Ergonomics follows a very simple basic
model that derives from physics: When you impact a body with a certain stress, the body will react with a
corresponding strain. Since a standard method causes a
stress that is typical for this standard method, the strain as a reaction to
this typical stress situation should be typical, too.
The intensity of the strain, however, is
not the same. It depends on the worker: his personal attributes, his abilities
and his skills (together they form the capability for work). And
it varies due to the actual disposition and motivation (together
called readiness for work), and his health. If the strain overruns the permanent
work load, breaks are necessary for his personal recovery to avoid
acute or chronic damage.
We know
that there are days when the same job feels hard, and days when it feels much
easier. This depends on the disposition (physical variance) on one hand and the
motivation (mental variance) on the other hand. Both together form the
readiness for work.
While capability
is the potential of any given person, readiness is the percentage of that
potential actually activated.
