The need for sustainable development has been widely recognized and sustainable development has
become a hot topic of various disciplines even though the role of ergonomics in it is seldom reported or
considered. This study conducts a systematic survey of research publications in the fields of ergonomics
and sustainable development over the past two decades (1992e2011), in order to identify their research
trends and convergent areas where ergonomics can play an important role in sustainable development.
The results show that ‘methods and techniques’, ‘human characteristics’, ‘work design and organization’,
‘health and safety’ and ‘workplace and equipment design’ are the top five frequently researched areas in
ergonomics. Ergonomics has an opportunity to contribute its knowledge especially to ‘industrial and
product design’, ‘architecture’, ‘health and safety’ and ‘HCI’ (especially for energy reduction issues)
categories of sustainable development. Typical methodologies and general guidance on how to
contribute the expertise of ergonomist to sustainable development are also discussed.