FMJ.CO.UK ERGONOMICS FOCUS
NOVEMBER 2019 33
street. Walk in to any co ee shop and you’ll
see ad hoc workplaces everywhere, with
people hunched over their laptops, flexing
their necks to see the screen, bending their
wrists to reach the trackpad, shrugging
their shoulders to reach the keyboard. You
can’t separate a laptop’s display from its
keyboard to improve your working posture.
However, you can be aware of certain
ergonomic rules for coping in varied work
environments.
Ergonomics is the applied science of
fitting the physical environment to the
worker to improve employee comfort,
reduce risk of injury and enhance worker
e iciency. Typically, the science is
associated with the task chair. However,
ergonomics is a multidisciplinary approach
to achieving a good fit between people,
the task they do, the work tools they use
and the environment in which they work.
In agile spaces there are two fundamental
principles that need to be considered.
First, where workstations are shared
it’s important to have tools that are
easy to adjust, and that the workforce
has the know-how to do so. The need to
accommodate individual di erences with
respect to monitor positioning, lighting
requirements and chair design are equally
critical. Workers should have control over
their environments, including their hand
and wrist position, monitor position and
individual light level. Individual control
combined with high-quality ergonomics
training will consistently yield safe and
productive workers.
Second, movement, movement,
movement. The human body
is designed to move,
and neither sitting
nor standing all
day is good for
us. Moving
has obvious
benefits:
increasing
metabolism,
using
di erent
muscle groups
and, most
importantly,
reducing the load
on the lumbar spine
(which is greater when
sitting than standing).
There are business reasons, too. Last year
the University of Leicester found that 43
per cent of those who swapped their usual
seat for a standing desk reported their
performance had improved a er a year. It
also found that 52 per cent of those using
standing desks felt more engaged at work
a er a year (2).
So what, specifically, needs to be
addressed in order to achieve an
ergonomic working environment?
HAND AND WRIST POSTURE
While the postural problems and
associated injury mechanisms
are complex, design
solutions aimed
at improving
hand and wrist
posture are
relatively
simple to
implement.
Applied
ergonomics
research
has shown
that a ‘hands
in lap posture’ is
the ideal keyboard
and mouse position
for those able to type
proficiently. Lowering the keys
and angling them slightly away from the
body reduces shoulder shrugging and
helps to straighten the wrists.
Bringing the tools closer to the body
enables the user to properly utilise their
chair backrest. Installing an articulating
keyboard support is the most coste
ective means of achieving postural
improvement. Employees may respond
negatively to this solution at first, either
because they have had a bad experience
with a poorly designed keyboard support
that interfered with their knees, or because
they were never shown how to correctly use
the device.
Rejection levels among users without
training typically exceed 50 per cent. With
training, however, organisations can expect
a 90 per cent acceptance rate. Behavioural
changes are required to utilise the tray
correctly.
TASK SEATING
Selecting a chair that is easy to adjust,
provides support and promotes movement
is critical for maintaining healthy body
posture. The typical o ice worker will
likely spend more time sitting in their chair
than they’ll spend anywhere else, except
perhaps for their bed. Frequent postural
shi s are recommended to minimise static
muscle contractions and fatigue.
The latest chairs feature self-adjusting
recline mechanisms which automatically
tension the backrest based on the user’s
bodyweight. These designs drastically
simplify the operation of the chair and have
been shown to promote movement critical
for maintaining spinal health. Look for a
chair that also has an adjustable seat pan,
backrest, and adjustable armrests.
Ergonomics is the applied
science of fi tting the physical
environment to the worker to
improve employee comfort, reduce
risk of injury and enhance
worker effi ciency.”