Nuala Macklin looks at a science which is often misunderstood butplays a big role in our day-to-day living
Ergonomics is a word bandied about loosely these days. Marketing gurus attach it arbitrarily to enhance rarely challenged claims linked to products they're paid to promote.
Most people have a fairly sketchy understanding of the concept and suspect it as having something to do with desk and chair heights in offices. Few realise what a crucial role it has played in the smooth and efficient running of our work and living environment since the end of the second World War.
It was borne out of the successful inter-disciplinary efforts of a team of professionals to address the problem of how to operate the complex military equipment. The word ergonomics is derived from the Greek "ergon", meaning work, and "nomos" meaning laws. In a nutshell, it describes the discipline of "designing the job and workplace to fit the worker".
This replaces the older philosophy of training the worker to try to adapt to the job and the environment.
Ergonomics draws its knowledge from a variety of fields in the human sciences and technology, including biomechanics, psychology, physiology, toxicology, industrial design and industrial management.
Typically, the ergonomist examines the physical and psychological stresses related to work or leisure activities which can lead to accidents, disorders of muscles, tendons and joints as well as feelings of burn-out and low job satisfaction.
These are factors which can lead to a high level of staff turnover and absenteeism. Discos and music systems are examples of non-work environment instances of poor ergonomic design in relation to leisure.
Safety and health legislation over the past 15 years has ensured increasing awareness of ergonomics at work.
This, however, is not necessarily the case outside of the "traditional" workplaces such as factories and offices. Take the kitchen for instance. Ever tried lifting the Christmas turkey from a low-level oven? That is poor ergonomics at a most basic point.
Recently, this writer purchased a "Rolls-Royce" version of a vacuum cleaner to deal effectively with a dog hair problem in my home. The product certainly does what it says on the label and would almost swallow the dog as well as the hair. However, at 5ft 7ins in height, which would not be regarded as very tall, my back aches after a few minutes.
An ergonomist would blame the vacuum manufacturer and not my height for the problem. The metal tube is too short and requires me to adapt to its design which is the antithesis of good ergonomics.
The development of tools has been part and parcel of our evolution. The word processor which is used at home and in the office is a perfect example of the double-edged sword of ergonomics. It allows us to work so much faster because it has eliminated the need for replacing sheets of paper, rubbing out errors on multiple copies, returning the carriage at the end of each line (anyone remember the rattling old Remington and all of its elegant, noisy glory?).
Emails mean there is much less walking and talking in the office. Everything gets done in a seated position. This is great for efficiency - but not at all good for human requirements. Ergonomics tells us this consequential reduction in mobility can result in orthopaedic and psychological problems.
As Steve Chan, chairman of the Irish Ergonomics Society and lecturer in industrial product design at NCAD, would say "the best posture - is the next posture".
He adds: "I see my role as ensuring that designers would consider the human requirement, both in physical and psychological terms, as a matter of routine. The product they design should maximise the user's comfort, safety, health and convenience.
"A lot of consumer products such as cars, kitchens, sofas are actually badly designed in relation to anatomical requirements. Good seating should facilitate people to change their posture easily and not restrict blood circulation. The sofa is a great example.
"In work you sit up straight in a formal position. When you come home, psychologically, you need your sofa to be comfortable so that you can sit, or lie on it in a non-formal posture. The overall comfort of the sofa is influenced by people's psychological perceptions. People tend to sink into overly soft cushions and they can't shift from that position.
"In the case of access, how many public buildings have doors that are too stiff to open, or no sign indicating which way they open?"
Shelves which are too high to reach in supermarkets are a common example. From a psychological perspective, these factors restrict our independence, especially in the case of people with disabilities.
The embarrassment can highlight their inadequacies and erode their self-confidence, which may already be fragile.
For practical economic reasons, a lot of designed goods are for 90 per cent of the user population. This means that 10 per cent of the population are having to cope with difficulties using products in the course of the daily life.
"Take myself for example," he points out. "As an Oriental person, my stature is in the lower 5 per cent of the European population. I was in Holland recently where they are one of the tallest races in Europe.
"I visited a male washroom only to discover that the urinal was too high. It was mildly embarrassing to say the least.
"When I take my five-year-old son to a public washroom here in Dublin, I have to lift him as there is no provision for this occurrence. This robs him of his independence, when all it would have taken in both these cases is to have installed the urinals a bit lower at the outset.
"It just calls for more consideration at the planning stage - not necessarily more expense. Design for equality and inclusiveness are important principles for all design professionals. People should not be made feel marginalised by our designed environment."
Regarding the attitude of corporate Ireland to ergonomics, Eunice McCarthy, professor of social/organisational psychology at UCD, says: "I think that it isn't taken seriously by some companies. It's not a conscious decision made by an individual. The Health and Safety Authority should drive the importance of ergonomics home to employers. There are some companies that do take ergonomics and the health of their employees very seriously. Research should be carried out as it is not possible to generalise about the overall attitude. A person-centred ergonomics approach can stimulate interest away from boredom, increase the autonomy of the worker and reduce stress."
Focusing on the need for increased awareness among employers, and the physical and mental benefits that learning and training in ergonomics will bring them and their workforce, Mr McCarthy says: "Injuries related to ergonomic factors are prevalent and costly. For example, repetitive strain injury \ comprises a growing segment of occupational injuries.
"We in Ireland also need clear ergonomic regulations to pave the way for the development of a code of practice to enable employers to comply with the proposed general regulations and to provide minimum standards to be met in the control of some ergonomic risks."