ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on improving the methods followed when people perform physical tasks such as manual assembly or material handling. The chapter begins by introducing the reader to the principles of motion economy, which provide a starting point for making manual labor more productive. Several additional principles based on work physiology are then presented, leading to a discussion of human motion at a more fundamental level. The latter discussion addresses methods of motion analysis, and topics such as hand-eye coordination, speed-accuracy tradeoffs, and Fitts’ Law. Some principles of manual assembly tasks are then presented, followed by a discussion of lifting and other material handling activity. This leads to several other analysis methods and principles for improving the safety and productivity of physical work.
