Virtual Reality in Ergonomics at Safety at Work

This article analyzes the relationship between the technology of Virtual Reality and Ergonomics at Safety at Work. In the first part, it draws attention to the technological evolution of the means of industrial production and the growing need to develop tools and methodologies that enable the development of work situations which are safe and healthy for workers. In the second part, it gives an overview of the concept of Virtual Reality focusing on the aspects of immersion, interaction, imagination and the equipment normally used to input/output channels of information. The third part covers areas where the technology of virtual reality has been used and shows the main contributions in this field of ergonomics. This article concludes with some implications of virtual reality technology for ergonomics in terms of practice and research.