Ergonomics and Equipment Design

Abstract

As far as is known, the term “Ergonomics” was for the first time applied by the Polish scientist W. Jastrzebowski during 1857. Although ergonomics may thus be regarded as a relatively new scientific discipline, it has undergone an astonishing development over the past few decades. A rapid rise in the standard of education, which in turn increased the general level of expectation of the population in industrialized countries, gave rise to a growing realization for the need to introduce more humane working conditions. The words: “Humane working conditions” are used here in the sense of excluding psychophysical over-extension, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, as a preventitive against the misuse of human labour as a “uni-purpose machine”.