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The topic for today is “ergonomics at the workplace”.

Task 1

Read the text below to get the general idea:

According to statistics, an average office employee spends at work at least 8 hours every day, mostly sitting in an upright position, in a more or less comfortable chair, at a regular desk, in front of a one-size computer screen. For the majority of people, both a healthy physiological body positioning and well adjusted furniture makes the workplace truly bearable. To reduce fatigue and avoid injuries, tiredness or muscle pains caused by incorrect working conditions, it is advisable to get to know the basic ideas of ergonomics or human factors. These two terms may be used interchangeably.

Basically, ergonomics means designing for people, or even being at their service in terms of work comfort and safety. The most crucial objective for this discipline of knowledge is to study the relationship between people and their work environments, how people interact with products day to day and how a workstation can be made more user-friendly and most efficient. Good ergonomics tend to adapt the job to fit the person, rather than forces the person to fit the job. In an ideal world, tasks and tools are designed in such a way that they almost perfectly fit individual capabilities and limitations, and therefore employees can perform their duties without being injured or feeling discomfort. On the other hand, poor ergonomics may lead to serious physical problems, mostly related to musculoskeletal disorders or illnesses resulting from a long-termed exposure either to strong vibration or high-pitched sounds. All these factors taken together may impair, to a great degree, the ability to concentrate and work effectively. Therefore, good ergonomics (both furniture and equipment) is necessary to optimize overall working conditions and thus maximize the results achieved by human beings.