Occupational ergonomics--methods to evaluate physical stress on the job.

Ergonomics is the study of people at work to understand the complex relationships among people, machines, job demands, and work methods. All work, regardless of its nature, results in stress. As long as stress is kept within reasonable limits, work performance will be satisfactory and the worker's health and well-being will be maintained. However, if stress is excessive, undesirable outcomes may result in the form of accidents and injuries. A variety of musculoskeletal injuries and disorders can be caused by physical stress in the work environment. Because of the high medical and compensation costs associated with these problems, it becomes essential in many manufacturing situations to implement programs for controlling physical stress. An important part of any control program is job evaluation. We have presented several analytical methods for measuring and evaluating physical stress in the workplace. In almost all instances in which it is found to be excessive, stress can be reduced to acceptable levels by applying ergonomic principles to the design of facilities, processes, equipment, tools, and work methods. This design effort should be multidisciplinary, with inputs from medical personnel, engineers, ergonomists, and workers.