An ergonomic office called Home

Ergonomics: "The Science of Improving the Mutual Interaction Between the Human Body, Work-Related Conditions and Work Tools."

In the mid-1900s, the advent of the personal computer and breakthroughs in voice and data communication, created opportunities for office workers to decentralise. At the beginning of the 21st century, the term small or home office, along with the acronym SOHO, have been actively used to a great extent by companies who market products targeting the multiplying number of small home-based businesses.

The dawn of the Information Age has resulted in the new ergonomics field of human-computer interaction (HCI). Not surprising when considering office workers (large or SMME) spend more than 90 percent of their working time in a sedentary position. Approximately 80 000 hours of a working life span. Incorrect sitting postures are responsible for many muscular ailments resulting in reduced motivation and work output.

As a result, through its understanding of the importance of good seating solutions from an ergonomics perspective; CN Business Furniture is increasingly sourcing, designing and manufacturing more ergonomic centred desks and seating. These product ranges allow individuals to adjust furnishings to their optimal specification. By assessing organisational working environments of varying sizes, they are able to design safe, effective and productive work systems.

Says Gerald Steyn, CN Business Furniture Regional Managing Director, Gauteng: "Through education on effective ergonomics, individuals are empowered to utilise their work spaces and furnishings correctly. This prevents the cumulative cycle of ailments such as fatigue, discomfort and ultimately pain, resulting from musculoskeletal disorders and repetitive stress syndromes which can manifest in the workplace as a direct consequence. Incorrect sitting postures are responsible for many muscular ailments resulting in reduced delivery therefore it is incumbent that we practice the art of 'dynamic sitting'."

Ergonomic solutions can be simple and straightforward to apply. Steyn says that often small changes such as altering the height of a chair is all that is needed to make a considerable difference to an individual’s comfort levels. Best practice ergonomic recommendations to SOHO offices (in fact all shapes and sizes of organisation apply), in creating an optimal work environment include:

• Sit as far back into the seat as possible.
  
• Place feet firmly on the floor.
  
• Adjust the seat height to ensure your knees are bent at right angles to the thighs (90º - 95º).
  
• Legs must fit comfortably under the desktop with sufficient space to allow for movement and stretching.
  
• Raise the height of the armrests towards the base of the elbows (bent at a 45º angle)
  
• For height variable desks, adjust the desk height to the level of the chair arms, making them “flush” with the worktop surface enabling the armrests to act as an extension to the worktop, thus ensuring that your arms are adequately supported and your shoulders are relaxed.
  
• Pivot the armrests either inwards/outwards to obtain the correct positioning of your arms, applicable to the task-at-hand i.e. armrests face inward for keyboard usage or outward if operating the mouse.
  
• Place the mouse and other commonly used items within comfortable reach to minimise excessive stretching and avoid awkward postures.
  
• Position the monitor and keyboard squarely in front of you, allowing for adequate focal distance of 50 - 70cm between yourself and the screen; without leaning your head, neck and trunk forward.
  
• Adjust the height of the seat back to obtain the correct lumbar support relative to your stature.
  
• Adjust the seat pan angle and set the tension of the mechanism to facilitate effortless “to and fro” movement of the seat proportionate to your body weight.
  
• Avoid direct glare from the window onto your monitor. Correct this by changing or shielding the light source or repositioning the workstation.
  
• The work surface should be large enough for the user to perform the required duties, comfortably.

1. Sitting depth
2. Chair height
3. Seat pan angle
4. Lumbar-to-thigh angle
5. Lumbar support
6. Armrest height
7. Backrest angle
8. Focal distance
9. Focal angle
10. Monitor angle
11. Desk height
12. Work surface depth

Ergonomics is not just about comfortable chairs and suitable desk set ups; it encompasses the air we breathe, the chair we sit in, the lighting in the immediate work space and our cognitive response to our environment. Accordingly, when conducting an ergonomic health check, all these factors should be considered.

When considering that there is an increase in back problems directly related to longer hours behind computers, shorter or non-existent lunch breaks, and increased stress levels, the choice of office solution becomes and ergonomic priority and is paramount to a healthy office.

  source: cn business furniture