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Ergonomist Green Job

Ergonomists research ways to design products, workplaces or systems to suit the people who need to use them.

Annual Salary

£21,000 to £60,000

Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

38 to 40 a week

You could work: between 8am and 6pm; flexibly

2.4%
Future employment

There will be 2.4% more Ergonomist jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

You could:

  • visit workplaces and speak with clients to find out about issues that need solving
  • work with teams of professionals to develop ideas
  • design office layouts and advise on suitable furniture and equipment
  • advise on the organisation of production lines and workstations
  • design equipment and improve access for people with disabilities
  • develop equipment and systems that are easy to use and less likely to lead to problems
  • change transport design to increase the safety for the driver and passengers
  • design signs that are easy to understand
  • carry out user trials to test new designs, and provide feedback to the manufacturer or client
  • act as an expert witness in cases of industrial injury

Working environment

You could work at a client's business, in an office or at a university.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
University

You can qualify as an ergonomist by doing a degree in ergonomics.

You can also complete a degree in a related subject then take a postgraduate course in ergonomics. Related subjects include:

  • occupational therapy
  • physiotherapy
  • psychology
  • sports science
  • design engineering

You can find out more about accredited postgraduate ergonomics courses from the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
For more information
Apprenticeship

You may be able to get into this job by doing a Human Factors Specialist Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship.

It can take around 3 years to complete this apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

To do this apprenticeship, you'll need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
For more information
Work

If you work in industries like transport, healthcare or health and safety you may be able to complete short courses in ergonomics that will give you an insight into the field.

You can find out more from the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factorsing_Courses.aspx?hkey=c4428266-d7cf-4f84-8014-5f5075416291x].

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors for professional development training, events and networking opportunities.

Further information

You'll find more about careers and training in ergonomics from the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors.

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With experience, you could progress into line management or project management.

You could move into consultancy work, or provide specialist services like workplace design or health and safety.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • knowledge of psychology
  • maths knowledge
  • analytical thinking skills
  • knowledge of English language
  • complex problem-solving skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • thinking and reasoning skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to read English
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently
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