James D, Grennan S, Mulhern G
Department of Psychology, University of Ulster at Coleraine.
Ergonomics. 1994 May;37(5):953-63. doi: 10.1080/00140139408963704.
In spite of the palpable benefits to organizations of applying the principles of ergonomics, it appears that a majority of employers, whether through ignorance or neglect, fail to do so (Simpson 1990). The present study sought to assess the impact of ergonomics on a broad cross-section of organizations in Northern Ireland from three perspectives: (1) knowledge and awareness of ergonomics; (2) attitudes towards ergonomics; and (3) the extent to which the principles of ergonomics were put into practice in the work-place. In all, 700 organizations were surveyed, representing manufacturing, service, and public sectors and ranging in size from 10 to more than 1000 employees. A total of 417 questionnaires (59.7%) were returned and, of these, 152 (36.5%) claimed no knowledge whatever of ergonomics. The extent to which knowledge was claimed tended to depend on the nature of the organizations. Analysis of the remaining 263 questionnaires revealed that, while only 36 organizations employed ergonomic specialists or engaged outside ergonomic consultants, 163 respondents reported specific instances of addressing ergonomic issues during the previous 12 months. Respondents exhibited generally positive attitudes towards ergonomics, although some cynicism was evident. Principal components analysis of the questionnaire items revealed several factors, most notably a general concern for ergonomic issues, cynicism towards ergonomics and, arguably, an attitude of helplessness concerning the state of the organization. Implications of these findings for promoting implementation of ergonomics within organizations are discussed.
尽管应用人体工程学原理对组织有明显益处，但似乎大多数雇主，无论是出于无知还是忽视，都未能这样做（辛普森，1990年）。本研究试图从三个角度评估人体工程学对北爱尔兰广泛的各类组织的影响：（1）对人体工程学的知识和认识；（2）对人体工程学的态度；（3）人体工程学原理在工作场所的实践程度。总共对700个组织进行了调查，这些组织代表制造业、服务业和公共部门，规模从10名员工到1000多名员工不等。共收回417份问卷（59.7%），其中152份（36.5%）声称对人体工程学一无所知。声称了解相关知识的程度往往取决于组织的性质。对其余263份问卷的分析表明，虽然只有36个组织聘请了人体工程学专家或聘请了外部人体工程学顾问，但163名受访者报告了在过去12个月中处理人体工程学问题的具体事例。受访者对人体工程学总体上表现出积极态度，尽管也明显存在一些怀疑态度。对问卷项目的主成分分析揭示了几个因素，最显著的是对人体工程学问题的普遍关注、对人体工程学的怀疑态度，以及可以说对组织状况的无助态度。本文讨论了这些研究结果对促进组织内部实施人体工程学的启示。
