Ergonomics

 

Contemporary economy is characterized by the development of new production technologies, faster development of communication (including information technology), increased employment in new - mostly non-manufacturing - sectors, and changes in work organization (telework, flexitime). On the one hand those phenomena trigger a reduction in the number of occupational accidents. However, on the other hand, the number of problems related to strenuous working conditions increases (health, economic and social effects).

One of the tasks of ergonomics is to develop methods of work optimization, aimed at both humanizing it and increasing efficiency. Activities aimed at assessing and preventing factors related to improperly designed workstations or poor work organization (causing musculoskeletal disorders and stress) are among the most urgent tasks.

   The Institute's activities:

  • related to optimizing workstations:
    • assessment and guidelines for optimizing workstations and work space
    • assessment of the ergonomics of work
    • assessment of the musculoskeletal load related to forced positions at work
    • assessment of physical performance and physiological cost of work
    • assessment of occupational risk at workstations, e.g., while handling manual materials
    • optimization of working conditions of the elderly and people with disabilities
  • related to preventing occupational stress:
    • studies on psychosocial properties of work as a source of stress
    • impact of stress on the well-being and health of workers, and the role of individual differences in reactions to stress
    • development of methods of measuring psychological stress in the working environment
    • analysis of professional burnout
    • psychological selection of workers for strenuous and hazardous jobs
    • assessment of psychological load in particularly strenuous occupations
    • organizational methods of stress management in enterprises
    • anti-stress training for workers

Department of Ergonomics,
Joanna Bugajska, Ph.D., D. Med. Sc.

phone: (+48 22) 623 32 83,
e-mail: jobug@ciop.pl