In my experience, it has become abundantly
clear that if one performs a repetitive task, with repetitive motions and
impacts at the end of those motions and that task is performed with proper
postures, the impact to the body will be considerably less than if you performed those same
tasks, made those same repetitive motions and suffered those same impacts
with poor working postures!
Note: In the Ergo-Info section of
our website, there is a list of the things that you need to look for when
purchasing or evaluating the potential physical benefits of an ergonomic
chair.
A footrest is not necessary for
everyone, but for many, using an angle-adjustable footrest actually encourages
workers to sit up and sit back in their chair. This is accomplished
by actually making it more uncomfortable for an individual sitting in a
chair to lean forward and sit on the front edge of the seatpan. By altering
one's normal behaviors and changing bad habits into good ones, bad postures
can be corrected before they have a detrimental impact. A footrest may also
be necessary for those of us that are "vertically challenged"
and require a chair height that prevents our feet from resting flat on the
floor. A footrest will also relieve pressure on the bottom of the thigh,
making bad chairs better, and perhaps good chairs great!
6. Adjustable-Height Worksurfaces and Furniture. Most corporate work
environments seem to have a "one size fits all" look. Everybody's
work areas are exactly like everyone elses'. That may be fine for 30%-50%
of the work population, but what about those that do not fit this cookie
cutter approach?
The work environments of tomorrow will
not be static, or non-moving. Tomorrow's work areas will incorporate surfaces
that will easily adjust up or down to suit the needs of the individual.
This will be true whether they are 5' tall or 6'6". The work surface
that the keyboard sits should not only operate independently from the main,
or monitor's worksurface, and not only adjust up and down, but also feature
positive and negative tilt characteristics. Worktables should offer a wide
range of motion that workers can either sit or stand comfortably at their
desks, and move between both postures with ease. The ability to dramatically
change one's postures, (from sit to stand to sit) should reduce tension
and stress, and improve productivity and efficiency. Sitting all day every
day cannot possibly be as good for us. A variety of postures that include
both sitting and standing positions have proven to be advantageous when
attempting to minimize the risk of work related injuries.
There are currently four ways of adjusting
height-adjustable furniture: Hand crank, electric motor, spring counter
balance and pneumatic cylinders. Depending on the needs within a workplace
for weight capacity and ease of use, there are also specific products to
address specific ergonomic issues that can be recommended such as workstations
for disabled workers or retrofitting existing office systems with height
adjustable surfaces . Many of the new designs can be incorporated into existing
panel-mounted or stand-alone work environments, reducing the need to "get
rid of everything." Companies may now just add the pieces necessary
for a more functional and adjustable work environment. |
7. Full-Spectrum, Low Glare Lighting
Treatments. Indoor lighting may
contribute to a large number of ergonomic issues in the workplace. In a
computer environment, too much light from ceiling fixtures can cause headaches,
eyestrain and eye-muscle fatigue. Because ceiling light reflects not only
off the monitor's face, but off of the surfaces surrounding and in back
of the monitor, the eye's ability to see and distinguish the characters
and images on the screen is greatly reduced thereby forcing the eyes to
work harder than necessary.
Reducing ambient glare and reflections
in the work area may be as simple as adding special fluorescent light
filters to existing light fixtures. These filters actually improve the
quality (not brightness) of the fixtures light, reducing glare and reflections
off nearby surfaces by as much as 50%. In many cases the reduction in ambient
glare can be considerably more! The addition of parabolic louvers
(a chrome-like grid of cells that focus light straight down) are particularly
effective in large work environments where direct light from fixtures, both
behind the monitor and the user hinders visibility. The addition of either
or both of these products, actually can make the optical filters mentioned
earlier even more effective, or not necessary at all!
8. Alternative Keyboards and Input Devices.
We all know that the basic keyboard
and mouse are not particularly well designed. According to recent court
documents, many keyboards actually contribute to the incidence and severity
of repetitive strain injuries amongst computer workers. However, solving
or preventing RSI issues is typically not as simple as going out and buying
another keyboard and mouse. Also, if you are a "key pounder",
you may need learn how to type lightly. If you tend to rest your hands on
a surface in front of your keyboard, you need to alter your behavior and
learn to suspend your hands over the keyboard. This alteration in
behavior can dramatically reduce the pronation, deviation and extension
of the various muscle groups and tissues of the fingers, hands, wrists and
arms. If you are already sitting up and sitting back in your chair, if your
monitor is at the correct height and position and your hands are at a comfortable
height and posture, if you are taking frequent stretching and exercise breaks
........ and are still experiencing problems with your hands and wrists,
it may be time to consider alternative input devices to further reduce the
impact of keyboard and mouse use to the hands. Just adding a new keyboard
and/or input device does nothing if you are still sitting in bad postures
with poor hand and head positioning. On the other hand (no pun intended),
if all the above issues have been addressed, the addition of the right alternative
keyboard and/or mouse device can have dramatic biological benefits! Keyboards
like the Comfort Keyboard, the Cherry ErgoPlus, the Kinesis, and the Datahands
(among others) may offer terrific adjustability, function and benefits for
users. Please remember however that the individual must choose which product
provides the most benefits themselves.
Input devices like the Glidepoint Trackpad
and the Contour Mouse (among others) offer a wide range of benefits for
users. Both devices
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