This chapter will discuss injuries and other indicators of ergonomic issues, human biomechanics, ergonomic risk factors, human-neutral positions while performing the work, ergonomic task analysis, ergonomic control measures and tool design. and task for man. INJURIES AND OTHER INDICATORS OF ERGONOMIC PROBLEMS Due to the presence of an ergonomic stressor, certain indicators or injuries may be observed among the exposed group of the working population. Injuries that may be seen due to ergonomic problems include: • Epicondylitis; • Tendonitis; • Tenosynovitis; • Carpal tunnel syndrome; • Thoracic outlet bursitis syndrome; and• Intervebral disc prolapse (IDP). When these injuries develop, the worker experiences the following:• Localized fatigue and discomfort (early indicator);• Swelling, when the tissues become irritated;• Pain;• Stiffness and loss of range of motion; and• Inability to work and function at home. In addition, other indicators that show the presence of an ergonomic problem in the workplace are: • Increased rate of accidents and injuries in the workplace; • High rates of employee turnover, absenteeism and wanted persons. resign;• Decreased productivity in the workplace;• Poor quality of work and high rate of rejection or rework;• Increased medical costs for the organization;• Increased rate of complaints in the workplace;• Low morale and motivation observed among workers; and • High rate of sick leave for medical reasons among workers.BIOMECHANICSBiomechanics defined as a mechanism of living systems (Fung, 1981). Biomechanics is the application of the laws of mechanics to the biological system. There are three systems of levers found in the human body. The...... middle of paper ......te the task such as hardware, software or information. "Each component of the task is identified with the objective of that component. The subtasks are then determined and in turn divided into smaller subtasks. Ergonomists perform a task analysis to examine the components of the job by dividing work into individual tasks and subtasks Example of a simple task analysis: Making a cup of tea.Figure 2.13: Simple task analysis[Source: http://web.cs.dal.ca /]An analysis of task will help the ergonomist understand the entire task or process During task analysis, a complex set of actions will be dissected and transformed into a simple task or subtask that can be easily evaluated. by the assessor Then, the risk factors for each task or subtask can be determined Before carrying out an ergonomic risk assessment, it is essential to understand the process or task...