ergonomicsn.

1950 Lancet 1 Apr. 645/2 In July, 1949, a group of people decided to form a new society for which the name the ‘Ergonomics Research Society’ has now been adopted.

1952 Oxf. Mail 2 July 2/5 He [sc. K. F. H. Murrell] found it necessary to invent the word ‘ergonomics’ to cover the kind of work he and other people are doing in studying work in relation to environment.

1954 W. E. Le Gros Clark in Floyd & Welford Sympos. Human Factors in Equipm. Design ii. 5 A man and his machine may be regarded as the functional unit of industry, and the aim of ergonomics is the perfection of this unit so as to promote accuracy and speed of operation, and at the same time to ensure minimum fatigue and thereby maximum efficiency.

1958 Engineering 21 Feb. 226/2 This attempt to promote the study of ergonomics, that is, the study of the interaction of men and their environment (now usually with special reference to the machine environment) deserves every success.

1969 Times 5 May 23/5 A seat designed by the one car-maker with an ergonomics department.

1954 W. E. Le Gros Clark in Floyd & Welford Sympos. Human Factors in Equipm. Design ii. 5 Anatomists have not given so much attention as other groups of workers to the application of their studies to ergonomic problems.

1958 Archit. Rev. 124 42/2 The design of an instrument to be gripped by such a diversity of hands must be an ergonomic compromise, but on the whole the new G.P.O. model achieves a fairly satisfactory balance between function and aesthetics.

1961 Engineering 6 Oct. 432/3 The keyboard has been ergonomically designed and is contoured..to make every key more accessible to the typist's fingers.

1959 Daily Tel. 8 Apr. 16/3 (heading) Ergonomists seek easier design for working.

1970 Sci. Jrnl. Apr. 28/2 The whole subject [of absenteeism] indeed is of interest..to sociologists and ergonomists (industrial psychologists and work physiologists).