ABSTRACT
The body is an amazing organism. It will stand an enormous amount of misuse and still continue working. However, it does eventually reach a stage when it says ‘enough is enough’ and either ceases working altogether or makes continuation of work so painful as effectively to prevent further work. While the main aim of ergonomics must be to optimise the working conditions for both worker comfort and maximising output, one of its features is to establish the limits of what the body will stand and ensure that working conditions do not exceed them. This applies to both the physical and mental aspects of work activities as well as to the environment in which the work has to be carried out. When applying ergonomic principles, account needs to be taken of the physique and behavioural characteristics of the operators involved.
