What is ergonomics?
It is the set of techniques and knowledge of several sciences about the adaptation and improvement of the working conditions of the person, both physically and psychically.
What is the purpose of ergonomics?
Achieving harmony between people and their working conditions.
What are its aims?
Increase the efficiency and well-being at work.
What does ergonomics study?
The environment at the workplace: equipment, furniture, space, working positions adopted...
Environmental conditions: temperature, noise, humidity, illumination...
Physical and mental workload.
Work’s content and organisation: schedule, work process, training and information.
What is psycho-sociology?
Through the use of psychology and sociology, the psycho-social and organisational factors that exists in the workplace, which may affect the worker’s health and produce stress, are studied.
What is stress?
Stress is an important imbalance perceived between the demand and the response capacity of the individual with conditions in which the failure before this demand has important consequences.
Stressors are the variables or causes that contribute to trigger stress:
- Work overload (in the amount and complexity)
- Low workload
- Underuse of abilities and skills
- Repetitiveness
- Ambiguity and role conflict
- Responsibility
- Occupational insecurity (type of contract)
- Excessive control
Institutional Declaration
The Law for occupational risks prevention considers the psycho-social risk as one of the risks at the workplace that affect the most organisations’ health.
Psycho-social factor is defined as the set of demands and characteristics of work and its organisation that, when coming together with the worker’s abilities, necessities and expectations, have a negative effect on the worker’s health.
In the current context of political, social, economic and cultural transformations, prevention or, in its case the elimination of behaviours that damage or deteriorate the working environment of the University, and that cause discriminatory, intimidating or humiliating situations, guarantee at least two principles:
Every public officer has the right to always receive a respectful treatment with his/her dignity, both as a professional and as a person, and to enjoy a set of provisions that allow him/her to give effect to the principle of equal opportunity.
Consequently, the Occupational Health and Safety Committee of the University of Valencia commits to defend the right of a working environment of quality, both relating to the right to an environment, or atmosphere free of ACAM or harassment, intimidation or discrimination, in any of their forms, and the right to a working environment that promote equal opportunities and treatment.
CRUE actions
The Conference of Principals from Spanish Universities (CRUE) is a State level, non-profit Association created in December 1994, and formed by public and private Spanish Universities that merge in the light of the Law 191/64, 24 December, and the complementary regulations of the Decree 1440/65, 20 May.
The CRUE, as reflected in the Preamble of its Statutes, within the complete respect to university autonomy and within the framework of the principles coming from the Spanish Constitution and the contents of the university’s Magna Charta, promotes the reflection on the university purposes and problems, directing its approaches with criteria that go beyond the interests of specific sectors or groups. The course is intended to be agile, effective and representative of the Spanish Institutions, that promote mutual cooperation and with other European Conferences of Principals.
Complete document (.pdf)
