Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This is a fully revised and updated edition of the 1993 title Ergonomics for Beginners. It provides an excellent practical primer for anyone approaching the subject for the first time with the aim of bringing benefits to the performance of tasks in work and domestic environments. Embracing the concepts of designing tasks and the environment for human comfort and satisfaction as well as for optimum performance, the book shows, in an easy and accessible fashion, the steps by which managers, workers and users can achieve an appropriate balance.
The authors have extensively revised this new edition, maintaining the size and flavour that made the first edition so successful, and replacing out-of-date material with new insights and raising the emphasis placed on computing-related ergonomics.
This renowned text is will be essential reading for all those people who need a basic, easy-to-follow guide to the subject of ergonomics and human factors working in a variety of occupations including psychology, design, engineering, management, health, occupational health and safety, human-computer interaction and ergonomics. Essential!

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. ix)
• Foreword (p. xi)
• 1 Introduction (p. 1)
• What is ergonomics? (p. 1)
• What is an ergonomist? (p. 2)
• Social significance of ergonomics (p. 3)
• General and individual ergonomics (p. 4)
• 2 Posture and movement (p. 5)
• Biomechanical, physiological and anthropometric background (p. 5)
• Biomechanical background (p. 6)
• Physiological background (p. 9)
• Anthropometric background (p. 11)
• Posture (p. 12)
• Sitting (p. 13)
• Standing (p. 20)
• Change of posture (p. 22)
• Hand and arm postures (p. 24)
• Movement (p. 28)
• Lifting (p. 29)
• Carrying (p. 36)
• Pulling and pushing (p. 38)
• Summary checklist (p. 41)
• 3 Information and operation (p. 44)
• The user (p. 45)
• Information (p. 46)
• Visual information (p. 46)
• Characters (p. 46)
• Diagrams (p. 50)
• Perception of visual information (p. 51)
• Hearing (p. 52)
• Other senses (p. 53)
• Controls (p. 54)
• Distinguishing between controls (p. 55)
• Types of controls (p. 57)
• Relationship between information and operation (p. 61)
• Expectation (p. 62)
• User-friendliness (p. 64)
• Different forms of dialogue (p. 68)
• Help (p. 71)
• Summary checklist (p. 72)
• 4 Environmental factors (p. 74)
• Noise (p. 74)
• Guidelines on noise (p. 75)
• Noise reduction at source (p. 76)
• Noise reduction through workplace design, and work organization (p. 77)
• Hearing conservation (p. 79)
• Vibration (p. 80)
• Guidelines on vibration (p. 81)
• Preventing vibration (p. 82)
• Illumination (p. 83)
• Guidelines on light intensity (p. 84)
• Guidelines on brightness differences (p. 85)
• Improved lighting (p. 85)
• Climate (p. 88)
• Guidelines on thermal comfort (p. 88)
• Guidelines on heat and cold (p. 90)
• Climate control (p. 90)
• Chemical substances (p. 91)
• Guidelines on chemical substances (p. 92)
• Measures taken at source (p. 93)
• Ventilation (p. 95)
• Measures at the individual level (p. 97)
• Summary checklist (p. 99)
• 5 Work organization, jobs and tasks (p. 102)
• Tasks (p. 102)
• Jobs (p. 103)
• Work organization (p. 106)
• Flexible forms of organizations (p. 106)
• Autonomous groups (p. 107)
• Coaching management styles (p. 108)
• Summary checklist (p. 110)
• 6 The ergonomic approach (p. 111)
• Project management (p. 112)
• Initiative phase (p. 114)
• Problem identification phase (p. 116)
• Selection of solutions phase (p. 118)
• Implementation phase (p. 120)
• Evaluation phase (p. 122)
• Checklist (p. 123)
• Summary checklist (p. 124)
• 7 Sources of additional information (p. 133)
• Bibliography (p. 133)
• General references (p. 133)
• References on posture and movement (p. 134)
• References on information and operation (p. 134)
• References on environmental factors (p. 135)
• References on work organization (p. 135)
• References on the ergonomic approach (p. 136)
• Scientific and professional journals (p. 136)
• Useful websites (p. 137)
• Index (p. 139)