The Importance Of Office Ergonomics To Your Well Being

July 21st, 2010

Office ergonomics is a movement that’s taking off in many office environments around the world. Management understands that proper computer workstation ergonomics and a comfortable ergonomic chair can improve productivity significantly. Training employees about risk factors and health hazards is a proven way to minimize musculoskeletal injuries encountered from repetitive strains or poor posture. Today’s research focuses on product designs, such as new keyboards, chairs, mice and lighting, yet some attention should also be paid to workspace design and organizational behaviors.

Productivity was the main reason for studying ergonomics in the early 1900s, when Frederick Winslow Taylor’s research uncovered the ability to triple the amount of coal shoveled by incrementally reducing the size and weight of coal shovels. Similar methods were uncovered for brick layers by Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, improving productivity from 120 to 350 bricks per hour. After WWII, the military looked into new ways to design airplanes to minimize pilot error and NASA explored ways of making an astronaut’s long journey more comfortable.

Today, people largely spend more of their time interacting with computers than with individuals in the workplace, so ergonomic research largely focuses on the type of tasks, movements and injuries people face in their day-to-day jobs in hopes of devising product designs and computer workstations that will minimize work stress and boost productivity.

Lighting is another key factor in office ergonomics. One study found that the following ergonomic guidelines should be implemented: a mixture of direct lighting (60%) and indirect lighting (40%); desktop illumination in a 20:1 ratio with the surrounding light; windows with glare control; adjustable blinds or shades; and a uniform ratio of average luminance between VDT screens and other vertical surfaces. The Illuminating Engineering Society of North America recommends maximum luminance ratios of 1:3 or 3:1 between central task materials and surrounding light. To the average management team, these figures can be confusing, which highlights the need for ergonomics consultants who specialize in productivity and process improvement.

Workplace design is another important consideration in office ergonomics. Throughout the years, varying reports have emerged about which office format is preferable; enclosed offices or spacious communal cubicles. In some cases, individuals work best in enclosed spaces because they find it easier to concentrate and enjoy fewer distractions for better immersion in their work. For knowledge workers who gain very little from workplace interaction, this is crucial. However, for people who work in groups, thrive off creative idea exchange and need socialization for job satisfaction, the open concept is a better fit. An ergonomics consultant is often called in to assess which set up would be preferable based on people’s tasks and temperaments.

Office ergonomics is extremely important for one’s health and wellbeing, reports the Wall Street Journal. “You don’t work on a 1998 computer, do you?” implores Dr. Alan Hedge, a Cornell University professor of ergonomics. “I hate to see people in bad chairs.” Dr. David Brandenburg, a UCLA certified ergonomist, says people need to have both feet on the floor and sit straight — but not too straight or they will put too much pressure on the lumbar region of the back. While adjustable ergonomic seating has been around for a while, Dr. Brandenburg says the adjustable desk is gaining favor now too. “The standard 29 to 30 inch desk is way too high for women,” explains Brandenburg. “It was designed for 18-year-old men in World War II who were typing.”

Source:  Leisure Medical UK