You don’t need money or even an enlightened boss to be ergonomically correct. Both are helpful but, in many cases, not required of a healthy work place, according to some experts in the field. ”It’s not about buying all expensive equipment. It’s about changing your work habits,” said Dr. Amy Westrick, a Providence chiropractor who recently expanded her practice to include workplace consultations.
Daniel Webster’s New World dictionary defines ergonomics as “the science that seeks to adapt work or working conditions to suit the worker.” Westrick’s description is easier to remember: “It’s all about comfort.”
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And comfort – if not always beautiful – is generally affordable, according to Chris Grant, PhD, whose Michigan-based ergonomics practice is limited to office-related issues.
”It doesn’t need to be expensive,” Grant said. “It’s just that most of the publicity about ergonomics has to do with expensive furniture. That’s because it’s the chair manufacturers who are publishing the literature.”
That said, ergonomics is hardly a fad initiated by high-minded industrial engineers and perpetuated by the office furniture and equipment industries. It is the key to a safe and healthy workplace.
An increase in sedentary, computer-reliant jobs in recent years means people are moving less as they work. That has lead to more cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) caused by repetitive motions and exertions -from neck and shoulder pain to nerve damage such as carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact, that kind of illness dominated private industry in 1997, accounting for 64 percent of the 430,000 illness cases reported, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics.
For all the drawbacks of the typewriter compared to the computer, the former had an advantage, Westrick said. It required the user to take a “mini break” each time he or she changed the paper. Today, the onus is on the individual to take frequent breaks from his or her routine.
Grant agreed that ergonomics often requires taking the matter into your own hands. For example, the arms on chairs are typically made “so a really large woman’s hips can get through them. And they really don’t have a lot to do with the width or length of people’s shoulders or elbows,” Grant said. That’s where materials like duct tape and bubble wrap can come play an important role if your boss won’t ante up for a new chair.
”Build in those arm rests so they come in close to your body,” Grant said. “It calls everyone’s attention to the problem. And after employees have done two or three little projects, the boss usually comes up with some money.”
Like any science, ergonomics has its myths. Here are some Grant and Westrick enjoy dispelling:
Sit up straight and don’t slouch. Grant traces this commonly held belief to “church and school.” Sitting with a flattened back for long periods of time isn’t good for the discs, or the cartilage between your back bones. On the other hand, reclining slightly allows the muscles in your lower back to take a vacation. The golden rule is to change positions frequently. Discs “get their nutrition (blood supply) through movement, through pumping,” Westrick said. So “any posture is no good if you’re sitting there for a long time.” Take breaks often and stretch both in and out of your chair.
Place your computer monitor at eye level. In fact, “it’s hard to get a monitor too low,” Grant said. The eyes focus better when gazing as much as 45 degrees downward and they don’t dry out as much, she said. “The truth behind the myth is that everyone needs to find the right height for themself and for most people that is low, low, low.”
Keep both feet flat on the floor. Having your chair at a height that allows your feet to reach the floor with your legs at a 90 degree angle isn’t harmful. Nor is it the goal. “The trick is to change your lower body posture a lot to keep the blood circulating,” Grant said. To that end, Westrick suggests a test: Stick two fingers under your thighs and make sure they come out easily. The same rule applies to the space behind your knees.
In short, ergonomics is about neither posture nor efficiency, Westrick said. “It’s all about making a job more comfortable.”
