Despite the apparently distinct differences between the disciplines of ergonomics and rehabilitation, they deal with the same issues, although at different ends of the spectrum. Keeping this in mind, Ergonomics for Rehabilitation Professionals explores their philosophies and goals, their parallel, divergent, and complementary aspects. It traces the

Rehabilitation is dedicated to helping people not only survive, but also thrive. Despite this complex goal, the organizing principles of rehabilitation still rely on biomedicine to construct disability as a problem of impaired bodies. Rehabilitation professionals are committed to helping to enhance people's lives, but many struggle with how to do s

In the fifteen years since the publication of Occupational Ergonomics: Theory and Applications significant advances have been made in this field. These advances include understanding the impact of ageing and obesity on workplace, the role of ergonomics in promoting healthy workplaces and healthy life styles, the role of ergonomic science in th

The Second Edition of this comprehensive text provides an introduction to ergonomic concepts and discusses their application to clinical practice. As occupational and physical therapists take more active roles in work performance, and workplace safety and rehabilitation, they need to acquire the tools and techniques of ergonomics. This book teaches therapists the skills they need to analyze work environments, change work habits, and prevent injury.

There is an urgent need to disseminate ergonomics "know-how" to the work place. This book meets that need by providing clear guidelines and problem solving recommendations to assist the practitioner in decisions that directly protect the health, safety and well-being of the worker.The guidelines have evolved from a series of symposia on Ergonomic Guidelines and Problem Solving. Initially experts in each area selected were asked to write draft guidelines. These guidelines were circulated to participants at the symposia and to other experts for review before being comprehensively revised. In some instances these guidelines cannot be considered complete but it is important now to put some recommendations forward as guidelines. It is hoped that as new research emerges each guideline will be updated.Each guideline has been divided into two parts. Part I contains the guidelines for the practitioner and Part II provides the scientific basis or the knowledge for the guide. Such separation of the applied and theoretical content was designed to facilitate rapid incorporation of the guide into practice.The target audience for this book is the practitioner. The practitioner may be a manager, production system designer, shop supervisor, occupational health and safety professional, union representative, labor inspector or production engineer. For each of the guidelines, relevant practitioners are described.Topics covered include work space design, tool design, work-rest schedules, illumination and maintenance.

An increasing segment of the population is being reported to have some disability. Adding to this changing demography of the modern world is an almost explosive growth of ageing populations. These functionally impaired people navigate their way in a world which has specifically designed values obtained from a 35-year old male, which has a number of social consequences. The international contributors to this volume address a range of subject areas with accompanying functional impairments and provide some proven and possible solutions. Regardless of origin of the impairment, rehabilitation endeavours to restore the function to normal or as close to normal as can be expected. On the other hand, ergonomics enhances the functional capacity of people by optimizing the fit between the person and the object process. Therefore, a blend of these two disciplines will allow the development of strategies to enhance and optimize the functional ability of subnormal groups. This text covers: ageing; visual impairment; chronic heart disease; musculoskeletal disorders; vocational rehabilitation; mobility and clothing for the disabled. In addition it covers the areas of gait, slip, trips and falls, anthropometry and assistive technology.

When faced with productivity problems in the workplace, engineers might call for better machines, and management might call for better-trained people, but ergonomists call for a better interface and better interaction between the user and the machine. Introduction to Ergonomics, 2nd Edition, provides a comprehensive introduction to ergonomics as the study of the relationship between people and their working environment. The author presents evidence from field trials, studies and experiments that demonstrate the value of ergonomics in making the workplace safer, more error resistant, and compatible with users' characteristics and psychological and social needs. Evidence for the effectiveness of each topic is incorporated throughout the book as well, which helps practitioners to make the case for company investment in ergonomics. In addition, the author outlines international standards for ergonomics that influence engineering and design and pave the way for a more precise form of practice. Extensively revised and updated, this second edition explains the main areas of application, the science that underpins these applications, and demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of implementing the applications in a wide variety of work settings.