The activity as a criterion for designing industrial equipments: contributions for ergonomic design

Ergonomics has been growing as an important science interested in human activities and other elements of a system. The definition of ergonomics adopted by the IEA (International Ergonomics Association) Council in 2000 asserts that: “Ergonomics is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.” Ergonomics has the design as a main objective. Therefore, it is fundamental to highlight the importance of its contribution to the design of work instruments and/or or workplaces. Considering the fact that ergonomics can bring differentiated criteria to a specific design problem, when compared to the traditional design methods, its approach can contribute to the development of more confortable, safer and healthier work environments. Enframed by the so called “francophone tradition of ergonomics”, the Ergonomic Analysis of Work Activity (EAWA) is an approach, that is much more focused on