Majority of us must have experienced backaches and fatigue owing to long and tiring hours of sitting at our office desks. Needless to say, in such circumstances, the crucial role of proper desk and chair can't be neglected. Since your work desk and chair are something that help you to sit in a proper posture, their designing is of absolute importance.
In an attempt to make work more comfortable and with more emphasis on occupational health, ergonomic has become very popular. Increased use of computers in our life has led to the evolution of ergonomy, that is a science of designing equipment to reduce physical problems and fatigue. The sedentary office jobs leave people with hosts of physical ailments and so this branch has become very popular. Generally, ergonomics is related to designing of computer desks and chair. If you view various corporate offices, you'll find ergonomic desk, as an integral part of office furniture.
General Desk Set Up
The ergonomic desk must be at the same distance from our eyes as to the monitor so that there is no need to move neck forward or backward or change inclination to view the monitor. The ergonomic desks are positioned in such a way so as to maintain proper distance and height between monitor and eyes.
Height
The office furniture especially the ergonomic chair height must be such that your feet can be flat on the floor. Now this height is an ideal height for every type of ergonomic chair. Adjust the height of your chair using seatpan, up to your knee cap and then place your feet flat on the floor. If this position is achieved comfortably, it's the ideal position for you. In general, chair depth must be adjusted by taking in consideration of your knee cap. Ideally, the back of knees must fall 5 cm from the end of seatpan.
Position
The desk position must be such that you're comfortably eying your monitor at eye's level and the desk height is balanced with your chair height. Stated simply, you must feel that you are working comfortably, without too much strain on neck, hands, fingers, legs and back.
Accessories
The area on you desk consists of various accessories like keyboards, writing equipment, phone extensions, books, pen sets, files and various other frequently used items. Ensure that your phone is on your less active hand side. This ensures your less used hand also gets to do some tasks. Place all your accessories on the desk at hand's reach so that you don't have to unnecessarily stretch every time you need some of the things for carrying out your work.
Ergonomics is Personal
As such there are no strict rule for ergonomics. Although, it's a science, its basic premise is comfort of the user. Now, there can't be set rule of comfort for everyone. If you're comfortable by little variations in ideal rules about ergonomic desk positioning etc., you're free to do that. The bottom line is to avoid physical strain on any of your body parts especially eyes and necks. If you're short or tall, then you can manage your desk height and position as per your comfort. What works for someone, may not work for the other, so be flexible. Nevertheless, don't let physical tension build in your body after working for long hours.
Ergonomics is a science and so ensure that you understand it properly and try to follow it for improving your health. Following simple practices of sitting in correct posture and giving proper backrest by inclining on your ergonomic chair can reduce the risk of backaches in the long run. People working for long hours can try working out in office to be in their peek physical health. Ergonomic desk and chair must be an integral part of a office furniture especially where employees sit for long hours in front of computers.
