Ergonomics Essay

In the late 19th century, when a period of social activism and economic reform, historically known as the Progressive Era (Maligned), coincided with the capitalistic expansion at an unprecedented rate, a series of ideas on eradicating systematic soldiering and increasing the overall productivity quiet sprouted at steel industry, later growing into the theories of scientific management in the next two decades. Scientific management, also known as Taylorism, was one of the earliest attempts to apply scientific methods to optimize of management and achieve economic efficiency. Its founder, Frederick Winslow Taylor, was also the prominent figure in the Efficiency Movement in the U.S. The principles of scientific management have shaped American industry and on management science in three major ways since the 1880s. On the corporate level, scientific management had streamlined manufacturing process; on the individual level, it instilled many fundamental management ideas into the American industry; as the leading thought during the Progressive Era, it laid the foundation for various disciplines, many of which serve as guidelines even for modern-day industries.

1. Ergonomics is the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of the working population (Ergonomics).

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), often referred to as the "OSH Act," was enacted in 1970 by President Richard M. Nixon. Its purpose is to assure safe and healthful working conditions for men and women (EPA, 2006). The Act is administered and enforced at the national level by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a division of the US Department of Labor. The application of the OSH Act in the current employment climate will be discussed as it applies to a variety of industries; considerations that are most applicable to the specific type of industry will be discussed initially, and those that are equally important regardless of the type of business will complete the section. Finally, this paper will discuss how the

Scientific management or "Taylorism" is an approach to job design, developed by Frederick Taylor (1856-1915) during the Second World War. With the industrial revolution came a fast growing pool of people, seeking jobs, that required a new approach of management. Scientific management was the first management theory, applied internationally. It believes in the rational use of resources for utmost output, hence motivating workers to earn more money. Taylor believed that the incompetence of managers was the major obstacle on the way of productivity increase of human labour. Consequently, this idea led to the need of change of management principles. On the base of research, involving analysing controlled experiments under various working

The role of occupational therapy in ergonomics counseling begins with an evaluation of the client, the work environment and the duties required to fulfill the position. During the assessment, the occupational therapist will identify possible hazards and offer reasonable recommendations to minimize risk factors. The therapist will also be focused on suggesting and creating any necessary modifications to maximize client functionality, comfort, and safety in order to regain productivity.

Ergonomics is the study of how efficient a person can be given their working environment. “Ergonomics for

Let’s begin by analyzing F. W. Taylor. Taylor’s scientific method can be summed up as a systematic study of relationships between people and tasks to increase efficiency (Jones and George 2015). There are four principles involved in this method: (1) Study the way workers perform their tasks, gather all the informal job knowledge that workers possess, and experiment with ways of improving the ways that tasks are performed. This step has the similar attributes of the organizing and controlling tasks discussed earlier in that the controlling task also involves evaluating the division of labor. (2) Codify the new methods of performing tasks into written rules and standard operating procedures. This step is very much about the organizing task. Although there are written rules, this aspect diverges from the leading

The fundamental theory behind scientific management is breaking down each part of a job to its science (Taylor). In the Principles of Scientific Management, Taylor talks about pig iron handlers, shoveling and bricklaying as a few examples in which he implemented scientific management. He proposed four important elements that are essential to scientific management. In this example Taylor discusses the science of bricklaying. First management must develop the science of bricklaying with standard rules of each task. Every task is designed to be perfect and standardized. The second element is selection and training. This step is important because Taylor wants an employee who is “first class,” meaning that they are the best at what they do, follow instructions and will not refuse to listen or adopt the new methods that management is executing. The third element is teaching the first class employee the science of bricklaying broken down by management. At this stage management is instructing the employee what to do, how to do it, and the best way to do it. Management is there to help them and watch that they are doing it “their” way and not

Using a stopwatch, he timed each element for each worker. Identifying and eliminating useless operations that do not have contribution to the task. He then select the quickest methods discovered in each element and fit them into a sequence and teach the other workers this sequence, forbidding any differences. Lastly, add up the times for each element and include allowance for resting, this will be the “quickest and best” method for the job. Since, it is the “best way” all the workers have to practise it. (Rose, Rational Workmen and Incompetent Managers, 1978)

Taylor furthermore emphasized on this method as it reduced the time taken between each activity since each worker was limited to doing a precise task. Thus, the worker was able to complete the job in the least possible time and reduce wastage. Along with improved efficiency, Taylor used scientific management techniques to make sure proper utilization of resources is taking place and wastage is being kept to a minimum (Salimath and Jones, 2011, pp. 85-86).

The year 1911 saw Frederick Winslow Taylor publish a book titled ‘The principles of scientific management’ in which he aimed to prove that the scientific method could be used in producing profits for an organization through the improvement of an employee’s efficiency. During that decade, management practice was focused on initiative and incentives which gave autonomy to the workman. He thus argued that one half of the problem was up to management, and both the worker and manager needed to cooperate in order to produce the greatest prosperity.

Work-related interventions are a central part of occupational therapy practice and occupational therapists recognize the importance of healthy engagement within the workplace (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2014; Wilcock & Townsend as cited in AOTA, 2014). Occupational therapists possess skills necessary to assess individuals engaged in work activities and recognize potential dangers related to poor body mechanics (Opp, 2016). Opp (2016) acknowledged a recent increase in employers taking a proactive approach in preventing work-related injuries and incorporating occupational therapists as means to evaluate the work environment and make practical recommendations to reduce the risk of workplace injury (Opp, 2016). Body Mechanics for Technicians and Mechanics will address the risk of injury, related to poor body mechanics, of technicians and mechanics working within an automotive dealership shop by offering education and training focused on proper body mechanics.

Taylor's own name for his approach was scientific management. This sort of task-oriented optimization of work tasks is nearly ubiquitous today in industry, and has made most industrial work menial, repetitive, tedious and depressing; this can be noted, for instance, in assembly lines and fast-food restaurants. Ford's arguments began from his observation that, in general, workers forced to perform repetitive tasks work at the slowest rate that goes unpunished. This slow rate of work (which he called "soldiering", but might nowadays be termed by those in charge as "loafing" or "malingering" or by those on the assembly line as "getting through the day"), he opined, was based on the observation that, when paid the same amount, workers will tend to do the amount of work the slowest among them does: this reflects the idea that workers have a vested interest in their own well-being, and do not benefit from working above the defined rate of work when it will not increase their compensation. He therefore proposed that the work practice that had been developed in most work environments was crafted, intentionally or unintentionally, to be very inefficient in its execution. From this he posited that there was one best method for performing a particular task, and that if it were taught to workers, their productivity would go up.

In this report, I will outline the main factors in having a safe workstation. There are certain ways in which you may choose an ergonomically correct chair. Does the seat feel comfortable and fit your shape? When you sit in the

Many of classical writers were concerned with the important of management as a means of increasing productivity and high level of output. A major contributor to this approach was F.W. Taylor (1856 – 1917). He believed that in the same way that there is a best machine for each job, so there is a best working method by which people should undertake their jobs. “ONE BEST WAY “F.W.Taylor. He saw workers soldiering or deliberately working beneath their potential and designed a 4-step method to overcome this problem.