Money. For the ergonomist, it’s often the barrier between the conceptualization and execution of a great idea. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
“Think about it in the sense that there are all kinds of things we should do for us, and we should probably spend money on them, but we choose to do some and not others,” says Stephen Jenkins, Senior Ergonomist for Auburn Engineers. While it may seem like second nature to the ergonomist to embark on an ergonomics initiative, the reluctant nature of management to buy-into the idea can mean that even the best idea succumbs to a lack of funds.
“[Companies] have limited budgets; they have to pick and choose,” Jenkins says. “They tend to think of ergonomics as a health and safety issue not a productivity issue, something into which they want to put minimal outlay for return.”
The problem is communication
This article originally appeared in The Ergonomics Report™ on 2004-03-01.