What is ergonomics I hear you ask? Well if I think back to high school, ergonomics back then was about comfortable chairs and wrist supports when typing. I was intrigued to discover that ergonomics is weaved throughout activity far more deeply than I imagined. For the purpose of this current blog I have given you a reference for what ergonomics actually is…..
Ergonomics is to “constantly make slight invisible adjustments to an activity to adapt to the needs of those taking part and ensure that it continues to work for its intended purpose” (Caulton and Dickson, 2007, p.93). To explain this further, the activity can be broken down into person, occupation and environment, by doing this you have the ability to view and adapt the task and yet it will still maintain its function.
Person - What I make depends on what I feel like at the time and if I am making it for myself or someone else. It reflects the time I have available and if I can do it mindfully.
Occupation – The type of paper craft I choose to do depend on many factors but mostly what texture paper I have, colours and what I am making.
Environment – The environment chosen can be anywhere but usually indoors. I however choose to do my craft at home on a hard surface like the kitchen table or coffee table. If these tables are messy I generally push everything to one side in to another messy pile and spread my activity out.
Next time you do an activity like the dishes or playing a game or working on a piece of craft work, try and think only of that instead of doing it on auto pilot….
References:
Caulton, R. & Dickson, R. (2007). What’s going on? Finding an explanation for what we do. In J. Creek & A. Lawson-Porter (Eds.), Contemporary issues in occupational therapy (pp. 87-114). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons Ltd
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