Workplace design

Do you know of any resources that address the issue of repetitive injuries in laboratory environments (i.e., injuries resulting from cumulative pipetting, hood work, microscope usage, etc.)?

Thanks for your enquiry. I am not aware of any published material that deals with this subject in depth. We have one client who has addressed upper limb disorders reported by laboratory staff using pipettes and phials/testubes on a lab bench. Their industrial ergonomics programme identified the risks (posture problems in the neck and shoulders; stressful wrist motions; and task repetition) and their engineers made some changes to the workstation design.

System Concepts was commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive (the UK government department that establishes and enforces H&S legislation) to collect ergonomics case studies illustrating problems and solutions to work related musculoskeletal problems. The case studies are published by HSE in their book 'A pain in your workplace - ergonomic problems and solutions' and one example in the book describes problems with the use of microscopes in a laboratory.

If you are interested in establishing an ergonomics programme, check out our industrial ergonomics training courses. The 2 day Principles and Applications of Ergonomics is a good starting point for a newly formed ergonomics team.
AC

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Just wondering if you have any thoughts on how to improve fluorescent lighting in the office. We seem to be surrounded by this off-colour, high glare light source that absolutely cannot be doing us any good. Any suggestions, from an ergonomic point of view?

It depends really on what you have already got. However, under the UK Display Screen Equipment Regulations your employer has a responsibility to provide lighting that is adequate and suitable for your tasks. There may be similar legislation in your State. Bring this up with them at your next health and safety or management meeting. Can the lighting be shielded in any way? It is often possible to fit a louvre or diffuser over existing lighting. Can the tubes be changed for some of a lower output or full spectrum colour? Alternatively, get an ergonomist in to do a full ergonomic evaluation - we may be able to recommend some near you if you choose this route.
TH

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I am a student at the University of Illinios, majoring in industrial design. We are currently working on a home office workstation (applied ergonomics) project, and I would like to obtain as much in formation that you have to offer. The workstation would have to include a drafting table, computer work area, and lighting unit. I would like to know the anthropometry data of the human body when seated, for instance. Also, what tips can you offer me to better incorporate the computer work space, the drafting table, and the lighting unit?

Your best bet is to read the book by Dr Stephen Pheasant 'Bodyspace' Taylor & Francis, 1987. This is a great book. It contains anthropometric tables, static and dynamic data, and discusses all computer workstation design issues, physical and environmental.
NF

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Most ergonomists continue to advocate that the "upright" posture is best for computer work. I have seen a great deal of research that says it is better to recline. What is your opinion about the best way to sit while working?

Good posture is defined as 'a posture that can be sustained with the minimum of muscular tension'. Muscular tension can result from either internal causes within the individual or from externally imposed mechanical loading (postural stress). As an ergonomist, I would strongly recommend furniture that gives the user freedom to adopt many different postured rather than fixing to just one. As such, reclining for limited periods whilst working with computers can be beneficial to the individual so long as certain 'rules of thumb' are adhered to:

• Top of the monitor at seated eye-level



• Forearms parallel to the floor when hands are on the keyboard



• Feet flat on the floor (or footrest) with no pressure behind the knee (caused by the front edge of the chair)

However, individuals differ greatly in their responses to a particular postural stress. So, what may be comfortable for me may be crippling for you!

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I have been using Humanscale by Niels Different as a guide for designing turf maintenance equipment. This information is copyrighted 1974, and I'm curious about updated recommendations for seated work posture on industrial equipment. With trends in this industry towards better stability, and lower center of gravity, is there anything on a more "laid back" operator posture?

I did not realise that Humanscale was so out of date - thanks for letting me know that. When I last used it, it was published by Dreyfus Associates (I don't know if it is the same data). We tend to use Bodyspace which is more current (Taylor & Francis, 1987) but refers to British anthropometry, not of interest to you I suppose. The source which we also find useful is a software application called Peoplesize, produced by Friendly Systems Ltd in Loughborough England, and it can show data for people of various ages from 4 countries: UK, USA, Germany, Japan. You can see what the sources were for the individual data, most of which is more current than 1974. They can be reached by phone on +44 1509 218 333 if you want more information.

I think that the reliability of the data (i.e. from a large well defined sample) is usually more important than the age. I'd rather have data from a large well researched sample from the 70's than a recent one based on just a few dozen people for instance.

As far as the laid back posture, I am aware that this is currently in favour, especially because of reducing vibration effects, but I do not know of any recent research to help justify that - perhaps scouring HFES and Ergonomics bulletins will reveal relevant research.
CR

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Can you provide me with a list of ergonomics websites (ie. do it yourself - putting a wrist rest on your keyboard) dealing with computers and workstation set-up?

There are one or two listed on our site. But be warned! Some sites are maintained by equipment manufacturers (who have an obvious vested interest in selling you wrist rests etc) or by well-meaning amateurs who lack the appropriate medical training. If you have serious concerns about your workstation set-up, you really should get an ergonomics professional to look at it. If you need a contact in Canada, let me know.
DT

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What is the correct height for a video monitor?

The guideline we suggest is to position the video monitor so that the top of its casing is at about the user's seated eyeheight. This should ensure that the majority of the active part of the display is within the region that is comfortable for most people. That region is between horizontal (eye height) and 60 degrees below horizontal. That's the theory - in the end it's often a matter of personal preference!

Also we would advise adjusting the chair height to get a comfortable keying position first, then adjust the monitor height.
AC

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What are the cost benefits of applying ergonomics in the office work place?

I think there are several cost benefits from applying ergonomics in office environments:

• decreased absenteeism through less injury and discomfort



• reduced medical costs



• reduced compensation and redundancy payments



• reduced legal costs



• reduced (or limited increases!) in insurance premium or other loss prevention arrangements

Also there are other possible costs associated with:

• re-training



• overtime costs to cover workload



• management time



• hiring costs

We have some case studies if you are interested in specific examples.
AC

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I'm a consultant in Human Resources Management in the Principality of Andorra. A client has asked if it is possible to assess the change of his headquarters to a new building in therms of productivity, motivation, etc. How do I do it?

Typically, assuming that you are talking about a reasonable number of employees, I would approach a project of this sort by administering a questionnaire to staff before, and a few months after, the move of building. The questionnaire could include rating scales for satisfaction with various aspects of the environment, and ratings from the staff on their own levels of productivity and motivation. You could also ask about related issues such as the amount of time spent at work, stress levels, feelings of satisfaction with work, feelings of overwork etc. These would build to give a before and after picture of the effect of the environment. If you were interested in aspects such as discomfort you could also ask about aches and pains in different body areas, and perhaps ask people about their chairs, desks etc.

I would definitely stick to as many quantitative measures as possible so that you can easily perform statistical comparisons. If the client has already moved building you could take a similar approach, but ask the employees to rate each aspect for the old office and the new office (so that they are making the comparisons).

Alternatively there are probably objective measures that you could find in the workplace to compare the new and old building (if you have data on the old building). For instance, are people staying at work longer, is customer response faster/slower, has absenteeism gone up/down etc. These depend on the nature of the business of course.
AB