What is Ergonomics?

Every safety professional knows the importance of ergonomics. In the workplace alone, ergonomics plays a big role in ensuring not just the comfort of workers, but also their safety. Everything from the height of work tables to the adjustability of work chairs to the viewing angle of workers can make or break their safety on the job.

We’ve heard a lot about online modules discussing forklift safety, conferences about fire protection and other media each focusing on almost every issue there is in the safety industry. But have you ever asked the question, “Where or how can I learn more about ergonomics in the workplace?”

Thankfully, one man by the name David Brodie asked himself this question. Well, not exactly this same question because he’s actually a couple of steps ahead. Being the director of the ergonomics services for Atlas Ergonomics, not only does he know a good number of reliable sources about ergonomics, he also raises the issue of filling in the gaps existing in the ergonomics community so that this applied science can grow more and “move in a specific direction”.

So where then can we find answers to the many questions we have about ergonomics in the workplace or ergonomics alone? I’ll let David Brodie himself lay down for you the list of ergonomics sources out there. In an article he wrote in EHS Today as a contributing editor, he gave a list of sources of ergonomics newsletters, online discussion forums and conferences, and discussed further the missing pieces in the whole puzzle of ergonomics. Here is a link to his article “Where is the Ergonomics Community?”.

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