|
“The interface between your body and the pieces of furniture
and equipment with which you work.”
“Ergonomics is an important topic because it increases your
productivity and good health. The injuries that occur as a
result of working at a computer on a regular basis are known
as repetitive motion, or cumulative trauma injuries.
Scientific studies have shown that there is a significant
reduction in repetitive motion injuries when the office
furnishings are ergonomically designed.”
“Neck and shoulder pain, headaches, back, wrist and hand
pain.”
“Without the proper ergonomically designed office furniture,
anyone who uses a computer will likely sustain some type of
repetitive motion injury, regardless of age. Everybody has had the experience of sitting at the
kitchen table with a computer and knows the stiffness
associated with that kind of activity, even after a few
minutes.Proper ergonomic stations, chairs, and accessories will assist in
preventing discomfort.”
The chair is the most important single piece of ergonomic
equipment in your office.
Click here for
Calgary Office Furnishings Seating...
Prolonged sitting puts extra stresses on the body,
particularly the lower back and thighs. The backrest must
adjust to the contour of your body, providing proper support
for your back. You must also be able to adjust the height of
the backrest, as well as move it fore and aft to meet the
natural curvature of the lower back to provide lumbar (lower
back region) support.
The seat should be easily raised and lowered to suit your work
height, and it should be adjustable so that the front can be
tipped down to provide proper leg-to-trunk angle. Human
factors researchers have determined that the traditional 90
degree sitting angle creates extra pressure on the buttocks,
lower back and thighs, which causes muscular discomfort, back
aches, and general body fatigue. The more open, natural
leg/trunk angle of approximately 95 to 115
degrees is less stressful on the entire musculo-skeletal
structure.
The angle of your arms and elbows is another important factor,
so buy a chair with adjustable height arms which can be raised
or lowered to suit your arm level. IF YOUR ARMS AREN'T
PROPERLY SUPPORTED, EXTRA STRESS ON THE NECK, BACK, AND
SHOULDER MUSCLES COULD LEAD TO FATIGUE, PAIN AND SPASMS .
Arm support is crucial if you use a computer for more than two
hours or a total of nine hours per week. Your arms should be
bent at an angle of around 90 to 110 degrees. Your chair base
should have five blades with casters for stability. Some of
the cheaper chairs with only four blades can tip over quite
easily.
SETTING UP AN
ERGONOMICALLY DESIGNED OFFICE
The chair is the centerpiece of your office. Once you've
purchased a fully adjustable ergonomic chair it's time to take
a look at how the rest of your workstation is set up.
The computer terminal is the centerpiece of your workstation.
Most conventional desks are around 30 inches high. While
that's fine for general office work, this is too high for your
computer keyboard. The ideal height for your keyboard is
between 23 and 28 inches from the floor. There are several
types of adjustable-height keyboard trays and drawers
available. These are especially helpful, as they allow you to
adjust the height and angles of the keyboard to fit your
precise needs.
The top of your monitor screen should be around eye level, and
the center of the screen should be approximately 20 degrees
below eye level. Your neck should not be bent either up or
down, as this leads to neck fatigue and eventual cumulative
trauma injury. The screen should be 18 to 20 inches from your eyes. Your copy holder should be
about the same distance from your eyes as your computer
screen. Adjustable monitor extension arms hold the monitor off
the desk and can be moved so that the screen is at the user's
eye level.
Make sure your copy holder is positioned adjacent to your screen.
Are you turning your neck to the left, right, or down to see
your copy? This puts extra stress on your neck muscles.
Continuously looking back and forth between your screen and
hard copy can cause eye strain if the focus lengths are
significantly different.
Now that you've adjusted your seat height so that your eyes are at
the proper level, let's look at your feet. Do they dangle in
the air, or are they resting firmly on the floor? If you're
short, you'll need a foot rest to relieve thigh pressure.
Many different type of these are available at office furniture
stores at a reasonable price.
It's
imperative that you train yourself to use a wrist rest to
avoid the repetitive motion injury known as carpal tunnel
syndrome. According to the U. C. Berkeley Wellness Letter,
carpal tunnel syndrome is reaching epidemic levels among those
of us who work at a computer. Carpal tunnel syndrome causes
swelling around the tendons in the carpal tunnel compressing
the median nerve in the wrist. This causes numbing or burning
in the hand, fingers, and/or wrist.
If you're having pain which you suspect might be carpal tunnel
syndrome, see your doctor. But, by all means, correct the
cause. There are many styles and a wide range of prices to
suit every individual need. When using your wrist rest, be
sure your hands aren't bent up or down at a sharp angle to
reach the keys or you'll be defeating your purpose.
Overhead lighting or natural light coming through windows can
put glare on your screen. This can result in headaches,
blurred vision, and eyestrain. Anti-glare, anti-radiation
filters protect your eyes from glare and shield against
electromagnetic ELF/VLF radiation. When you're designing your
of office work area, try to position your computer so that no
direct or reflected light shines on your screen.
A
fifteen minute break every two hours is part of the
preventative program to avoid repetitive motion injuries.
Exercises, such as neck and shoulder stretches, should also be
done frequently. Alternate your work activities so that you're
not sitting at your computer all day long.
WE HOPE THESE TIPS WILL HELP YOU DESIGN YOUR ERGONOMICALLY
EQUIPPED OFFICE. A CORRECTLY DESIGNED ERGONOMIC WORKPLACE
REDUCES NEEDLESS SUFFERING, DECREASES ABSENTEEISM, AND
INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY.
|
