Ergonomics which is in lay term creating a “good fit” between humans and tools is certainly not new. In fact humans have been customizing tools since the very first stone and pebble tools where created by early humans in ages long ago. In fact, Bernardino Ramazinni wrote about his findings on stress and repetitive injuries caused by work related injuries in one of his medical journals in 1713.
In 1857 Wojciech Jastrzebowski coined the actual word ergonomics, which we use even today. Since the industrial revolution in the early 1900’s ergonomics has been in the workplace although maybe not with the focus that we see in today’s industrial environments. But the topic was still discussed with a focus on productivity and reducing worker injury.
After World War II there was an increased focus on ergonomics as productivity and human and machine interaction on the assembly line became of paramount concern as large corporations worked to increase their bottom line and down time, retraining, and injuries can become expensive both in man hours, productivity, and morale of the work force.
Today, ergonomics is not only good business but leverages profit. Although the initial investment on cart caddies, movers, and other powered movers may seem steep to some business, the initial investment cost can be spent 10 times over on a workman’s compensation claim or injury lawsuit. DJ Products has a complete line of powered warehouse and material handling solutions. They provide free videos and you can even arrange an onsite demonstration in many cases. Enabling your workforce to move heavy loads without injury may just end up being one of the very best investments you can make for your own business this year. Call the friendly team at DJ Products at 1-800-686-2651, they’d be happy to show you how ergonomic equipment can make the difference for you and your facility!
For more information and details on the history of ergonomics we invite you to visit Ergoweb.