Office Ergonomics

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Office Ergonomics
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Office Work Human/Computer Interactions

• Work station design
• Posture
• Keyboards
• Software/human interactions
• Human Behavior

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Office Work Human/Computer Interactions

• Early studies 1980s
• Eye problems
• Shoulder problems
• Lower back problems
• Neck strain
• Hand wrist problems

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Office Work Human/Computer Interactions

• 1991 study of 420 medical secretaries
• 63 reported neck/shoulder pain
• 51 low back pain
• 30 hand/wrist pain
• 15 elbow pain

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Whos At Risk?

• Nearly everyone, but women report more incidents
  of discomfort
• Low motivation
• Poor workstation design
• Many short term studies, few long term or
  independent studies.

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Are some people at greater risk than others?

• Some researchers think so.
• Studies quoted on Cornells ergo web site link
  repetitive motion injuries to
• Working with the wrists in deviated postures for
  any reason causes compression of the median
  nerve
• Static postures, especially using a pinch grip to
  hold something in place

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Some studies have shown greater risks for people
who are

• Pregnant
• Obese
• Lack general physical capabilities, such as
  strength
• People who feel as if they lack control over work
  pace, environment, and communication

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Prevention is crucial to Cost Containment

• Evaluate all contributing factors
• Hazard Identification

Task/Processes
Environment
Workers
Equipment/Materials
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Hazard Prevention

• Neutral positioning
• Workstation design
• Work/rest periods
• Task rotation
• Exercise

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What is neutral positioning?

• Non-stressed postures
• Relaxed, right angles at
• Knees, hips and elbows
• Wrists straight rather than flexed (down) or
  extended (up)
• Lower and upper back supported

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Computer Workstations

• Key Elements
• Good Working Positions
• Work Process
• Workstation Environment
• Workstation Components

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Good Working Postures
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Work Process

• Task Organization
• Impacts repetition
• Prolonged periods of activity
• Medical awareness training

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Work Environment

• Lighting
• Glare
• Ventilation
• Noise

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Workstation Design

• Chairs
• Monitors
• Keyboards
• Pointer/Mouse
• Wrist/Palm Support
• Document Holders
• Desks
• Telephones
• Footrests

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Elements of good work station design

• Adjustable chairs
• Keyboard height and angle
• Avoid sharp edges
• Monitor height and angle
• Glare, poor contrast, etc. are risk factors

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Chairs

• Ideas about correct posture go back to 1884
• Upright vs. backward leaning, pressure on disks,
  lower back
• Chair provides support for upper and lower back

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Chairs

• Need to be adjustable in many different
  directions
• Height
• Tilt of seat pan
• Angle of back
• Provide lumbar support
• Adjustable arms
• Capacity, seat width

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Ergonomic Chairs
Small Seat Minimal Contour
Seat Height 16.5" - 21.5"Backrest 19.5"W x
22.5"HSeat Size 19"W x 17"D
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Ergonomic Chairs
Deep Contoured Seat, Knee Tilt Available
Big Tall
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Monitors

• Viewing Distance 20-40
• Viewing Angle 15-20 degrees
• below horizontal
• Viewing Time
• Viewing Clarity

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Keyboards

• The objective is to keep the hands and wrists in
  as neutral a position as possible
• Adjustments, may include tilting or not tilting
  the keyboard, wrist rests in front of the
  keyboard, and repositioning the entire body
• Alternative shapes of keyboards may help
• Split
• Tented/Angled
• Negative Slope
• Supportive
• Scooped

Keep in mind Keyboard Placement Height
Distance Design Use
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Pointer/Mouse Interactions

• For CAD operators
• Thumb and forefinger problems
• Change kind of mouse
• Thumb joint pain, switch to Uniball or
  three-finger mouse

Keep in mind Pointer Placement Pointer Size,
Shape, Settings
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Wrist/Palm Supports

• In general, research supports the idea of resting
  the hands on some kind of a surface during keying
  pauses.
• The use of wrist rests has been associated with
  reduced muscle activity in the arms and
  shoulders, straighter wrist postures, comfort,
  and preference.

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Wrist/Palm Supports

• Some research suggests that wrist rest users sit
  in a somewhat more reclined posture than people
  without wrist rests, which is known to be
  comfortable and healthy for the back
• However, wrist rests are not without potential
  problems

Caution
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Wrist/Palm Supports

• Not all studies of wrist rests show positive
  effects
• Use of wrist rest causes the fluid pressure in
  the carpal tunnel to rise, sometimes
  significantly
• Use of convex wrist rests, which concentrate
  pressure in a small area, are less desirable than
  broad, flat ones
• Benign cysts apparently have been caused by
  constant pressure on the wrist
• Typists should use them during keying pauses, not
  during keying, in order to have free hand and arm
  movement and to reduce the amount of time the
  wrist is compressed

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Document Holder

• Are designed to minimize eye and neck movement by
  keeping your documents at the proper viewing
  level

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Desks

• Work Surface Depth
• Location of Frequently Used Devices Should be
  Located in Repetitive Access Zone

Recommended Zones for Workplace Components
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Telephones

• Head sets can help avoid neck and shoulder strain
  for telephone use.

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Footrests

• Reduces leg strain and promotes circulation
• Reduces strain on lower back
• Should position your knees to roughly a 90 degree
  angle

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• Other Considerations

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Work/rest periods

• An element of a good prevention strategy
• Provide regular breaks by inserting a different
  kind of task into the routine
• Some studies recommend 5 minutes of rest per
  hour of typing
• Other studies recommend 15 minutes of rest per
  four hours of work.

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Task Rotation

• Alternate other kinds of office tasks, such as
  filing, copying
• Caution May be just as repetitive as typing and
  use the same motions and muscles
• However, more productive and feel less like an
  interruption than just a break

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Task Rotation Breaks

• Some companies have actually installed software
  that shuts down the system for regular breaks
• Other companies have organized or signaled
  breaks
• These can be aggravating, as they interrupt a
  task in progress

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Eye Strain

• Eyestrain is the most common complaint from
  computer users
• Intensive use
• Software Interactions
• Inadequate or detrimental lighting and monitor
  conditions
• Distance to monitor
• Ambient lighting
• Glare
• Pre-existing eye conditions, including those you
  may not be aware of
• Stress

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Eye Strain

• A study conducted by Cornell University
• Showed that there was an increase in the number
  of cases of repetitive stress injuries after new
  and hard to use software was introduced
• Especially if there were multiple screens or
  fields on the monitor simultaneously

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Eye Strain

• Prevention
• Task rotation
• Get a professional eye examination
• Control the lights the monitor
• Enough light on documents
• Eliminate glare
• Rearrange the workstation
• Anti-glare screen

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Solving Office Ergonomic Problems

• Evaluate non-work stressors
• Evaluate work stressors
• Use checklists
• Use workers compensation claim data
• Use personal interviews/discomfort surveys
• Conduct job safety analysis
• Observation
• Measurements
• Implement solutions
• Provide Employee Training

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Analyze a problem job

• Think about the role behavior plays in ensuring
  proper use and comfort.
• A claim of ergonomic design will not ensure
  improved use or comfort, (or reduced risk
  factors) if behaviors have been ignored
• For instance, if workers will not use the new
  tool, it cannot reduce the risk

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• Questions?