Designing the Perfect Office

DESIGNING THE PERFECT OFFICE A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association surveyed roughly 29,000 computer users & found that 52.7 percent were working with at least one form of daily musculoskeletal discomfort. The average lost productive time among those experiencing discomfort was more than 5.2 hours per week. We're here to help you design the perfect office to help reduce discomfort & work effeciently. MORE AND MORE ORGANIZATIONS ARE BEGINNING TO SEE THE LINK BETWEEN WORKER DISCOMFORT, LOST PRODUCTIVE TIME AND COST. PROACTIVELY ADDRESSING DISCOMFORT LEVELS THEREFORE BECOMES AN IMPORTANT BUSINESS STRATEGY. Thirty-one million Americans have low 70% Sitting increases low back pain at any given time and that the cost of this care is estimated at $50 billion per backpressure FIVE TIMES more than of all work done in America today is performed seated at workstations. standing, the implication is truly alarming. year. ERGONOMICS DEFINED Ergonomics is the applied science of fitting the physical environment to the worker. When ergonomic design principles are applied to a space, employee comfort improves, risk of injury decreases, and worker efficiency is enhanced. FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN CHALLENGES Eye Height Screen placement Eye Height Keyboard placement 50% Population 95% Population Eye Height Standing Sitting 5% Female Avg. Female Avg. Person Avg. Male 95% Male 55.7" 59.4" 61.7" 64.4" 68.6" 40.8" 44.0" 46.1" 48.5" 52.1" Elbow Height Standing 36.5" 38.8" 40.4" 42.5" 45.4" Sitting 20.8" 23.0" 24.9" 27.0" 29.5" HAND & WRIST POSTURE TASK SEATING MONITOR POSITIONING Applied ergonomics research has shown us that a 'hands in lap posture' is the ideal keyboard and mouse position for those who are able to type proficiently. Lowering the keys and angling them slightly away from the body reduces shoulder shrugging and helps to straighten the wrists. The typical office worker will likely spend more time sitting in his or her chair than he or she will spend anywhere else, with the exception of perhaps his or her bed. Today's most Providing computer users with flexible monitor positioning is another important strategy for maintaining high levels of operator comfort. Because we tend to look downward innovative task chairs feature self- naturally at -15 degrees, the top line of text on the monitor should be no adjusting recline mechanisms which automatically tension the backrest based on the user's body weight. higher than eye level and at about an arm's reach from the body. WIDESPREAD BENEFITS Challenging your organization to design high performance work environments that accommodate 95 percent of the population will not only improve worker comfort and reduce costs, but will also preserve the original design vision of the space. Enhancing the human experience will quickly differentiate your company from the competition while attracting higher-quality candidates and resulting in higher levels of employee retention. Presented By: SOLUTIONS OFFICE INTERIORS Sources: /www.ergotron.com/Portals/Oliterature/whitePapers/english/Portable-Ergonomic-White-Paper.pdf http://www.humanscale.com/userfiles/file/WhitePaper-Ergo.pdf