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Government and consumer interest are fueling the pro-ergonomic position and creating new standards in workplace productivity levels. It is becoming clear that improved human performance is an essential element to improved business performance. Ergonomic seating and chairs continues to emerge as scientific knowledge about the body, and how it works advances. The augmented use of technology by employees, and increasing awareness of long-term effects, which are the result of poor seating positioning, are also driving competition for this market. Since the early 1970's The Bureau of Labor Statistics, (BLS) has reported annually on work injuries and illnesses that result in days away from work. According to the BLS 1999 national survey, a total of 1.7 million injuries and illnesses required recuperation away from work beyond the day of the incident. Over 582,000 musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) were reported, accounting for more than one out of three injuries. Additionally, more than four out of ten injuries were sprains or strains, most often involving the back. Professor Alan Hedge of Cornell University conducted a study in 1999, which dispelled many myths about ergonomic seating. According to Hedge, it is a myth that ergonomic seating and chairs always requires a single, 'cubist' (90 upright) postural orientation that is independent of the user's task. Hedge also noted that you can't judge how ergonomic a chair is just by sitting in it. The study put to rest the idea that users should be able to adjust everything on the chair, and that one chair design will provide a beneficial fit for all users. Many forms of seating, in fact, encourage the user to sit in an improper fashion and do not assist in the correct use of the body. Poor posture when in a seated position can lead to weakened back muscles, and result in chronic back problems, back pain, and fatigue. When dealers are selling the ergonomic features of a chair, justifying performance as an added value will encourage a purchase. Calculating seating purchases from a performance viewpoint will allow for cost justification. Ergonomic agendas often fail due to the lack of understanding of the benefits ergonomic seating offers a company. If good ergonomic seating and chairs allows a person to work longer, than a company will see an increase of time "on task." When an employee is "on task" he or she is directly contributing to the company. A basic assumption is that healthy people perform better than sick people do. Over a long period of time, poor equipment can cause damage to the body and result in long term performance problems. If a worker loses 10 minutes a day in productive work because of fatigue, it calculates a loss of about $600 annually to the company. The following formula illustrates the cost of lost productivity: 10 mins. lost/day @ 480 avail. work mins./day = 2% annual salary x .02 = annual cost of lost productivity. Thus, good ergonomic seating is fundamental for today's competitive employee. It's not necessary to cost justify the entire price of an ergonomic chair at the time of purchase. The difference in price between a chair that will endure use for more than five years that is not ergonomic and a chair that will last more than five years that is ergonomic is about $400. The actual life of a chair is also an element that's often not considered. With benefits continuing throughout the life of the chair, its cost is amortized over that period of time. Office seating is said to last- for eight years. Therefore the annual cost for a $400 chair would be $50. With that equation, the expense of the chair should be based upon functionality and its continued use. Contrary to the costs for educational seminars and employee counseling, ergonomic seating is inexpensive. Office Master manufactures best-value ergonomic seating that meets a wide variety of applications. Types of seating include task chairs, stools, and executive chairs used in offices and homes. The ideology of Office Master is that if users ignore ergonomics at the workstation they might experience pain all over the body-head, neck, eyes, shoulders, arms, wrists, back, and legs. With the awareness and the ability to apply the principles of ergonomics, users can reduce the chance of getting pain, thus saving company's money. OSHAs proposed ergonomic standard (which was repealed) generated a great deal of interest in ergonomics and encouraged many employers to replace obsolete office equipment and furniture and reevaluate the way tasks requiring repetitive motions and extended periods of time behind desks were done. The business community is becoming more aware of the benefits of investing up front for ergonomic seating so that money doesn't have to be spent later to fix a preventable problem. However, experts recommend that before employers plan to replace old equipment, they should consult with someone who is capable of evaluating particular needs and situations, so that appropriate solutions will be provided. Dealers need to stay abreast of ergonomic issues. By providing customers with information on the benefits of office computer chair ergonomics, companies will benefit from workplace safety and increased productivity. EDITOR'S NOTES: Roxanne Wood is technical editor of Office World News. She can be reached at rwownews@att.net. Copyright B U S Publishing Group, Inc. Oct 2001 |
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