Ergonomics in Developing Regions

Industrially developing countries have the largest populations, the highest levels of poverty, poor health, and illiteracy, and the greatest need for improvement in working conditions. And as the marketplace and the workforce goes increasingly global, accountability with regard to the abuse of cheap labor in developing countries is becoming an issue. Presenting a global view of the state of ergonomics in industrially developing countries (IDCs), Ergonomics in Developing Regions: Needs and Applications identifies problems, offers solutions, and explores costs and benefits. It defines the steps that can be taken to close the gap between working conditions in affluent and deprived nations.

The book highlights the plight of millions of laborers and the poor working conditions pertaining to industrially less developed countries where the working environment mirrors the socio-economic deprivation of the people. Woven throughout the 34 chapters of this book is the tenet that good ergonomics is good economics. The chapters include examples of low-cost interventions at the work place in IDCs. The contributors discuss the ripple effect of ergonomics beyond the workplace to the betterment of life in general for the huge workforce in IDCs around the world. They focus on work-site problems and ergonomic solutions in developing regions around the globe, covering work conducted in Asia, Africa, South America, Russia, and China.

Examining the factors unique to IDCs, leading ergonomists provide insights as to how sustainable progress is achievable in the developing world. They demonstrate the need for a more inclusive macro approach, citing managerial input essential for sustainable progress. With a panel of authors that reflects the multidisciplinary nature of the field, this book chronicles the nuances of differences in aim, practice, and outcome when ergonomists tackle Developing World problems from a Developing World perspective.