Evolutionary changes in the traditional ergonomics

Abstract

To an average user the term ergonomics means first of all comfort and convenience, and only then safety, orientation to health, functionality and efficiency of a system. On the one hand such a sequence of associations and 'knowledge of ergonomics' undoubtedly results from marketing strategies and intensity of influence of advertisements of various commodities, but on the other hand it shows a still low level of ergonomic consciousness of society. From prehistory, man has always taken care of their comfort and convenience by making the first tools and successively transforming the material environment, in order to adjust them to their own needs and thus subconsciously initializing paraergonomic activities. The time from prehistory to the second half of the nineteenth century can be described as a period of intuitive ergonomics or subconscious ergonomics. Formulating principles of a new field of a new science, which W. Jastrzȩbowski called ergonomics, has begun a stage which I call a period of rational ergonomics, or fully conscious ergonomics. It was at this time, lasting from the beginning of World War II, when areas of application, tools, research methods were defined and attempts to apply them in practice were made. Preparations for the war intensified the scientific research in the field of applied ergonomics, starting a new stage in its development lasting untill the present moment, which I call a period of scientific ergonomics. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.