Ergonomics systems view

Biomechanics is a particular area of study which plays an important part in ergonomics. It views the body from the point of view of physics. It looks at how and where forces are applied by and to the muscles and tendons to overcome gravity and move loads. The skeletal system is viewed as a system of levers to which the forces are applied. 

From an ergonomic point of view, the different components of the work system (e.g., the environment, technology, work tasks, work organization, and people) interact dynamically with each other and... 

Richard G. Pearson and Mahmoud A. Ayoub gave the following view of the systems approach in Ergonomics Aids Industrial Accident and Injury Control ... 

These early ergonomic evaluations are meant to ensure that the design team adequately considers basic physical characteristics and control interfaces. Areas to concentrate on include positioning, reach, field of view, knob/button size, tactile perception, labelling, system usability, etc. Aircraft controls supplement aircraft displays in communicating to the pilot (Jarrett, 2005). It provides a two-way interaction between the aircraft and the crew. Controls should be easy to reach and be positioned appropriately... 

The design of hypermedia systems can be studied and analysed fiom several theoretical and pragmatic viewpoints in this paper, the field is viewed from the perspective of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and cognitive ergonomics. Of primary concern here are those factors which influence the ease of use of a system. Hypermedia systems are at heart interactive they store information in the form of nodes and links which connect nodes, and must present these in such a way that people can use the system effectively, efficiently and with satisfaction. The underlying stmcture, while central to the system, is not intrinsically visible to the user. Hypermedia systems must be designed to inform the user adequately about their content and stmcture, and must provide the user with the means for exploration, navigation and control means which do not exceed the capabilities of that user. 

Another researcher and often published author whose work has influenced this author s view of incident causation is Dr. Alphonse Chapanis. He was exceptionally well known in ergonomics and human factors engineering circles. His work is often quoted, particularly on the benefits of considering the capabilities and limitations of workers as systems are designed. Chapanis was strong on designing to avoid error-provocative work methods. 

From the systems ergonomics point of view environmental factors are also important in that they influence the performance of the operator, and thus the efficiency of the entire system. This has an impact on the safety of the system. The influence of environmental factors on the performance of human beings will be illustrated in three examples. 

Keywords Foveal vision Peripheral vison Optical flow Combined fields of view Ergonomics Safety Commercial vehicles Camera monitor system Mirror replacement... 

The checklist has been used as a design tool as well as an accident-investigation tool in cases where human errors have played a central role. It draws attention away from blaming the person that made the error. Instead, it focuses on the identification of dysfunctions in the design of the man-machine system from an ergonomics point of view. The intention is to identify accident-prone workplaces rather than accident-prone persons. 

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