Ergonomic Advice

What does Ergonomics mean?

It technically means the understanding or evaluation of human well-being in the workplace and the design of products and functionality of equipment to enhance the performance of the person and the optimisation of their work.

Wow!

For us at Technochair, it simply means how can we best help you or your organisation to ensure your comfort and ease at work, which will benefit both you and those that you work with or for.  To that end, we have a range of products which we trust will be suitable for you and improve your working life because that's what we do - we design products for work!
 

In some cases, we are trying to protect you from
repetitive strain injuries or muscular skeletal
disorders and by working with your Occupational
Health or Health and Safety advisors, we can plan
to avoid any problems.

Now let's be clear! - most of what we do is plan for
those who have no problems from an ergonomic point
of view by providing appropriate seating and
associated equipment in the first place.

However, unfortunately some people will already have physiological problems associated with their own health or accident or perhaps by not being provided with the correct equipment in the first place.  At Technochair, we do our best to help you!

How do we do this?

For us there is a process of evaluating each piece of equipment around the person in the workplace​​​.  We start with the chair, then the monitor, which should be on a monitor arm, then the desk itself and followed by associated equipment such as keyboard, mouse, etc.

Now it doesn't stop there! There are other factors such as working space, environment temperature, lighting, number of breaks from the work position and sorry to put the effort on YOU!  - but what do you do to prevent problems?

Let's start at the beginning.

How to sit correctly at work

If you work at a desk and use a computer, you can
avoid injury or pain by sitting in the right
position and arranging your desk correctly.

Support your back

A properly adjusted chair will reduce the strain on your back.  Get one
that's easily adjustable so you can change the height, back position and tilt.
Your knees should be below the level of your hips.
A footrest may be necessary to achieve this.

Adjust your seat

Be aware of the various adjustments that it is possible to achieve with your chair. In particular, if someone else  had used your desk, you may need to re-adjust the chair.

Rest your feet on the floor

Your feet should be flat on the floor.  If they're not, for example if you are working on a draughtsman chair, you should ask whether you can have a footrest which will let you rest your feet at a level that's comfortable for you.  Don't cross your legs as this can cut off circulation and cause hip problems.

Place your screen at eye level

Position your screen 30 - 75cm (12 - 30 inches) away from your eyes.  a good guide is to place the monitor about an arm's length away with the top of the screen roughly at eye level. Always maintain sufficient space around the computer mouse to assist free arm and wrist movement.

Avoid screen reflection

Your screen should be as glare free as possible.  Position at 90 degrees to any light source to avoid glare or reflections.  Place equipment on stands or monitor arms if possible.

Make objects accessible

Position frequently used objects such as a telephone or stapler within easy reach.

As a general rule, don't sit in the same position for long periods.  Try to change your position as often as is practical.  Some movement is desirable but avoid repeated stretching to reach things.