Human factors and ergonomics in the planning of production

For years integration of ergonomics into the planning of new production processes has been an ideal for regulating agencies supported by ergonomic experts. But the ideal appears to be difficult to live up to. A development of tools both by agencies and by groups of researchers has been seen as the strategy to move ergonomics from repair activities towards integration into planning. But the tools are available. An overview of the tools developed and discussed in the last two decades in the Scandinavian countries is presented. It is, therefore, argued that the focus shall be on the broader issues of organizational conditions for giving ergonomics a stronger position in the firm. Ergonomists have to tackle these issues, but it implies a new understanding of their roles, which goes beyond the traditional discussion of expert versus facilitator. The paper is based on an evaluation of a Swedish research program of a new approach to intervention studies on musculoskeletal diseases, on a major Danish research program on integrating ergonomics (working environment) into the planning activities of the enterprises and on discussions with the staff of the Danish mandatory occupational health and safety services on their roles as consultants to firms. It is often argued from an economic and ergonomic point of view that ergonomic considerations should be integrated into the planning processes, but it is seldom the case in practice. Tools for establishing this integration are available. Therefore, the organizational preconditions should be addressed. This implies a change of the understanding of the role of the people possessing the ergonomic knowledge in and affiliated to the enterprise from ‘expert’ to ‘organizational activist’.