Leica RESOLUTION EXTRA ERGONOMICS User Manual
Ergonomics
The science which makes working life more pleasant
reSOLUTION
EXTRA
a recognised, practice-oriented science. Based on
knowledge gathered from engineering and human
sciences, its goal is to improve the interaction of man
and technology for the benefit of the (working) person.
In everyday working practice, ergonomics should be
both corrective (i.e. the improvement of existing
working systems) and conceptual (i.e. the planning of
new systems). The objective is to adapt equipment,
workplaces, working environments, working processes
and the contents of work procedures to the characteristics, activities and requirements of human
beings.
Ergonomics is, therefore, not only a matter for
production engineers, design engineers, designers or
procurement and buying agents who are responsible
for providing equipment for workplaces. “Work
structuring“ also involves works councils, security
personnel, works doctors and (theoretically, at least)
those who are actually active at the workplaces.
Today in many countries, worker’s protection laws
oblige not only large industrial concerns but also
employers in small companies to provide their
employees with adequate medical and safety
measures and support.
Full-time microscopists –
a case for occupational medicine
Microscope workplaces constitute a “compulsory
programme“ for occupational medicine doctors.
After all, they place extraordinarily high demands
on the visual performance, the precision motoricity
and supporting apparatus of the user. In the research
laboratory or for industrial quality assurance appli-
ERGONOMICS –
The science which
makes working life
more pleasant
Ergonomics is a hybrid term and comes from ancient
Greek. “Ergon“ means work, effort and power, and
“nomus“ roughly means law or rule. Ergonomics
could therefore be translated as “work structuring“.
Ergonomics or work structuring – both terms were
not widely in use until 1950. Only then did the humanisation of the workplace begin to become “a topic“.
Today, ergonomics is on everybody’s lips and is now
Leica ErgoTube™ 10°-50° for the Leica
stereomicroscopes of the M series (top).
Optimally placed operating elements for
fatigue-free work (right).
cations – statistics gathered by various specialist
authors show that over 70% of full-time micro-scopists
suffer from headaches, neck and back pain, stiff
shoulders and symptoms of eye strain. Since the
muscular complaints in the neck and upper extremities
(caused by motionless seated activity at the microscope) are so pronounced, ROBINOWITZ and Co.
speak of a real “microscope neuralgia“. According to
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