Entries from December 2007
The most important piece of furniture in your office is a good debate to start over the water-cooler. Some say it’s the computer while others are convinced that it is the desk, the chair or even the keyboard tray. Now start the same conversation with a group of Ergonomists and the answer is bound to be the chair and nothing but the chair.
Although each piece of equipment can be equally important to the tasks at hand, how you sit and body positioning is the key to practicing ergonomics in the workplace. Most people working in the average office spend the majority of their time sitting in a chair in front of their desk or computer.
Whether the employee is working on the computer, in a meeting, working in a laboratory or simply in a meeting, they are most likely to be seated in a chair. With the number of injuries from the workplace due to repetitive stress motion, it is important to remember to practice ergonomics and position your office chair correctly when working these long hours in order to avoid injury.
Often, very little thought is given to the furniture or office chairs which are used daily. Perhaps this is why the number of workers compensation claims are rising in number these days due to work related injuries stemming from everyday tasks. Many employees do not even know how to properly position their office chair to their body type and sit uncomfortably all day.
Even with an excellent new ergonomic chair, trouble can still arise if it is not adjusted and positioned correctly for the user. Your office chair needs to fit your body size, weight, shape and should work well with the tasks at hand for your job.
The chair needs to adjust to support the unique curve of your lumbar back region and should also be adjusted to properly position your legs and feet. Keeping your feet flat and on the floor or footrest and making sure to position the lumbar support of the chair to correctly curve your spine are the first and foremost things to think about when setting up your chair ergonomically.
To correctly design your workstation, the proper adjustment of your chair is crucial. When starting ergonomic design in your office, the chair always comes first, followed by the other equipment height adjustments that follow.
It is very possible that simply adjusting your office chair to your body can eliminate the injuries and problems created by bad posture and workstation heights. Assuming your chair is not built in the 1960’s, it is probably quite easy to adjust. Although once a work injury has occurred from improper ergonomics, it is hard to get your body back into good shape and health.
© 2007 Sit On This Ergonomics, LLC.
Author Bio:
Amy Pedersen has worked in the Ergonomics and Office Furniture industry for over 10 years and is owner of Sit On This Ergonomics, operating a number of ergonomic websites dedicated to Office Chairs and the practice of good Workplace Ergonomics.
Featuring a wide variety of Executive Chairs, Leather Office Chairs, Mesh Seating & Task Office Chairs with an Online Sales Catalog. Their Huge Office Chair Collection and the Sit On This Ergo website provides detailed ergonomic information on proper chair positioning and seating in the workplace environment to help people to find the perfect Office Chair for their situation.
Visit Our Office Chair Collection:
Sit On This Ergonomics
More Ergonomic Information:
Ergonomics Explained
How to Choose Your Chair:
Picking the Right Office Chair for You
Categories: Choosing Your Office Chair · Ergonomics · Office chairs · RSI's · Workers Compensation · workplace communication
December 18, 2007 · 1 Comment
When searching for office chairs, it is easy to assume that one size fits all. However, to practice good ergonomics, the office chair can have many features designed to help the users who fall out of the range of normal size, has special health considerations, has an unusual job or works with unique machinery. The most popular extra features and options for an ergonomic chair are discussed here.
Some users have longer or shorter torsos and body types and extra adjustments and cylinder height options should be considered to keep the proper posture. Some individuals may not like the idea of a footrest option and might order a smaller cylinder, while a larger person would order a taller cylinder height. The cylinder height controls the seat height allowing the user to place his feet flat on the floor, an important step in ergonomic positioning.
Some workspaces that necessitate taller needs, such as drafting tables or wetbars may require a foot-ring option to keep the users feet firmly supported while still reaching the table comfortably and with proper elbow placement. Foot-rings can also help the smaller user accommodate for the proper feet placement.
Large individuals can often have the most difficult time finding chairs with options and features that adequately meet their needs. Many options are now available to keep any user practicing good ergonomics. The seat pan can be manufactured to a wider specification, with usually only 1-2” increase can make all the difference.
Many Big and Tall chair models also come with a sliding adjustable seat to change the seat depth to better accommodate a longer leg or upper thigh. A synchro knee tilt which keeps the user’s feet firmly on the floor even when reclining is recommended for a larger user to prevent circulation reduction in the back of the legs. This feature reclines the back of the seat at a faster ratio than the seat pan, helping keep the legs positioned correctly.
When choosing your office chair, the casters are also an important option to consider and one which many people forget. When using an office chair on carpet, the caters are of a completely different sort than on hardwood or linoleum. Make sure to consider where the chair will be used to get the easiest glide available. Some casters are made with locking mechanisms which are needed in some workspaces or optional glides to keep the chair stationary.
When choosing the options for your office chair, it is good to remember proper ergonomics, always keep in mind your body type and any special needs necessary and unique for your comfort.
Author Bio:
Amy Pedersen has worked in the Ergonomics and Office Furniture
industry for over 10 years and is owner of Sit On This Ergonomics,
operating a number of ergonomic websites dedicated to Office
Chairs and the practice of good Workplace Ergonomics.
Featuring a wide variety of Executive Chairs, Leather Office Chairs,
Mesh
Seating & Task Office Chairs with an Online Sales Catalog. Their
Huge
Office Chair Collection and the Sit On This Ergo
website
provides detailed ergonomic information on proper chair positioning and
seating in the workplace environment to help people to find the perfect
Office Chair for their situation.
Visit Our Office Chair Collection:
Sit On
This Ergonomics
More Ergonomic Information:
Ergonomics
Explained
How to Choose Your Chair:
Picking
the Right Office Chair for You
Categories: Big and Tall · Choosing Your Office Chair · Ergonomics · Office chairs · Online Shopping · Swopper Stools
Tagged: back pain, Big and Tall, ergonomic, Ergonomics, erognomic chairs, office chair, Office chair positioning
December 16, 2007 · 1 Comment
Repetitive stress injuries are suffered by office keyboard and employees that sit in the office chair for hours each day and are growing in epidemic proportions as of recently. The number of workers compenstion claims stemming from repetitive stress injuries in the workplace is overwhelming. Unless a business is willing to change the way that their employees interface with their workstation and computer, the injuries and problems are going to get worse, not to mention more expensive on the companies paying out the insurance claims.
Recently ergonomists have been working on technological advancements to help employess to remember proper postioning and ergonomic posture everyday in the workplace. In the past 5 years, programs have been specifically designed to reduce both the workplace injuries and stress at the workplace. The research involoved in this mission involves the use of voice recognition software to help employees to practice proper ergonomics throughout the day.
Many companies are investing and starting the process of learning and educating themselves on proper erognomics in the office. The variety of software available now should help to improve user productivity and efficiency, and reduce both the incidence and severity of these RSI’s or repetitive motion injuries. The average employee works anywhere from 5-10 hours on the computer each day. This requires them to stay seated for an unhealthy amount of time and requires them to practice good ergonomic positioning if they plan to avoid injury.
Motion is pertinent to practicing good ergonomics in the workplace. This software which is being created and is already available on the marketplace, uses webcams and time release software in order to remind the user on a constant basis to practice the art of ergonomics and motion. Movement is critical to creating a healthy office environment and practicing ergonomics. Using these new software programs only helps to remind users how to position their bodies.
Once a habit is developed, as anyone knows, it is hard to break and hard to change the pattern of behaivor that comes with a habitual action. The same applies to sitting in ones office chair, it is hard to change the patterns of behavior in the workplace environment once one is used to doing things a certain way. Similar motions, over and over again may add up to a cumulative trauma disorder or RSI.
Sometimes these employees when not practicing good ergonomics can be faced with major potential job threatening problem or injuries. A combination of voice recognition and dictation software may be the solution to better seated postures and equipment positions. The new software even helps to remind the users and all employees to stretch It seems like the new voice dictation programs can help remind employees to stay in motion and to take constant breaks keeping their body healthy ergonomically in their seated position.
© 2007 Sit On This Ergonomics, LLC.
Author Bio:
Amy Pedersen has worked in the Ergonomics and Office Furniture industry for over 10 years and is owner of Sit On This Ergonomics, operating a number of ergonomic websites dedicated to Office Chairs and the practice of good Workplace Ergonomics.
Featuring a wide variety of Executive Chairs, Leather Office Chairs, Mesh Seating & Task Office Chairs with an Online Sales Catalog. Their Huge Office Chair Collection and the Sit On This Ergo website provides detailed ergonomic information on proper chair positioning and seating in the workplace environment to help people to find the perfect Office Chair for their situation.
Visit Our Office Chair Collection:
Sit On This Ergonomics
More Ergonomic Information:
Ergonomics Explained
Get It Now:
Posture Reminder Software
Categories: Big and Tall · Choosing Your Office Chair · Ergonomics · Leather Chairs · Office Chairs Sales · Office chairs · Online Shopping · Posture Knee Chairs · RSI's · Swopper Stools · Workers Compensation · workplace communication
Tagged: back pain, carpal tunnel, ergonomic, Ergonomics, erognomic chairs, office chair, Office chairs, office injury, rsi injury, work injury
Massage can do wonders for back pain relief and with relieving stress and tension, but a therapeutic massage is not always available when really needed. It is still advisable for those with chronic back problems to get a massage from a licensed massage therapist. However, a massage office chair is a good option that may provide some of the benefits of the human touch and stress relief needed in the office workplace.
Most people tend to believe that massage chairs are a luxury item and not needed for the standard employee. While a massage chair may not be necessary for every day work, it can work miracles in body health for those who work long hours seated in front of their computer or workstation. For relieving back pain and neck pain, a good ergonomic massage chair can be the solution. However, the benefits that a massage chair can bring may outweigh the price if one doesn’t shop around and find the right price online for that office chair.
Many deals are available everyday online for massage chairs and sites such as eBay or Nextag always feature a nice variety of products and sellers with a massage chair category. Looking around for the right chair at the right price can also help the office budget as well.
A great chair can play a crucial role in alleviating back pain and ergonomics are another factor to consider when picking which massage chair to go with. Similarly, a good massage chair is usually designed to provide some measure of pain relief and relaxation. Being able to use your chair and receive a massage in the privacy of home, are just another reason why some are opting to go with a massage chair to help alleviate their back problems at work.
The benefits of therapeutic massage are both physical and psychological to help reduce common symptoms of back pain and stress or tension. Using ergonomics and massage with the goal of achieving body health is easy with a little education and some time.
© 2007 Sit On This Ergonomics, LLC.
Author Bio:
Amy Pedersen has worked in the Ergonomics and Office Furniture industry for over 10 years and is owner of Sit On This Ergonomics, operating a number of ergonomic websites dedicated to Office Chairs and the practice of good Workplace Ergonomics.
Featuring a wide variety of Executive Chairs, Leather Office Chairs, Mesh Seating & Task Office Chairs with an Online Sales Catalog. Their Huge Office Chair Collection and the Sit On This Ergo website provides detailed ergonomic information on proper chair positioning and seating in the workplace environment to help people to find the perfect Office Chair for their situation.
Visit Our Office Chair Collection:
Sit On This Ergonomics
More Ergonomic Information:
Ergonomics Explained
How to Choose Your Chair:
Picking the Right Office Chair for You
Categories: Choosing Your Office Chair · Ergonomics · Office chairs · Online Shopping · workplace communication
Tagged: back pain, ergonomic, Ergonomics, massage chair, massage chairs, massage therapy, office chair, Office chairs
When searching for office chairs, it is easy to assume that one size fits all. However, to practice good ergonomics, the office chair can have many features designed to help the users who fall out of the range of normal size, has special health considerations, has an unusual job or works with unique machinery. The most popular extra features and options for an ergonomic chair are discussed here.
Proper armrest support is critical to alleviating back and neck pain when seated for long hours at the computer typing or using the mouse. Most armrest are designed for the user to take small break throughout the typing experience, answering phone calls, conversations, etc., when the user has the armrest for additional support and an armrest is needed.
Adjustable arms with height and width adjustments are recommended to get the proper elbow and wrist placement. This allows the user to put the armrest at the precise location for optimum elbow support. Some individuals have chronic forearm pain and manufacturers of ergonomic custom chairs have started to feature an option of a tilting armrests which would match the user’s natural motions forward and back.
Your spine is equally as important and good lower back relief comes from maintaining your natural curve in the lower lumbar (back) region. Most chairs don’t accommodate for this and it is absolutely necessary for proper lumbar support and comfort ability in the long term when seated for long periods of time at employment. Some users may have a large lordosis which is a fancy name for the lower back curve. These users may require an additional lumbar support bolster or pillow to help keep the natural curve.
For people with sensitive lower backs, an adjustable lumbar support may be necessary to truly find the comfort level desired when seated. Many new task chair models are already starting to feature this as a standard option because of the benefits of fitting that support your body type.
Author Bio:
Amy Pedersen has worked in the Ergonomics and Office Furniture
industry for over 10 years and is owner of Sit On This Ergonomics,
operating a number of ergonomic websites dedicated to Office
Chairs and the practice of good Workplace Ergonomics.
Featuring a wide variety of Executive Chairs, Leather Office Chairs,
Mesh
Seating & Task Office Chairs with an Online Sales Catalog. Their
Huge
Office Chair Collection and the Sit On This Ergo
website
provides detailed ergonomic information on proper chair positioning and
seating in the workplace environment to help people to find the perfect
Office Chair for their situation.
Visit Our Office Chair Collection:
Sit On
This Ergonomics
More Ergonomic Information:
Ergonomics
Explained
How to Choose Your Chair:
Picking
the Right Office Chair for You
Categories: Big and Tall · Choosing Your Office Chair · Ergonomics · Office chairs · Online Shopping · Posture Knee Chairs · RSI's
Tagged: back pain, Big and Tall, ergonomic, Ergonomics, erognomic chairs, office chair, Office chair positioning
Back Pain and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome are some of the most common work-related injuries costing businesses money every year. These injuries are often caused by ordinary tasks at work such as sitting in an office chair, repetitive motion or heavy lifting. When applying ergonomic office chair principles in the workplace, these problems can be prevented. Ergonomics in the office, or as easily stated, the study of the workplace as it relates to the worker can help provide a solution to these preventable injuries. Buying good office chairs and ergonomic furniture can help prevent Repetitive Stress Injuries as well as prevent back injury and help maintain a healthy back while at the office.
When starting a new ergonomic program in the office, the goal is to adapt the workplace to a specific user and their specific tasks at hand. How to position each workstation is dependent on the job description, required tasks and physical make up of the person performing the job. Typically people begin having back pain or sustain a back injury while on the job for quite some time and it normally takes quite some time for that same employee to start to realize how bad the injury is becoming in time to properly fix it.
An injury where no actual accident was involved, where the pain comes as a result of job activities and the requirements of the task is hard to catch in time to fix easily. Poor body mechanics (such as slouching in an office chair), prolonged activity without motion, repetitive motions for long periods of time, and fatigue are major factors contributing to these injuries. These injuries may occur from sitting in an office chair or using the desk and computer keyboard at the wrong heights allowing for improper blood flow. All these things could be avoided simply by positioning the office chair and desk to the user and teaching proper posture in the chair.
Accidental injury usually results when an event which a person did not expect triggers an injury from that unexpected event. This is not so with most office and employee workers compensation injuries anymore. A growing number of these injuries being reported in the office do not involve an accident but rather the tolls that one takes on the body when sitting at a desk for the long hours required by most jobs these days. With good ergonomics and a little practice, these injuries can be avoided and productivity has been known to increase with the employees being more comfortable and in better overall body health to do the work at hand.
© 2007 Sit On This Ergonomics, LLC.
Author Bio:
Amy Pedersen has worked in the Ergonomics and Office Furniture industry for over 10 years and is owner of Sit On This Ergonomics, an eBay PowerSeller Store, operating a number of ergonomic websites dedicated to Office Chairs and ergonomics.
Selling on eBay for the past 7 years, Amy is considered an expert in all things eBay and offers her services to people looking to sell on eBay on an ongoing basis. Accepting jobs, she specializes in eBay Store Website Design and eBay Logo Design for eBay Store Owners as well as classes, lectures, blogs and private tutoring sessions with clients on all aspects of selling and owning an eBay business. Please contact her for more information through her websites if interested.
eBay Wholesale Tips:
Author’s eBay Blog
Visit Our eBay Store:
Sit On This Ergo
Categories: Choosing Your Office Chair · Ergonomics · Office chairs · RSI's · Workers Compensation · workplace communication
Tagged: back pain, ergonomic, Ergonomics, erognomic chairs, office chair, Office chairs, office injury, rsi's carpal tunnel, work injury
The other day, I found myself at a friends house waiting for him to get his stuff together and I started talking with his son, who is an avid gamer. His father has mentioned to me many times how often his son sat in that chair and played those games and how long the hours were that he spent barely moving at all. With long hours in front of a video game system like that and no real motion of fluidity in the chair that he was sitting in, as an ergonomist, I could not help myself and had to say something.
This was very unhealthy behavior. Motion, when seated, is critical to proper blood flow and body health as well as putting less strain on one muscle or joint from forcing the body to work long hours without moving. After observing his son for several minutes and watching how he moved and placed his neck and torso, it became apparent which type of chair would be best recommended for this type of video game play. Having sold ergonomic office chairs and furniture for over 10 years now, it is easy for me to remember that different types of tasks require different styles of seating positions.
The task at hand was video games with a controller and pushing buttons using a repetivie motion while holding the control in front of the body. Since he was a kid, he wasn’t going to want to spend a ton of money on something overly ergonomic and just wanted to find something that was comfortable for long hours and didn’t leave him wanting to stretch every ten minutes due to muscle tension. I recommended a Posture Knee Kneeling office chair model that seemed absolutely perfect for his task.
Unlike your standard task chair, a posture knee chair works by taking more of your weight on your knees by resting them on a seperate cushion, which lets you sit in just the right position to keep the natural S curve to your spine and keep your muscles and back relaxed. These types of chairs are unique in how one is seated in them and definetely take some getting use to but rave reviews appear from all of my loyal posture knee customers monthly.
Kneeling chairs, which found their beginnings when back pain sufferes were looking for some way to change the conventional computer task chair and find a way to alleviate the tension placed on the spine and lumbar. They have become more and more popular these days with the long hours many employees are working in front of the computer and at their desks. When watching my friend’s son the other day, it also became more and more obvious to me that posture knee chairs would also work well for video gamers and people who enjoy spending that time in front of their system.
Posture knee models are easy to find online and are not a high priced option. You can find them for the price of your average task office chair, even for under a hundred dollars on sites like eBay online. This low price and great chair allows the user to try out a new type of chair without having to break the pocketbook. Try shopping around online as there are many different posture knee chairs out there in colors, styles an shapes.
© 2007 Sit On This Ergonomics, LLC.
Author Bio:
Amy Pedersen has worked in the Ergonomics and Office Furniture industry for over 10 years and is owner of Sit On This Ergonomics, operating a number of ergonomic websites dedicated to Office Chairs and the practice of good Workplace Ergonomics.
Featuring a wide variety of Executive Chairs, Leather Office Chairs, Mesh Seating & Task Office Chairs with an Online Sales Catalog. Their Huge Office Chair Collection and the Sit On This Ergo website provides detailed ergonomic information on proper chair positioning and seating in the workplace environment to help people to find the perfect Office Chair for their situation.
Visit Our Office Chair Collection:
Sit On This Ergonomics
More Ergonomic Information:
Ergonomics Explained
How to Choose Your Chair:
Picking the Right Office Chair for You
Categories: Choosing Your Office Chair · Ergonomics · Office chairs · Online Shopping · workplace communication
Tagged: chairs online, Choosing Your Office Chair, ergonomic chair, Ergonomics, office chair, Office chairs
When it comes to the holiday season, every one seems busier and busier as the end of December approaches. By mid December, that precarious time for holiday shipments to arrive on time, buyers are in a rush to just click on the button and pay now to get it shipped in time without having to pay outrageous fees. When it comes to presents that can really keep them remebering you throughout the year and a good gift to keep the receiver comfortable all year, why not consider an ergonomic office chair.
I gave my friend an office chair for Christmas just last year. I have been selling office furniture for years now and had an extra traditional leather bankers office chair sitting in the box, brand new in the back form a return. The customer had not liked the burgundy color once it arrived and at Sit On This Ergonomics, my eBay Store, we feature a 15-day guarantee, so hence I have chairs from time to time just sitting around the office or even my garage if space seems limited. Suddenly, it seemed the perfect gift when I heard him mention the need for one.
He had been complaining about having re-organized his office workspace including painting, buying a new desk and new wall hangings and carpet. It all looked so nice and professional, but of course he had failed to order a new office chair and his old shabby task chair looked about 10 times worse with all of the fresh style all around. Christmas was only weeks away and needless to say, I have no patience and I arrived at his doorstep in a couple of days with a bow and a new chair and well, I won’t mention where I put the bow or how “good” of friends we were at the time but he did enjoy that chair.
The point of this silly story is that for weeks if not months I got calls from him from the office exclaiming how comfortable he was and how happy he was with his new chair. He is a larger sized man, over 6 feet tall and has always had trouble finding an office chair to fit his height. The model of chair that I had given him had a tall cylinder and was similar in design to those that you would see featured in a typical Hollywood film when viewing the Oval Office of the White House or an executive office suite full of lawyers. A traditional leather chair with button tufting, pillow top and wood arms and casters, this chair was large and built to last. And it fit his body frame and type well, and the style of his new office interior, how could I go wrong?
I had given a ton of gifts that Christmas and yet this one in particular was the one that I heard about not only the most times but also for quite a long time. It is nice when giving of yourself, especially during the holiday season when it seems necessary no matter what to give, to find that the person who has received your gift has appreciated the thought and found enjoyment. Finding the right present for that hard to buy relative or office employee can be no harder than finding the right office chair to order online and have shipped directly to the office where the person has the most need. With how easy it can be and with all of the deals online and office chair sellers on sites such as eBay, it is time to start finding the right office chair for your gift recipient.
© 2007 Sit On This Ergonomics, LLC.
Author Bio:
Amy Pedersen has worked in the Ergonomics and Office Furniture industry for over 10 years and is owner of Sit On This Ergonomics, operating a number of ergonomic websites dedicated to Office Chairs and the practice of good Workplace Ergonomics.
Featuring a wide variety of Executive Chairs, Leather Office Chairs, Mesh Seating & Task Office Chairs with an Online Sales Catalog. Their Huge Office Chair Collection and the Sit On This Ergo website provides detailed ergonomic information on proper chair positioning and seating in the workplace environment to help people to find the perfect Office Chair for their situation.
Visit Our Office Chair Collection:
Sit On This Ergonomics
More Ergonomic Information:
Ergonomics Explained
How to Choose Your Chair:
Picking the Right Office Chair for You
Categories: Choosing Your Office Chair · Leather Chairs · Office Chairs Sales · Office chairs · Online Shopping
Tagged: chairs online, Choosing Your Office Chair, ergonomic chair, Ergonomics, office chair, Office chairs