to develop since the 1960s so that it can be accepted by many countries. Knowledge that was originally applied to war machines is now applied in various fields, such as computers (hardware and software), weapons systems, other adaptive technologies to furniture such as tables and chairs and ergonomic computer desks. The discipline of ergonomics, which is also known as human factors, began to enter Indonesia in 1969. At that time, many government and private institutions began to be established in the field of Occupational Safety and Health Ergonomics. Also read: 10 Best Ergonomic Chairs and Their Prices in 2022
Scope of Ergonomics
Ergonomics as a scientific discipline that studies human capabilities and limitations certainly has a scope of study within it. There are four scopes of ergonomics, namely:
1. Physical Ergonomics Study
This study relates to human physical activity, such as body anatomy, anthropometrics, physiology and biomechanical characteristics. Physical ergonomics covers topics in the form of: work posture, design and layout of work locations, employee safety and health, and so on. Also read: Correct Sitting Position to Maintain Bone Health
2. Cognitive Ergonomics Study
This scope examines mental activities that can influence human interactions in work systems. Cognitive ergonomics covers topics such as: mental workload, human and computer interaction, human abilities, work-related stress, and others.
3. Study of Work Organization Ergonomics
This third study examines the optimization of the sociological system in the work environment. The topic of work organization ergonomics consists of communication, employee management, work and rest time management, quality management, organization and so on.
4. Ergonomic Study of the Work Environment
Lastly, this scope studies the conditions of the work environment. Topics discussed in work environment ergonomics are work processes, work space design, acoustic systems, comfort in wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), and so on.
Conclusion
The very long history of the development of ergonomics proves that ergonomics has been successfully accepted by humans. This cannot be separated from improving quality, productivity, and improving work safety and health conditions. You definitely need ergonomic furniture in your home or office workspace, right? You no longer need to look for ergonomic furniture such as tables and chairs because PEXIO provides them. We provide various ergonomic furniture designs such as chairs and office tables. The design and color choices are varied, so they can be adjusted to suit your office interior. Contact us immediately for more information about PEXIO ergonomic products. 