Selecting Ergonomic Office Furniture

It is often thought that one must spend a lot of money when purchasing ergonomic office furniture, but this is not necessarily true. Furniture purchases are an important investment, but by doing a little homework, you can make a wise investment that will result in health dividends in the future. The benefits of purchasing ergonomic furniture for your office include improved efficiency, quality, and job satisfaction, as well as a reduced risk of fatigue, strain, and job-related injury.

Before purchasing your ergonomic office furniture, you will want to know a little bit about the workers who will be using the furniture. Always consider the following points:

· Body size

· Height

· Gender

· Right – or left – handedness

You will also want to take into consideration the types of tasks being performed in each area where the furniture will be placed. Different equipment, accessories, and layouts are required for different office tasks. Consider the nature of the tasks being done:

· Very little typing or a lot of typing

· Typing as well as desk work, such as phone calls, filing, or taking notes

· Using a mouse or other input devices

In addition, many aspects of the office environment must be taken into account:

· Office dimensions and space available

· Arrangement of existing furniture

· Types of computers to be used

· Table – or floor – mounted CPUs

· Light sources

· Accessories

· Interaction with co-workers

Once this initial assessment is completed, you are ready to begin your search for a suitable purchase. In selecting furniture, give careful consideration to the following:

· Workstations – A standard office desk is not to be mistaken for a computer workstation. A typical office desk is too high to be used as a workstation and results in the keyboard and mouse being placed higher than comfortable for most office workers. Select furniture with an adjustability range for computer workstations, because placement of the keyboard and mouse at the proper height is critical for proper ergonomic positioning.

· Chairs – Chairs for computer work should have the following adjustments:

1. Pneumatic height adjustment

2. Adjustable height arms

3. Adjustable arm width

4. Independently adjustable and lockable seat and back tilt

5. Adjustable lumbar support

6. Adjustable seat pan depth

Chairs for conference rooms or reception areas may not need as many adjustable options as tasks chairs because they are used less frequently.

· Desks – Adjustable desks are preferred and can be purchased as either User-adjustable or Maintenance-adjustable. User-adjustable desks are ideally suited for locations that have multiple users. The desk height can be adjusted in a few minutes without disassembly. Maintenance-adjustable desks are set for the proper height of the current user, and are not usually changed until there is a personnel change.

· Footrest – Footrests are recommended if you select desks that are not adjustable. These help take the strain off the worker’s legs and back when the desk or chair is not the appropriate height.

· Accessories – Personal preferences are important when selecting these items, so get feedback from you staff before purchasing accessories.

Once you have found the suitable products and before making a final decision, you will want to give your employees an opportunity to sample the items. Allow your employees to become involved in the final selection of furniture and equipment that is best suited to them and their work tasks.

For the successful introduction of new equipment and furniture into your office, interactive training on how to use, adjust, and re-adjust the products is crucial. Just because a supplier claims that his products are “ergonomically” correct is no guarantee of comfort. Often dealers will send a representative to your office to walk around and make sure employees have optimized their chairs and furniture for their respective dimensions.

Furniture purchases are an important investment. You will want to be sure to arm yourself with valid information from reliable sources in order to make the right investment that will equally benefit you and your employees.