Leica ERGO User Manual
Success is a question
of attitude
ErgoHandbook™
ErgoHandbook™, Leica Microsystems Ltd
Contents
Section
The purpose of this handbook 1
What do you mean by ergonomics ? 2
Ergonomics applied to improving microscopy workstations 3
Ergonomics, illustrations and tables 4
Assessment of the workplace 5
Why invest in ergonomics? 6
Dimensions with Leica ergonomics modules 7
Want to know more about ergonomics? 8
Agencies 9
Questionnaire about the ergonomic arrangement
of the workplace 10
Current publicity material 11
– Fax order form
ErgoHandbook™, Leica Microsystems Ltd – Section 1 – The purpose of this handbook 1
1. The purpose of this handbook
For an employee to feel "at home" while at work,
ergonomic (human-engineered) workstations
and work sequences are essential. They increase motivation and lead to improved performance. Ergonomics, properly applied, brings higher
productivity and increased profits.
Any works doctor with experience in this field
will tell you that workstations equipped with
optical instruments can bring with them a host of
medical problems, particularly as regards postural strain and eyestrain. The ergonomics of video
display terminals have been widely discussed in
the press, but it is less well known that workstations which include a microscope put considerably higher demands on the user.
The intention of this handbook is to make you
more familiar with the importance of ergonomic
microscopy workstations and with their advantages, to set out the basic principles of ergonomics, and to show you how to arrange your
workstation to ensure minimum stress. Leica
has given more thought than any other stereomicroscope manufacturer to this subject and
has introduced the world's widest range of
ergonomic accessories. This fact gives Leica a
considerable advantage, particularly in view of
the increasing strictness with which the product-liability laws are being applied (see inset).
Ignoring or neglecting basic ergonomic rules can cost plenty.
Government sources in the USA put a price label of a hundred
thousand million dollars on the annual cost to the U.S. economy of unsatisfactory ergonomics. Escalating claims for
damages are pushing the authorities to introduce legislation.
In a widely-publicized legal case, three female employees successfully sued the manufacturer of their computer keyboards
for damages running into millions of dollars. Working at the
keyboard had caused damage to the fingers, the wrist and the
arm. This verdict affects not only the computer industry, but
also other industrial activities. Many manufacturers will now
have to come to grips with ergonomic facts and to introduce
appropriate measures, because the Brooklyn court declared
industry to be liable for the damage caused by its products.
This specific legal case, together with calculations showing
that injury due to repetitive movement is costing the U.S. health
organizations $20,000 million a year , have driven the authorities
to force the introduction of ergonomic product design by
means of appropriate legislation. In November 1996, California
became the first state in the USA to introduce a law to this
effect.
from USA TODAY, 9. January 1997
An actual example
ErgoHandbook™, Leica Microsystems Ltd – Section 1 – The purpose of this handbook2
ErgoHandbook™, Leica Microsystems Ltd – Section 2 – What do you mean by ergonomics? 1
2. What do you mean by
ergonomics?
The term ‘Ergonomics’ is derived from the Greek words ergos meaning "work" and nomos meaning "natural laws of" or "study of".
‘ergon’= work and ‘nomos’= according to statutes
Ergonomics investigates and analyzes the relationship between
people and their work, with the aim of improving the performance
of the entire work system and of reducing the negative impact on
the individual. Industrial ergonomics involves the systematic
technical equipping of workplaces and the effect on the person
working there. It is the task of ergonomics to derive rules for
fitting the task to the person.
Human engineering and
ergonomics
Starting with the foundations laid by the work of
Taylor in the field of scientific business management, the science of "human factors" or "human
engineering" has arisen, and is well established
in Europe and in the USA. This new science is in
harmony with the mechanistic views of the 19th
century, which claim that the laws of classical
physics can be applied to all natural phenomena, including human life (refer in this connection to Releaux and to the psychophysics of
Fechner).
Core definition of human engineering according
to the German "Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaft"
Human engineering is the systematic analysis,
ordering and arrangement of the technical,
organizational and social conditions relating to
work processes. Its purpose is to ensure that
employees engaged in productive and efficient
work processes
• work under safe, achievable conditions,
• see that appropriate social standards regarding work content, work analysis, work environment, remuneration and cooperation are
being met,
• have room for manoeuvre, have the opportunity to learn and, in cooperation with others, can
preserve and further develop their personalities.
This "ergonomic wheel diagram" includes all of the factors which affect the wellbeing of the employee and which therefore impact on the profitability of the
business. The individual and the task are at the centre. The inner circle (activities)
includes the dynamic ergonomic processes which directly affect the fields in the
outer circle (reaction).
Diagram from: Ergonomics, a success factor for every organization.
Swiss Accident Insurance (SUVA)
Human /
task
Safety at work
Economics
Health protection
Motivation
Human
Work
environ-
ment
Work
content
Work
organization
Work-
place
Well-being at
the workplace
Good
results
ErgoHandbook™, Leica Microsystems Ltd – Section 2 – What do you mean by ergonomics?2
In 1857, the Polish investigator Wojciech
Jastrzebowski coined the word "ergonomics" to
denote a branch of science covering certain
aspects of man-machine interaction, but the
term did not become generally accepted at that
time.
In 1949, scientific co-workers of Murell re-introduced the word to denote a new branch of
science researching the capabilities and
properties of humans when using technical
equipment. The stated purpose was to establish
facts enabling proposals to be formulated for the
design of tools, instruments and machines. The
roots of this research originated during the
Second World War, when both the Allies and the
Germans carried out investigations which were
considered to be so important that they should
be applied to civilian activities.
The main task of ergonomics is to reduce the
stress on the human operator while improving
the performance of the entire work system.
These goals are achieved by analyzing the task,
the working environment and the interplay
between human and machine. (Schmidtke,
1993).
Human engineering is multidisciplinary. It derives its basic principles from the human sciences, from engineering, from economics and from
the social sciences. It includes the disciplines of
medicine, psychology, teaching, technology and
law insofar as they all relate to occupational
aspects, and it also embraces industrial sociology. Each of these disciplines is concerned with
human work as seen from the point of view of
the particular aspect science. For the purposes
of practical applicability, this basic knowledge is
combined into what are known as praxeologies
(practical aspects). Of these, organization
theory is primarily social-centred; it provides the
guidelines for organization and for working
groups, whereas ergonomics is more engineering-centred and has the goal of providing guidelines for the technical planning of workplaces
and tools (Luczak and Volpert, 1987).
Free translation of an extract from the brochure of the
Institute for Ergonomics, Technical University, Munich,
Germany
http://www.lfe.mw.tu-muenchen.de/wasist.html
References
Bubb, H. und Schmidtke, H.:
Systemstruktur. In H. Schmidtke
(Hrsg.): Ergonomie.
Hilf, H.: Einführung in die
Arbeitswissenschaft.
Luczak, H., Volpert, W., Raithel, A. &
Schwier, W.: Arbeitswissenschaftliche
Kerndefinition, Gegenstandskatalog,
Forschungsgebiete.
Human engineering and its constituents
Theoretical aspects
Human sciences
– Medicine
– Psychology
– Sociology
– Teaching
Engineering
– Physics
– Construction
– Measurement and
control technology
Economics and
social science
– Economics
– Law
Ergonomics.
Oriented to engineering.
Guidelines for planning tools and
workstations.
Organization of work.
Oriented to the social sciences.
Guidelines for planning operations
and working groups.
Human engineering
Practical aspects
ErgoHandbook™, Leica Microsystems Ltd – Section 3 – Ergonomics applied to improving microscopy workstations 1
3. Ergonomics applied to
improving microscopy
workstations
Ergonomics is just a craze. Ergonomics in the
workplace is only a luxury, something for lazy
and difficult people.
Prejudices like these still crop up now and
again. They are based on false information or on
ignorance, because it has been long confirmed
by many investigations in occupational medicine
the world over that ergonomics, scientifically
applied in the workplace, directly affects not
only the individual well-being of employees, but
also their performance and therefore the profits
of the business.
Workstations equipped with optical aids such as
the microscope make seeing easier, but when
used continuously for many hours a day they
place enormous demands on the eyes, the musculo-skeletal system and the powers of
concentration (see fig. 2, section 4). These
demands are considerably greater than those
associated with VDUs, but the latter have received much greater publicity. The present section
is directed primarily towards users of optical
aids and to those responsible for procuring and
installing microscopy workstations. It includes
suggestions for reducing the health risk by
means of:
• ergonomic instruments
• ergonomic workstations
• variety within the work process
• the introduction of work breaks
• appropriately-qualified personnel
• training for users
• problem-awareness in the user.
People are very different
There are tall and short people, some slimmer
than others. This makes workplace requirements into a personal matter. For example, the
existing height of a microscope equipped for a
certain task with accessories and with a particular working distance may be quite unsuitable
for the specific user . Aches and pains, and reduced performance, are inevitable. If the viewing
height is too low, the observer will be forced to
bend forward while working, with resulting muscular tension in the neck region. In the ideal
microscope, therefore, the viewing height and
the viewing angle should be adjustable to the
build of the user. In addition, a variable viewing
height is the best way to prevent an entirelysedentary posture (see fig. 1, section 4). It permits the observer to adopt a personal sitting
posture and to change it periodically in accordance with the natural urge to shift around from
time to time. It is true that the height of the chair
can be altered so that a relaxed, slightly-bent
posture is substituted for the previous rigidlyupright one (see fig. 3, section 4), but this is not
the best approach. It is much simpler and more
comfortable to use a variable binocular tube in
order to compensate for the height difference.
ErgoHandbook™, Leica Microsystems Ltd – Section 3 – Ergonomics applied to improving microscopy workstations2
Dynamic sitting reduces to a
minimum the stresses placed
on the back muscles, putting a
stop to the decrease in performance and staving off the
onset of fatigue (see fig. 4, section 4).
All controls ready at hand
Two conditions must be met for frequently-used
controls such as the zoom and focus to be used
comfortably. Firstly, these controls must be as
far down as possible on the microscope and
secondly, it must be possible to operate them
with the forearms supported and the shoulders
relaxed. To avoid unnecessary stress to the
shoulder girdle, the need to stretch out the arms
too far should be avoided. Ergonomically, this
means that the best posture is with the arms
horizontal or sloping slightly downwards, and
with the hands resting on their edges. The drive
knobs should be neither too slack nor too tight;
ideally, their ease of movement should be adjustable to individual requirements. For higher
magnifications there should be a fine-focus
mechanism.
About the chair and the table
Ergonomics at the workplace naturally relates
not only to the instrument itself, but also to the
chair and table which are used. The limited
adjustment possibilities of the instrument itself
can accommodate the finer ergonomic tuning,
but first the chair and table must be chosen and
arranged so as to meet the more basic ergonomic requirements. Their height and their tilt must
ensure that the whole person, from head to foot,
including back, head, arms, hands and legs, can
sit and work in the best possible posture.
Because microscopical observation generally
extends over a considerable period of time, and
requires great concentration, the posture is
decisive. In general, the ideal in terms of relaxed
and comfortable sitting is offered by a microscopy table with adjustable height and which offers
a sufficiently-large surface on which to rest the
hands, combined with a chair which is adaptable to the build of the user and which should
have a tall backrest tiltable backwards by up to
30° (see fig. 6, 7, section 4). If the task requires
the user to lean forwards, this forward tilt should
not exceed 20°.
Special arm- and hand supports
To carry out the fine movements required to
position, manipulate and prepare objects, support should be provided by arm- and handrests
which have no sharp edges. The base of the
microscope stand itself can be designed to provide this support. The elbow joint should not be
supported. It is also important that ancillary tools
such as soldering irons are designed adequately; they should not be too heavy, and neither
should they force the hand to adopt an unfavourable position.
About the optical systems
The literature of occupational medicine contains
the results of numerous investigations into
eyestrain resulting from microscopical observation. A discussion of this aspect requires a specialized knowledge of the properties of optical
instruments and of illumination technology, and
is outside the scope of the present handbook.
One important fact is however this: An
elaborate lens system is more expensive, but in
the long term it pays off because it protects the
eyes and reduces fatigue. High-quality microscopes have optical and mechanical properties
which simple instruments cannot offer.
Examples are parfocality, which eliminates the
constant need to refocus; and plano objectives,
which produce an image which is sharp right to
the edge and not (as with simpler objectives)
either in the middle or in the peripheral area.
The eyepiece: right next to the user
In every microscope, the eyepieces have a very
important function, because they represent the
visual interface to the user. Wide-field eyepie-
ces for spectacle wearers, and
with dioptric correction and
adjustable eyepieces, are particularly recommended. "Wide field"
means that these eyepieces show
a larger area of the object at any
one time, which makes long-term
observation more effective on
account of easier navigation and
because the eye does not need to
adapt so much. Eyepieces for spectacle wearers have a high eyepoint, well away from the
eyelens of the eyepiece, and so present the option of working with spectacles or without. The
eyecups keep out stray light from the side, and
prevent disturbing reflections on the eyelens.
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