Work Systems Engineering - Groover

Work in work systems refers to human work


Work Is our primary means of livelihood
Serves an important economic function in the global world of commerce
Creates opportunities for social interactions and friendships
Provides the products and services that sustain and improve our standard of living


Work is an activity in which one exerts physical and mental effort to accomplish a given task or perform a duty
Task or duty has some useful objective
Worker applies skills and knowledge for successful completion
The activity has commercial value
The worker is compensated


Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work
by Mikell P. Groover, 2007
Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ.

ISO 6385:2016

Ergonomics principles in the design of work systems

ISO 6385:2016

Ergonomics principles in the design of work systems

ISO 6385:2016 establishes the fundamental principles of ergonomics as basic guidelines for the design of work systems and defines relevant basic terms. It describes an integrated approach to the design of work systems, where ergonomists will cooperate with others involved in the design, with attention to the human, the social and the technical requirements in a balanced manner during the design process.

The term "work system" in this International Standard is used to indicate a large variety of working situations, including permanent and flexible work places. The intention of this International Standard is to assist in the improvement, (re)design or change of work systems. Work systems involve combinations of workers and equipment, within a given space and environment, and the interactions between these components within a work organization. Work systems vary in complexity and characteristics, for example, the use of temporary work systems. Some examples of work systems in different areas are the following:

- production, e.g. machine operator and machine, worker and assembly line;

- transportation, e.g. driver and car or lorry, personnel in an airport;

- support, e.g. maintenance technician with work equipment;

- commercial, e.g. office worker with workstation, mobile worker with a tablet computer, cook in a restaurant kitchen;

- other areas like health care, teaching and training.

The definitions and ergonomic principles specified in this International Standard apply to the design of optimal working conditions with regard to human well-being, safety and health, including the development of existing skills and the acquisition of new ones, while taking into account technological and economic effectiveness and efficiency.

https://www.iso.org/standard/63785.html

Updated on 6.4.2022

Pub 15.10.2017