From the book A guide to Human Factors & Ergonomics by Helander (2006) the following are the definitions

of ergonomics: Ergonomics is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions and humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. Ergonomics is the study of the interaction between people and machines and the factors that affect the interaction. The purpose of ergonomics is to improve the performance of system by improving human machine interaction.

APPLICATION OF ERGONOMICS (Source: Ergonomics in Developing Regions: Needs and Applications, Scott, P., 2009) a. Agricultural Industry In agricultural areas, machineries are used to increase the output. Among the most used equipments are tractors and power tillers. These equipments produce vibrations that may have an effect on the body. Some injuries attributed to vibrations include, backache, lumbar pain, musculoskeletal disorder and visual impairment. Knowing the possible effects of vibrations on the human body, a research was done by Salikhe et. Al. entitled Vibration Characteristics of Tractors and Power-tillers: An Ergonomics Perspective. The researchers proposed a new design of seat suspension system with pneumatic damper to reduce the effect of vibration on the operator. The newly designed seat minimized the discomfort of the operator and at the same time the new design facilitated the ability of the operators to work up to 8 hrs. b. Carpet weaving industry In the carpet weaving industry in Iran, there are no ergonomics principles applied to the methods in production. The weaving hand-tools are poorly designed and inappropriate materials are used in their structures, parts of the weavers' hand and fingers bear contact stresses which causes soft tissue injury. (Ergonomics in the Carpet-Weaving Industry in Iran, Motamedzade, M. ) In the study entitled Ergonomics in the Carpet-Weaving Industry in Iran, Motamedzade et al. proposed redesigned hand-tools based on the anthropometric dimensions of the hand. The newly designed tools gave significant difference in scores as compared to the old design. c. Workstation With the application of ergonomics in the workstations, studies produced a standard on a the most efficient posture and position in a workstation. (Niebels Methods, Standards, and Work Design, 12th Ed; Freivalds, A.; 2009) d. Design of Keyboard e. Design of products for people with disorders