Ergonomic Handles: Benefits & Design for Comfort and Productivity

Handles are ergonomically designed to reduce tension and fatigue in the hands and arms. Repetitive movements can cause arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome when the movements involve the hands, fingers and wrists.

Identification

• Ergonomics is the design of equipment, which reduces operator discomfort and fatigue as well as maximizes productivity, notes Safecomputingtips.com. In Greek, ergos means work. Nomos means laws or laws of work.

Effects

• An ergonomic handle will relieve stress on tendons, nerves, joints, bones and muscles. When a handle is designed ergonomically, it is designed with human performance in relation to how the person interacts with the product in mind.

Features

• An ergonomically designed handle will have contour gripping and probably an elongated shaft. The grip is contoured so that it corresponds to the natural position and angles of the palm and hand, featuring a S-shaped curvature on the top side and a triple curvature along the bottom, which results in a depression in which the fingers can rest. The best kind of handle is slightly tapered toward both its distal (distant) and proximal ends and is oval shaped.