Ergonomics is a holistic discipline encompassing a wide range of special interest groups. The role of an ergonomics
consultant is to provide integrated solutions to improve comfort, safety and productivity. In Australia, there are two types of
consultants – generalists and specialists. Both have training in ergonomics but specialist knowledge may be the result of previous
education or work experience. This paper presents three projects illustrating generalist and specialist (visual ergonomics)
consultancy: development of a vision screening protocol, solving visual discomfort in an office environment and solving postural
discomfort in heavy industry. These case studies demonstrate how multiple ergonomics consultants may work together to
solve ergonomics problems. It also describes some of the challenges for consultants, for those engaging their services and for
the ergonomics profession, e.g. recognizing the boundaries of expertise, sharing information with business competitors, the
costs-benefits of engaging multiple consultants and the risk of fragmentation of ergonomics knowledge and solutions. Since
ergonomics problems are often multifaceted, ergonomics consultants should have a solid grounding in all domains of ergonomics,
even if they ultimately only practice in one specialty or domain. This will benefit the profession and ensure that ergonomics
remains a holistic discipline.