ABSTRACT
Introduction People have worked in one way or another since the beginnings of the human race. Work, indeed, for most is a prerequisite for survival. For some it is an arduous endeavour with physical demands that reach to the levels of human tolerance or beyond; for others it is an emotionally demanding exercise that exhausts the spirit, but for most it provides returns either intrinsic in the act of working or in the rewards that the work can bring. Indeed, in many of the great religions, and in the concepts of the great philosophers, the act of working is a virtue, and work is inherently ennobling. And yet, it is only in relatively recent history that attention has been paid to the sacrifices of life and health that have all too often been demanded of the worker, or to the frequently haphazard way in which a worker, sometimes with unsuitable tools and equipment, has been tossed into an inappropriate working environment. Indeed, the ancient Greek and Roman physicians, such as Hippocrates and Galen, may have observed some of the consequences of hazardous exposures in the working environment, but they did little or nothing to change either the work or the environment.In addition to the medical and nursing professions, which are primarily concerned with the care and treatment of the sick and injured, and not so much with prevention and provision of safe, healthy, and comfortable environments conducive to high level production, two other professions in recent times have evolved to consider the problems of the worker in the workplace. These are the professions of occupational or industrial hygiene, and ergonomics. Each is a relatively new profession, and it might be argued which has the longer history. Each is transdisciplinary in origin, taking its knowledge, skills, and expertise from the arts, the sciences, technology and engineering, but each in its own way is dedicated to improving the lot of the worker in the workplace, and the manner in which the working tasks are performed.
