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Furniture

2012-10-02 14:34:18

What is ergonomics?

Q- We are a Wichita business. We are considering adding 6 people to our workforce. In doing so, we would like to re-arrange furniture that we already have and buy some new to accommodate these new people. The problem comes with matching everything. So that we could communicate in an effective manner with someone who can help us, last month you provided us with a brief “primer” on vernacular for this industry, but can you also talk to us about ergonomics? What is it? How is it defined? How is it determined?

A- With some assistance from a few sources and my own personal experience, let me try and answer your questions. Ergonomics has become a buzz word over the past couple of decades, based on the increasing use of computers in the workplace. In a nutshell, it can be defined as the study of how people interact with their working environment. More specifically, an ergonomist (pronounced like economist) designs or modifies the work to fit the worker, not the other way around. The goal is to eliminate discomfort and risk of injury due to work. In other words, the employee is the first priority in analyzing a workstation or work environment. Officially, from the International Ergonomics Association Executive Council, “Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of the interactions among human and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.” Ergonomics applies to everything from office seating, to factory floor layouts, to even the handle over your spatula! For the intents of this article we will focus on the office worker who uses a computer. In the workplace, here are some key points to consider when making a workstation fit the user: I will address each below. 1) Users should sit centered on their task or their computer monitor 2) Adjustable seating should be provided that allows the user to change seating positions for different tasks. 3) Torso to thigh angle should be 90 degrees or greater 4) The monitor should be approximately an arm’s length away from the front of the body. 5) The monitor should be at the same height allowing the user to work with the head in an upright, neutral posture 6) Keep elbow angle between 70 and 120 degrees. 7) Keep wrists straight while working on a keyboard 8) Provide task lighting at worksurface level. In regards to items 1 -3: The office task chair is the most important investment a company can make for their employee. There are hundreds of options for chairs, from $100 chairs from your local office supply chain store, to highly ergonomic chairs that can cost upwards of $600. A chair is one item where you really do get what you pay for. I recommend that my clients spend as much as their budget will allow on a good ergonomic chair with a lifetime warranty. The better the chair, the longer all the moving parts and pieces will last and you won’t find yourself needing to get a new chair every year or so! In an office chair, you want to look for these features: Pneumatic height adjustment (meaning the chair will go up and down), tilt tension (which means you can adjust the tension that allows you to lean back in the chair), back lock (you can lock the tilt in place), and a sliding seat pan. A sliding seat pan allows the chair seat to adjust to fit shorter and longer legs. It is important to have a space the size of your fist between the seat edge and the back of your knee. This will allow for better circulation in your legs. Another option to look for on a high quality task chair is lumbar support that can be adjusted by the user while they are in the chair. This can help prevent lower back pain, especially for people who sit 8 hours a day. Once you have your good chair, the next items to address are items 4 & 5. After your chair is adjusted and you are comfortably seated at your desk, look at where your monitor is. Is it close to your face or too far away? Stick your arm out straight, and your monitor should be at your fingertips. It should also be at eye level without having to look up or down. You can achieve this with finding something to prop your monitor up on or purchasing a Monitor arm. Monitor arms clamp to the back of your desk and you can adjust your monitor up and down and in and out. You can also swing your monitor around to show someone else what you are working on, without having to move. We have received some great feedback from our clients who have their monitor (or monitors) up on an arm and off of their desk. They have commented on how they have less back issues and eye strain. Some of them even use their monitor arms to stand during the day and can bring the monitor to standing height. Speaking of standing… one of the newest trends in office furniture is the height adjustable table. Many people now like to have a table that adjusts between sitting and standing so that they are not in the same position all day long. This is really good for your back and legs to change your positions throughout the day. Ok, now you are in a great chair and your monitor is set at eye level. What is next? Next is making sure your arms are 90 degrees to your keyboard. For most people this would not be their desktop, but slightly below. A good keyboard tray can solve this issue. The keyboard tray is installed under a worksurface and can be adjusted to fit the height of the user. It can also tilt in the negative to allow users with wrist issues to keep the circulation going. Keyboard trays can vary, and I highly recommend trying one before purchasing one. They are not for everyone! Lastly, let’s look at your task lighting. What do you have for light? A good task light can illuminate your work and help relieve eye strain. There are new LED task lights out now that do not cast shadows that can help illuminate your surface. Once you do all these items you should have a workspace that is much more user friendly! But even the best workstation and chair in the world cannot do everything. It is up to you to take breaks throughout the day and stretch and give your eyes a break. The more movement you can include in the workday, the more your body will thank you!