ABSTRACT

About the chapter This chapter introduces the reader to human anatomy, physiology, and psychology from a system’s perspective, and is intended to provide necessary background for the following chapters. The discussion includes a review of muscular-skeletal, sensory, and support systems. Some of the subtopics covered are movement and force exertion, work-related disorders, human variability in shape and size, strength, endurance, and work capacity. Two final objectives of this chapter are to familiarize readers with various measurement units employed in ergonomics, and to show how well the human body is engineered.