According to my handy article about October holidays , it's National Ergonomics Month!
Maybe you have heard of ergonomics. Even if you haven't, you are still probably benefiting from it. ergonomics, also called "human factors", is the science of designing technology, products and environments to work with the human body--the way it moves, the way it is shaped, and its requirements for support and comfort.
The theory is that you work more efficiently if you are comfortable, and so products are designed to alleviate stress on the body in order to prevent injury or fatigue. Think of products like those gel-filled wrist rests designed to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome in people who spend most of the day typing, or like the ergonomic angled keyboard, pictured above.
Ergonomics can also prevent accidents, as well. Take your car, for example. Not only is it ergonomically designed with your comfort in mind, but also with an eye toward your safety. Think about how easy it is to reach what you need quickly, so that you won't be too distracted while motoring down the road. It's hard enough to get people to pull over to make a phone call, let alone tune the radio, and it's not worth crashing your car just because you can't get enough Dua Lipa (who can, really?).
In order to raise awareness and appreciation for ergonomic design, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) declared October to be National Ergonomics Month, so every time you sit in a molded chair or use one of those funky curved computer keyboards or drive somewhere in a safe, comfortable car, you can thank ergonomic design, in October and in every other month of the year!
Image credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LAs_new_kb_and_mouse.JPG
