Ergonomics in the Workplace Layout

Abstract

Ergonometric approach to workplace safety and health issues has been attributed to significantly promote safe working employment and curbing lawsuits related to physical injuries. When design workplace environments and layout, managers must ensure ergonomics principles are taken into consideration. The flow of work and movement at a workstation considerably depends on the structural design of the entire infrastructural and equipment layout. The ergonometric design of workplaces promotes the safety of workers and improves production. Incorporating the ergonomics principles in designing a workplace layout by taking into account the limitations and capabilities of the worker and suitability of the environment optimizes the use of space, equipment, and efforts of the worker. Ergonomics ensures efficient alignment of the workplace and the immediate environment hence reducing the costs related to occurrences of injury. Poor ergonomics increases employees’ fatigue and frustrations thus inhibiting their performance translating to unoptimized productivity. Taking into account ergonomics when designing a workplace reduces musculoskeletal discomfort and production costs as well as improves work efficacy, productivity, and human well-being. Managers are implored to ensure ergonomics is taken into consideration at every stage of workplace design as well as in the pre- and post-occupant inspections of the actual environment.