• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SafetyRisk.net

Humanising Safety and Embracing Real Risk

  • Home
    • About
      • Privacy Policy
      • Contact
  • FREE
    • Slogans
      • Researchers Reveal the Top 10 Most Effective Safety Slogans Of All Time
      • When Slogans Don’t Work
      • CLASSIC, FAMOUS and INFAMOUS SAFETY QUOTES
      • 500 OF THE BEST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
      • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE
      • COVID-19 (Coronavirus, Omicron) Health and Safety Slogans and Quotes for the Workplace
      • Safety Acronyms
      • You know Where You Can Stick Your Safety Slogans
      • Sayings, Slogans, Aphorisms and the Discourse of Simple
      • Spanish Safety Slogans – Consignas de seguridad
      • Safety Slogans List
      • Road Safety Slogans 2023
      • How to write your own safety slogans
      • Why Are Safety Slogans Important
      • Safety Slogans Don’t Save Lives
      • 40 Free Safety Slogans For the Workplace
      • Safety Slogans for Work
    • FREE SAFETY eBOOKS
    • Free Hotel and Resort Risk Management Checklist
    • FREE DOWNLOADS
    • TOP 50
    • FREE RISK ASSESSMENT FORMS
    • Find a Safety Consultant
    • Free Safety Program Documents
    • Psychology Of Safety
    • Safety Ideas That Work
    • HEALTH and SAFETY MANUALS
    • FREE SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT RESOURCES
    • Whats New In Safety
    • FUN SAFETY STUFF
    • Health and Safety Training
    • SAFETY COURSES
    • Safety Training Needs Analysis and Matrix
    • Top 20 Safety Books
    • This Toaster Is Hot
    • Free Covid-19 Toolbox Talks
    • Download Page – Please Be Patient With Larger Files…….
    • SAFETY IMAGES, Photos, Unsafe Pictures and Funny Fails
    • How to Calculate TRIFR, LTIFR and Other Health and Safety Indicators
    • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • Social Psychology Of Risk
    • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
    • Safety Psychology Terminology
    • Some Basics on Social Psychology & Risk
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk – Prof Karl E. Weick
    • The Psychology of Leadership in Risk
    • Conducting a Psychology and Culture Safety Walk
    • The Psychology of Conversion – 20 Tips to get Started
    • Understanding The Social Psychology of Risk And Safety
    • Psychology and safety
    • The Psychology of Safety
    • Hot Toaster
    • TALKING RISK VIDEOS
    • WHAT IS SAFETY
    • THE HOT TOASTER
    • THE ZERO HARM DEBATE
    • SEMIOTICS
    • LEADERSHIP
  • Dr Long Posts
    • ALL POSTS
    • Learning Styles Matter
    • There is no Hierarchy of Controls
    • Scaffolding, Readiness and ZPD in Learning
    • What Can Safety Learn From Playschool?
    • Presentation Tips for Safety People
    • Dialogue Do’s and Don’ts
    • It’s Only a Symbol
    • Ten Cautions About Safety Checklists
    • Zero is Unethical
    • First Report on Zero Survey
    • There is No Objectivity, Deal With it!
  • THEMES
    • Risk Myths
    • Safety Myths
    • Safety Culture Silences
    • Safety Culture
    • Psychological Health and Safety
    • Zero Harm
    • Due Diligence
  • Free Learning
    • Introduction to SPoR – Free
    • FREE RISK and SAFETY EBOOKS
    • FREE ebook – Guidance for the beginning OHS professional
    • Free EBook – Effective Safety Management Systems
    • Free EBook – Lessons I Have Learnt
  • Psychological Safety
    • What is Psychological Health and Safety at Work?
    • Managing psychosocial hazards at work
    • Psychological Safety – has it become the next Maslow’s hammer?
    • What is Psychosocial Safety
    • Psychological Safety Slogans and Quotes
    • What is Psychological Safety?
    • Understanding Psychological Terminology
    • Psycho-Social and Socio-Psychological, What’s the Difference?
    • Build a Psychologically Safe Workplace by Taking Risks and Analysing Failures
    • It’s not weird – it’s a psychological safety initiative!
You are here: Home / Robert Long / The Challenging Psychology of Ergonomics

The Challenging Psychology of Ergonomics

December 1, 2022 by Dr Rob Long Leave a Comment

Originally posted on September 8, 2013 @ 6:47 AM

The Challenging Psychology of Ergonomics

Another guest post by Dr Robert Long – If you loved this article then you should read the whole series: CLICK HERE

One of the most comprehensive textbooks on ergonomics is by Kroemer and Grandjean Fitting the Task to the Human.   The title in itself captures the essence of ergonomics.  Ergonomics is all about the “fit” between the task and humans.  It doesn’t make sense to try and fit the human to the task.  When we ignore ergonomics people get injured.

A few years ago I did some research on the physical ergonomics of piano teaching.  Piano teaching involves people of various sizes working together to learn how to play an instrument.  The teachers vary in size and the students vary in size.  In piano teaching it is difficult to fit the task to the human.  There are some adjustable piano stools but it’s too expensive to make adjustable pianos, so there is a high level of injury with teachers and students from this activity.  So piano teachers manage risks through short lessons and limiting activity until the “fit” is right.

The psychology and social psychology of ergonomics is just as important as physical ergonomics.  How do we make sure that the things we say and do in safety “fit” what we know about human psychology and social psychology?  Here are a few questions we might want to consider.

  1. If we know human senses are easily “flooded” and this drives default “tick and flick” mentality, why do we continue to bombard workers with excessive safety bureaucracy?
  2. If we know that gain-framed messages are more effective than loss-framed messages, why do we maintain work cultures with so many punitive and non-motivating safety messages?
  3. If we know that human perception is highly unreliable and influenced by many cognitive biases, why do we not factor in consideration of these biases in the way we manage safety?
  4. If we know that “double-speak” drives cynicism, scepticism and pessimism in workplaces and, that these are powerful sub-cultures, why do some managers continue to say one thing and do another as if it has no safety consequence?
  5. If we know that complacency, risk arrogance and overconfidence are the highest cause of human incidents and injury, why is the language of doubt, reflection and conversation not automatic in the discourse of our workplaces.
  6. If we know that the language of zero “primes” humans to focus excessively on the microscopics of risk, why do we continue to maintain such language?  What language do we use to ensure a balance between a micro and macroscopic focus?
  7. If we know that the myth of “engineer out the idiot” dumbs down a workforce, why is such language maintained in safety culture, priming workers to not think?
  8. If we know that hidden assumptions and values are critical triggers of behavior, why are managers not more trained in how to undertake skilled observations, psychology of risk questioning and conversations?
  9. If we know that a request that someone exercise some “common sense” confirms that it doesn’t exist, why do we maintain such language?
  1. If we know that generalistic language of “be careful”, “be alert” and “take care” lack definition and guidance to action, why do we repeat such expressions as if people will automatically know what to do?

These are just some of the questions we need to consider if we explore the psychology and social psychology of ergonomics.  How does your safety system and organization shape up to such questions?

Author’s Resource Box

Dr Robert Long

PhD., (UWS) BEd., (USA) BTh., (SCD) MEd., (Syd) MOH (La Trobe), Dip T., Dip Min., MACE, CFSIA.

Executive Director – Human Dymensions Pty Ltd

Rob has a creative career in teaching, education, community services, government and management.

Rob is engaged by organisations because of his expertise in culture, learning, risk and social psychology. He is a skilled presenter and designer of learning events, training and curriculum.

Web Link: www.humandymensions.com

Blog: http://web.me.com/robertlong2/HDblog/Blog/Blog.html

Programs Offered by Human Dymensions

· PROACT Program – Psychology Risk Observations and Culture, Conversation and Competency Training

· SafetyWorks

· Safety Leadership

· MiProfile Learning Events

· Experiential Learning Events

· Safety Days

· Tailor a Program to Suit You

  • Bio
  • Latest Posts
  • More about Rob
Dr Rob Long

Dr Rob Long

Expert in Social Psychology, Principal & Trainer at Human Dymensions
Dr Rob Long

Latest posts by Dr Rob Long (see all)

  • Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual) - January 23, 2023
  • What is SPoR? - January 23, 2023
  • How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety - January 23, 2023
  • Afraid to Let Go of What Doesn’t Work in Safety - January 17, 2023
  • When You Don’t Know What to do in Safety, Have Another Blitz!!! - January 13, 2023
Dr Rob Long
PhD., MEd., MOH., BEd., BTh., Dip T., Dip Min., Cert IV TAA, MRMIA Rob is the founder of Human Dymensions and has extensive experience, qualifications and expertise across a range of sectors including government, education, corporate, industry and community sectors over 30 years. Rob has worked at all levels of the education and training sector including serving on various post graduate executive, post graduate supervision, post graduate course design and implementation programs.

Please share our posts

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Robert Long, Social Psychology of Risk Tagged With: Ergonomics

Reader Interactions

Do you have any thoughts? Please share them below Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

Search and Discover More on this Site

Never miss a post - Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,495 other subscribers

Introduction to SPOR – FREE!!

SAFETY MYTHS SERIES

The Mythic Symbology of Safety

Posture Myths and Holistic Ergonomics

Safety Mythbusters

Don’t Be Emotional! Another Safety Myth

Tackling the Challenge of Heuristics in Safety

The Myth of Normal

NEW! Free Download

Please take our 2 minute zero survey

Recent Comments

  • Rob long on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Matt Thorne on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Anonymous on Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • Jason on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Rob Long on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Admin on How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Rob Long on 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Gustavo Saralegui on 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Rob long on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Wynand on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Rob Long on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • simon cassin on To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Rob Long on Records of safety activities: evidence of safety or non-compliance?
  • Matt Thorne on Free Online Workshops
  • Rob long on No Good Reason to Follow Reason
  • Brian Edwin Darlington on No Good Reason to Follow Reason
  • Risk Diversity on Book Launch – For the Love of Zero – in Portuguese
  • Rob Long on No Good Reason to Follow Reason
  • Risk Culture Builder on No Good Reason to Follow Reason
  • Mark Taylor on All Things Must Pass in Risk

FREE eBOOK DOWNLOADS

Footer

VIRAL POST – The Risk Matrix Myth

Top Posts & Pages. Sad that most are so dumb but this is what safety luves

  • Road Safety Slogans 2023
  • 500 OF THE BEST WORKPLACE HEALTH and SAFETY SLOGANS 2023
  • Free Safety Moments and Toolbox Talk Examples, Tips and Resources
  • Download Safety Moments from Human Resources Secretariat
  • What Is Safety?
  • Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Safety Acronyms
  • COVID-19 (Coronavirus, Omicron) Health and Safety Slogans and Quotes for the Workplace
  • CATCHY and FUNNY SAFETY SLOGANS FOR THE WORKPLACE

Recent Posts

  • Welcome to the Nightmare, Safety Creates its Own Minefield (as usual)
  • What is SPoR?
  • How Bias Inhibits Learning in Safety
  • Afraid to Let Go of What Doesn’t Work in Safety
  • When You Don’t Know What to do in Safety, Have Another Blitz!!!
  • Gloves and Glasses Compliance
  • A Case of Desensitisation – What Would You Do?
  • How to Leave the Safety Industry
  • The Mythic Symbology of Safety
  • Dark Waters, The True Story of DuPont and Zero
  • 400,000 Free Downloads
  • Am I stupid? I didn’t think of that…
  • Don’t Look Now Safety, Your Metaphor is Showing
  • Ratio Delusions and Heinrich’s Hoax
  • To Err is Human, You Better Believe It
  • Culture as a Wicked Problem, for Safety
  • Safety Leadership Training
  • Cultural Orientation in Risk
  • The Stanford Experiment and The Social Psychology of Risk
  • Objectivity, Audits and Attribution When Calculating Risk
  • Records of safety activities: evidence of safety or non-compliance?
  • Zero, The Seeking of Infinity
  • Safety Leadership Essentials
  • What Can Indiana Jones Tell Us About Culture
  • Safety as a Worldview
  • The Loathing of Limits
  • Culture Cannot be Framed Through Safety
  • Free Online Workshops
  • Safety Culture–Hudson’s Model
  • Book Launch – For the Love of Zero – in Portuguese
  • Advancing Backwards in Safety
  • The ‘Noise’ of Safety, Silence and Practicing of Mindfulness
  • All Things Must Pass in Risk
  • I’m just not that into safety anymore
  • Sticks and Stones and the Nonsense of Zero Harm
  • Courting Infallibility in Safety
  • Indicators of Risk
  • What Can Safety Learn From Playschool?
  • No Good Reason to Follow Reason
  • Just as Well Culture Doesn’t Listen to Safety
  • What Are the Benefits Of Social Psychology of Risk?
  • Short-Sighted Lenses by Safety
  • Is Safety the Empire of Non-Sense?
  • No Wonder Safety is Confused About Culture
  • Building High Performance Safety Cultures
  • Understanding iCue, a Visual, Verbal, Semiotic Method for Tackling Risk
  • On Culture and Safety
  • Focus on ‘Meeting’ people, not legislation – a path to risk maturity
  • The Moral Harm of the Zero Cult
  • The New Leadership – Risk and Safety

VIRAL POST!!! HOW TO QUIT THE SAFETY INDUSTRY

FEATURED POSTS

Understanding Conscience and Safety

The Sound of Safety

How Semiotics Affects The Return To Work Process

Tape Down Those Leads

Toward Zero, A Failed Goal

Why Resilience Cannot be Engineered

Is Choice The First Casualty in the Worker’s Compensation War?

Goals and Vision in Safety

Culture Silences in Safety – Critical Thinking

Hind-sight, Risk Savvy and the Unexpected

The Triarchic Mind, Risk and Safety

WHS Legislation is NOT about Safety it’s about Culture

Beware of Hazardous ‘OINTMENT’

Social Psychology of Risk – Body of Knowledge

Safety is an Art

OnLine Learning Modules with CLLR

Humanising Safety Free Virtual Conference

Perth Workshops

A Critique of Pure Reason

Speaking a New Language in Safety

Study The Psychology of Risk

Independent Thinking in an Uncertain World, A Mind of One’s Own

Tackling Risk, A Field Guide to Risk and Learning

Themes and Concepts in Risk – Requests

Sexual Stereotyping Can Be Deadly

Ten Risk and Safety Program Essentials

Body Memory and Safety

Why Metaphors Matter in Risk

Study Social Psychology of Risk Online in 2018

Critical Thinking At Risk

I’m Not Playing Any More

My thoughts during a walk in the Forests in Vienna

Free Online Module: Introduction to The Social Psychology of Risk

Cognitive Dissonance and Safety Beliefs

Process driven or People driven? What’s your Focus?

What Does SPoR Do?

Myth and Symbols in Safety

Semiotics, Semiology and Safety Sense

The Illusion Of Opposites

Complacency and The Wayward Mind

More Posts from this Category

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address and join other discerning risk and safety people who receive notifications of new posts by email

Join 7,495 other subscribers

How we pay for the high cost of running of this site – try it for free on your site

WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY?

What is Psychological Safety at Work?