ABSTRACT
Global transformations and sustainability challenges are influencing human well-being and prosperity worldwide. Recognizing that both are highly interlinked with the state of our ecosphere, solutions for facing existing and upcoming global crises need to have all three dimensions of sustainability in mind while delivering comprehensive approaches. Since human factors and ergonomics (HFE) is, by definition, concerned with optimizing human well-being and overall system performance, this chapter asks how HFE has so far responded to these requirements within the context of the global debate on sustainable development and in a changing world of work due to technology development. After presenting relevant theoretical approaches, an overview of different previous HFE studies and concepts within the broad domain of sustainability is presented, dealing with several topics and levels of intervention. Additionally, this chapter aims at building a certain reference basis for the following chapters of this book and thus outlines their contents and the book’s structure.
