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.
When the worker can manage his workload
independently, he can find the right pace to keep strain at an acceptable
level.But there are
situations when the strain exceeds that level. For example, when the worker is
pushed to reach a certain performance that is beyond his long-term capacity… or
when he is so motivated that he does not realize that he is overreaching.
If the actual strain momentarily exceeds
this permanent load, it will not be a problem. In real life, this happens very
often. It can even improve the training and exercise (conditioning). But
at the end of the day there should be a balance between periods of excessive
strain and periods of lower strain (recovery). Otherwise, overload will
accumulate and result in damage.
