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OfficeFurniture |
What is ergonomics?
Ergonomics is the science of fitting the job to the worker.
Each worker’s body is different. Rather than forcing all these different bodies to adjust to one workplace, ergonomics suggests that workplaces should adjust to fit the needs of the worker.
With the increased importance of computers, office work has changed. People spend more time in one area than they did previously. If their furniture is not adjustable, many people are forced to adjust to how their workstation is arranged. That means people may be sitting uncomfortably for long periods of time, or they may be repeating similar motions over and over. In some instances, these actions may cause serious injuries to an employee.
Proper ergonomic furniture, as well as maintaining relaxed, neutral postures will help prevent injury, increase comfort, and could even increase efficiency.
Analyze your workstation…
Sitting down:
- As you sit down, make sure there’s at least an inch between your hips and the arm rests. If you feel crowded in your seat, this is not the chair for you.
- Do your feet rest comfortably on the floor? If not, adjust your chair height or add a footrest. What? Your chair doesn’t adjust?!? Time for a new chair!
- Do the backs of your knees press against the seat? If so, you may want to look into a larger chair, preferably one with a waterfall seat.
- Check to see that the back rest supports the small of your back.
At the keyboard:
- Where is your mouse? Check to see that it is adjacent to your keyboard so your elbow can stay relaxed.
- While typing, you will want your shoulders relaxed. First, make sure your keyboard is not too high. Type so that your arms are low and your elbows are at your sides. Use arm rests to keep the forearms at rest, but make sure not to set them too high.
- Do not bend the wrists while typing. If you find yourself doing this, add a wristrest, or adjust the height of your seat up.
Viewing the monitor:
- Can you view the screen without bending your neck? Make sure the monitor is directly in front of you, at, or slightly below, eye level. If you wear bifocals, make sure you can read what you type without bending your head back.
- Perhaps you work in data entry, and are constantly turning to look from a document to the monitor screen. Consider adding a document holder to minimize stress on the neck.
- Check the lighting in your workspace – does your monitor reflect a lot of glare? Just as we look for neutral posture, we also want neutral lighting – not too bright and not too dark. Adjust, and add a desk lamp for reading hard copies, if necessary.
Around your workcenter:
- Where are your essentials? Make sure you have them close at hand so that you don’t have to constantly reach to get them.
- How do you answer the phone? If you spend a lot of time on the phone, use a headset to alleviate pressure on your neck.
- Perhaps you work in or near a workstation that causes a lot of noise. Adding some acoustical panels will help deaden the sound.
Move around…
You can have the most ergonomically adjustable chair on the market, the most variable keyboard tray ever made, as well as a headset, footrest, wristrest…but sometimes all your body needs is…rest.
If you’re on the phone all the time, stand up for a call. If you enter data for much of the day, stop every once in a while. Stand up and stretch. When you sit back down, alter your position. While it’s nice to “get in a groove” while working, it’s healthy to take short breaks. You’ll find that a simple change of position of your keyboard tray or chair height will keep muscles from getting stiff.
Constant stressing of the muscles for a long period of time may not always be noticeable. But when you return from a short break, you’ll find yourself energized, perhaps even more efficient. So enjoy!
more ergonomics information
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