Ergonomic: The Key to Preventing Stress and Fatigue

Ergonomics is the key to preventing stress and fatigue by promoting optimal physical and mental well-being through the application of ergonomic principles in the workspace and daily activities. By incorporating ergonomic principles into their workspace and daily activities, individuals can prevent stress and fatigue, thereby improving overall health and productivity. One of the important advantages of ergonomics is the ability to prevent stress and fatigue. Many individuals spend a great deal of time in a work environment that may not be optimized for their well-being. Poor working positions, inappropriate seating arrangements and repetitive tasks can cause physical discomfort and mental stress. This can lead to stress and fatigue, which have a negative impact on physical and mental health. Fatigue is a common thing in human life due to doing an activity. According to Rohfis ICP's research (2005) fatigue can be in the form of muscle fatigue, fatigue due to stress or depression, or fatigue due to certain diseases, whereas according to Tarwaka (2015) stress is psychological pressure that can result in health problems both physically and mentally. Work-related stress is reported to be the second problem in Europe as a work-related health problem. In 2005 it was found that as many as 22% of workers in Europe experienced work-related stress and a number of other workers experienced work-related stress (WHO, 2003). Work stress can result in loss of working days due to work accidents and illness (Karima, 2014). Losses experienced by companies due to work stress are also not small, for example in the United States, they experienced losses of more than US 30 billion due to accidents, absenteeism, turnover, and insurance compensation. According to Tarwaka (2015) Stress can cause emotional reactions, changes in habits or mentality, and physiological changes. Fatigue experienced by workers is one of the physiological changes. There are several ways to reduce work stress including using colorful decorations at work, using music, taking advantage of breaks to do physical exercise or sports that are appropriate for the workforce.

The first attempt that can be done is to ensure chairs and tables are of the appropriate height to allow for a comfortable body position and prevent muscle strain (Tjokorda, 2022). According to research conducted by Yosepine Megawati (2020) the correct sitting position is to sit with your back straight and your shoulders back, your thighs against the chair seat and your buttocks must touch the back of the chair. Then concentrate the body weight on one point so that it is balanced, try not to slouch, if necessary the chair can be pulled closer to the table so that the sitting position does not slouch. The thing that needs to be considered again is that the knee position must be bent parallel to the hips and don't cross your legs. The second attempt is to adjust the position of the computer monitor so that it is at eye level, thereby reducing eye and neck strain. The viewing angle of the eye towards the computer is recommended at 100-200, so as not to take the wrong position such as bending or looking up which can cause GOTRAK (work-related skeletal muscle disorder). When the position of the top of the monitor is higher or lower than horizontal eye level will cause wide opening of the eyelids so the eyes become dry. Placement of the monitor at the work desk is adjusted to the employee's posture and table height so that the work chair must be ergonomic (Nopriadi, 2019).

The second step, management must establish a rational work schedule taking into account time limits and sufficient rest to prevent excessive fatigue due to overwork. In accordance with Article 77 of the Labor Law, the work schedule must apply for eight hours a day and the average productive working hours in one week add up to 40 hours. Overtime can only be done for a maximum of 3 hours in 1 day and 14 hours in 1 week, overtime will be calculated if the employee's working hours exceed the thirty minute time limit. In accordance with article 79 paragraph 2 letter a of Law no. 13 of 2003 stipulates that companies must provide rest time between working hours, at least half an hour after workers have done continuous work for 4 hours and the break does not include working hours. Workers set work priorities and make use of effective time management techniques such as the Podomoro method to avoid excessive stress. The Podomoro technique was introduced by Francisco Cirillo in the late 1980s, The Podomoro technique is a technique that focuses on time-lapse intervals. Through this technique we must focus on doing activities for 25 minutes, after the time is up we are required to rest for 5 minutes. This method is carried out in 4 rounds, after which we can rest longer as long as it is not longer than the time to focus. Employees apply the principle of work life balance by allocating time for non-work activities such as sports, hobbies or socializing with family and friends. In the encyclopedia of management, work life balance is understood as the management of work obligations and personal life responsibilities; work life balance can be interpreted as a challenge to create a corporate culture that supports employees to stay focused on their work (Dinda, 2022). According to Arkan Perdana, implementing work life balance can provide benefits in the form of avoiding various diseases, increasing performance, focusing more on work, and reducing boredom and stress.

Third step, company's human resources sector must conduct training and education for workers. Training and development is an important thing that needs to be done by the company so that employees are able to develop their intellectual abilities and personality so that they can provide the best results for the company.. Education is generally related to preparing prospective workers to be used by an organization, while training is more related to increasing the abilities or skills of workers who have occupied a certain position or task (Nurul, 2021).The field of human resources must educate every employee about the importance of ergonomics and provide training on ergonomic principles in daily activities and the workplace. It is important for employees and companies to understand more deeply about ergonomics in the work environment so that a high quality of work life can be created. In its implementation, such as paying attention to lighting while working, stretching, and reducing excess strength. In this case the field of human resources needs to carry out control and evaluation at each work station so that unwanted things do not occur. Workers are expected to carry out individual ergonomic evaluation consultation sessions to identify potential problems and provide appropriate solutions. Evaluation is needed to assess the work efficiency of employees as reflected in their attitude and performance. An HRD must perform this function to analyze and classify differences based on employee work standards required by the company. To determine the ergonomic evaluation using the parameter of the amount of energy consumption determined by measuring the pulse, this method was chosen because it is easy to do and does not require complicated equipment (Mahrus, 2014).

            Ergonomic efforts to prevent stress and fatigue are very important in maintaining our physical and mental health. By applying ergonomic principles to our daily activities and work environment, we can reduce the risk of frequent stress and fatigue. so that it can be concluded that the application of ergonomics is important for companies because it can reduce costs incurred due to absenteeism, work accidents, turnover and insurance compensation. By prioritizing ergonomics in the workplace, companies can create a culture that cares about employee welfare and achieves optimal performance. Therefore, it is important for companies to pay attention to ergonomics aspects, involve human resources in training and education related to ergonomics, and carry out periodic ergonomic evaluations. So, ergonomics can be the key to preventing stress and fatigue, as well as creating a healthy and productive work environment.