Office Ergonomics Without A Cost Penalty

By Author: John Tang
Total Articles: 512
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Contentious conversations occur when it comes to ergonomic rules addressing repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and back injuries. OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and industry groups such as the National Coalition of Ergonomics sometimes appear to be light years apart on the percentage of working population affected, the cost of the injuries and the cost to implement preventative measures.

As noted on the OSHA website www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/components_desk.html#under, a well-designed and appropriately adjusted desk will provide adequate clearance for your legs, allow proper placement of computer components and accessories, and minimize awkward postures and exertions. The installation, setup, and configuration of comfortable and productive workstations involve the following considerations:

Limited space on the work surface may cause users to place components and devices in undesirable positions. This placement may lead to awkward postures as you reach for a pointer/mouse or look at a monitor that is placed to the side.

Desk ...
... surface should allow you to place the monitor directly in front of you, at least 20 inches away.
Avoid storing items, such as a CPU, under desks. , and
Desks should be able to accommodate a variety of working postures.

The OSHA website notes: To understand the best way to set up a computer workstation, it is helpful to understand the concept of neutral body positioning. This is a comfortable working posture in which your joints are naturally aligned. Working with the body in a neutral position reduces stress and strain on the muscles, tendons, and skeletal system and reduces your risk of developing a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD).

There is no doubt that ergonomics is an important issue, and that ignoring it can lead to lower productivity, increased absenteeism and costly remediation, says M.D. Kim, who heads up manufacturing at MAiSPACE, headquartered in Mt. Olive, NJ. But modular office furniture systems, when designed from the start to address ergonomic issues, do not necessarily impose a cost penalty on businesses.

MAiSPACE, based on the acronym Modular Office Interiors, was established in 1993. It has revolutionized the modular office furniture industry through its off-modular design featuring stackable panels, knock-down and ready to assemble (RTA) framing and a standards-compliant plug-and play voice, data and power cabling system. Our manufacturing operations allow us to provide strong, versatile, elegant, superior-quality office designs from $12 per square foot installed, says Kim. This puts our price points as much as 40% below some of the best-known names in the industry.

Of primary importance in purchasing ergonomic office furniture is to identify the ergonomic risk factors prevalent in a facility, Kim says.

As an illustration, human factors that need to be addressed include motor function and vision. The human hand has been called our most valuable industrial resource, yet it also the most susceptible to a host of trauma and motor disorders, Kim says. Keying, mousing, writing, grasping and handling paper work and manuals, put strain on the hand's fine motor functions. Vision is labor intensive, providing us upwards of 85% of the information we receive from our surroundings. The eyes are vulnerable to numerous environmental factors including glare, inappropriate display technology and awkward workplace design that force workers to compensate for poor viewing conditions with poor body postures.

An important advantage of ergonomic office furniture systems is the ability to make the workstation ergonomically correct, and the MAiSPACE system handles that through its off-modular design. For example, says Kim, the system is flexible and adjustable to meet individual preferences. The user creates a comfortable environment by determining the optimal placement of panel-hung components, adjustable at 1 inch increments; having flexible non-handed orientation for the workstation, and curvilinear work surfaces with cascade edges.

Other features include height adjustable keyboard trays and tool rail tiles that permit easy access to work tools. Features that such as tackable acoustic tiles, work tool rails or slat wall, white boards and non-handed components with off-modular capabilities, allow workers to be both productive and express their individual identities. Office furniture workstations become a safe and comfortable workspace, and without the cost penalties inherent in less-flexible designs, Kim adds.

Ergo the Chair
Most workers in today's computerized office spend the bulk of their day sitting, he says. While sitting takes less energy to hold the torso erect and balanced, it also introduces certain disadvantages to the body. The natural curve of the lumbar flattens in a sitting position, which increases disk pressure. Chairs can also apply pressure to the back of the legs, cutting off blood flow to the muscles. These are all contributing factors in producing lower back pain.

MAiSPACE addresses seating issues with MAiCHAIR, the most affordable, fully functional ergonomic seating line on the market today. Its flexible backrest conforms to the spine and provides critical support in the lumbar region. The contoured seat cushion and waterfall edge improves blood flow, and the syncro-tilt mechanism helps maintain the correct posture through a full range of motion.

MAiCHAIR's adjustable features include a 5 position headrest, an engineered, flexible plastic backrest, adjustable arms, and a lightweight five star base. State of the art in systems furniture, its syncro-tilt provides adjustable tension resistance, pneumatic seat height adjustment and multi position tilt-lock control in one easy-to-adjust mechanism.

Shop Sensibly for Systems Furniture
The most valuable assets of a company, as the saying goes, walk out every night. A company that values these assets and wants them back in the morning takes pains to eliminate the pain of the workplace through OSHA-compliant office systems furniture, Kim says. Unless office managers shop sensibly for systems furniture they may be paying compliance cost penalties that are no longer valid. Thanks to modern manufacturing techniques pioneered by MAiSPACE, buyers do not have to equate compliance with high cost. Across the office landscape, from colors to lighting, to ergonomically designed workstations and chairs, systems furniture can create a welcome, comfortable environment that sends the message ‘this is a business that values its employees.'