ergonomics
n. uncountablen. the study of how people interact with their work environment. It looks at how to design tools and furniture to make work safer and more comfortable.
n. the branch of science concerned with the design and arrangement of workplaces, products, and systems to fit the people who use them. Often involves the application of physiological and psychological principles to improve efficiency and reduce physical strain.
The office chair was designed with ergonomics in mind.
The company invested in new software to improve the ergonomics of the assembly line, reducing the risk of repetitive strain injuries.
Modern office design increasingly prioritises ergonomics, recognising that a workspace tailored to the user's physical dimensions can significantly enhance both productivity and long-term health outcomes.
From ergo- (prefix indicating work) + -nomics (suffix indicating the rules of a discipline), probably modelled after Polish ergonomia (“ergonomics”) (used by Polish scientist Wojciech Jastrzębowski (1799–1882) in an 1857 article), from Ancient Greek ἔργον (érgon, “work”) + νόμος (nómos, “custom; law, ordinance”). The English word is widely regarded as having been introduced by British psychologist K. F. Hywel Murrell at a meeting at the Admiralty in London in July 1949, which led to the establishment of the Ergonomics Research Society (now The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors) on 17 September 1949.