The word "ergonomics" was defined by one of the discipline's pioneers, Professor Hywell Murrell, after consultation with Greek and Latin scholars, as "the study of the relationship between man and his working environment". The Second World War was one of the major drivers for ergonomics. Historically, military personnel were professionals who trained intensively until even the least obvious equipment became familiar and could be used with little problem. During the war, large numbers of conscripts were trained very quickly, then found themselves quite literally on the front line. Under pressure, they reverted to instinctive behaviour, which often led to disaster.
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