The Pathology of Everyday Things

The most common of buildings—dwellings—are typically perceived by their occupants as safe, indeed even as havens from the dangers of the world outside. However this perception of relative safety is most deceptive; homes are often the site of common hazards such as falls and fires which are addressed in a rather uneven fashion by codes and standards for design and construction. While ergonomics—and ergonomists—should be prominent in the development of such standards and codes, this is the exception not the rule. As a result, there is a pathology in our homes, the most everyday of things we use, as well as a pathology in the process by which the standards and codes for our homes are developed.