ABSTRACT
This chapter is about health, well-being, productivity and the science of ergonomics. It discusses how well-being and productivity can be optimised through an ergonomics approach to the design of places of work. The chapter focuses on the importance of the human factor in design and explains how a human-centred design can yield positive effects on not only wellbeing and productivity but also on the financial performance of business. The importance of the person/human factor within the system has been highlighted in highly complex socio-technical safety critical system disasters which have led to loss of life and great financial loss. The chapter also discusses the nature of presenteeism. The nature of the process that causes presenteeism is in the form of a distraction that is either physical, psychological or social in nature and prevents an individual from fully concentrating on the task that they are responsible for completing.
