Making your office an ergonomic workplace<\/p>\n
By Zatni Arbi<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Four members of the administrative support staff
\nshare a room on the 11th floor at the office where I work. One of
\nthem has just been relocated from his former room downstairs into
\nthis room. Perhaps because he was the last person to come in, he
\ndidn't have any chance to choose where he would like to sit.<\/p>\n
He ended up sitting next to the wide window, with his face in
\nfront of it, because that was the only space left after the other
\nthree had claimed theirs. He placed his PC on that desk. I was
\nshocked when I saw it. I went straight to his supervisor and
\ninsisted that he trade places with another staff member who
\ndidn't use a computer.<\/p>\n
Having a bright background, such as a large window, behind
\nyour computer monitor is one of the best methods of wrecking your
\nvision. Unfortunately, a walk around Jakarta office buildings
\nreveals a lot of office workers working in such a harmful
\nsetting. The sad thing is that since these staff workers -- like
\nthis guy in my office -- are so low in the corporate hierarchy,
\nnobody really cares about their plight. And, because of their own
\nlimited education and knowledge, they themselves may not be aware
\nof the hazards they are exposed to at work.<\/p>\n
In more developed countries, the authority usually intervenes
\nwith regulations that make sure that employers pay due attention
\nto the safety and health of their workers. In the European Union,
\nfor instance, two directives have been issued to make sure this
\nhappens. These are Directive 89\/391\/EEC that introduces measures
\nto encourage improvements in safety and health of workers at
\nwork, and Directive 90\/270\/EEC that specifies minimum safety and
\nhealth requirements for work with display screen equipment.<\/p>\n
Ergonomics<\/p>\n
When we talk about safety and health at the workplace, we
\nusually talk about ergonomics. It is an interdisciplinary study
\non the interaction between a worker and his environment. His work
\nenvironment includes the physical environment, the equipment and
\nthe processes in which the worker carries out his tasks.<\/p>\n
Ergonomics is concerned with two related objectives. First, it
\ntries to minimize the strain and the burden imposed on the
\nworkers by their work environment -- the room where they work,
\nthe tools that they use, and so on. The other objective is to
\nfind technical solutions that may help workers to work more
\neffectively and efficiently.<\/p>\n
Why is ergonomics important? First, as the case of the guy in
\nmy office could have demonstrated, neglect of ergonomic factors
\nin the workplace could lead to work-related injuries and health
\nhazards. Had he continued working with the PC with the glaring
\nwindow behind it, he would have had to replace his already thick
\nglasses in no time.<\/p>\n
Secondly, heeding ergonomic recommendations can in fact result
\nin increased output because ergonomics also explores ways in
\nwhich the human-machine interface can be made more comfortable
\nand productivity improved.<\/p>\n
When it comes to computers and peripherals, the foci of
\nergonomics are naturally the monitor and the keyboard. These are
\nthe two main means by which a worker interacts with his computer.
\nOther similarly important issues include the ambient lighting of
\nthe room, the height of the desk and the design of the chair he
\nsits on. Other things, such as the mouse and the footrest may not
\nbe as important.<\/p>\n
Monitor<\/p>\n
As I have repeatedly emphasized in this column, one of the
\nmost important ergonomic features you should pay attention to
\nwhen choosing and installing a monitor is the refresh rate of the
\ndisplay.<\/p>\n
A computer doesn't paint the image on the screen once and
\nleave it there until the time it has to be changed. In fact, the
\ncomputer repeatedly paints the image at the rate we normally call
\n"refresh rate". A refresh rate of 60 Hz -- which the standard VGA
\ndisplay has -- means that the computer redraws the screen 60
\ntimes in a second. This results in a flickering display, and this
\ncan quickly cause eye fatigue. The minimum acceptable refresh
\nrate is 70 Hz. The higher the rate, the better. At 85 Hz, for
\nexample, the monitor will look like a piece of white page.<\/p>\n
High refresh rates are actually the function of the graphics
\ncard inside the CPU casing. As I explained in my recent review of
\nWinFast 3D S600DX, this card is responsible for handling the
\nvideo signals that the CPU sends to the monitor. In order to be
\nable to adjust the refresh rate, you need to install the right
\nsoftware driver for the card and adjust the setting.<\/p>\n
Of course, your display monitor should be capable of handling
\nthe refresh rate as well. If your monitor can only display screen
\nimages at the maximum refresh rate of 85 Hz, you risk damaging it
\nif you set your graphics card to redraw the screen at 100 Hz.<\/p>\n
Most monitors on the market today is capable of handling
\nfairly high refresh rates. They also come with anti-glare
\ncoating, so that your workers will no longer be able to see the
\nreflection of their own faces on the monitor instead of the text.
\nAlmost all monitors also come with a tilt-and-swivel base so that
\nworkers can adjust the position to get the most comfortable
\nviewing angle.<\/p>\n
Another concern is the electrostatic, electromagnetic and the
\nso-called "soft" X-ray emission that a monitor may radiate. The
\ncurrent standard for these radiation today are the Swedish MPR II
\nand TCO '92. These standards specify the maximum amount of
\nallowable emission. When buying a new monitor, just make sure
\nthey meet these standards.<\/p>\n
Keyboards<\/p>\n
A few of the older keyboards used in the office where I work
\nare very hard to use. You have to hit the keys really hard to
\nmake sure that the keypress is registered. Keyboards such as
\nthese ones are especially bad for fast typists. A good keyboard
\nshould provide the right amount of tactile response and feedback
\nfor fast typing.<\/p>\n
If you walk around the computer stores today, you'll see a
\nkeyboard with a split design. Microsoft has one and they call it
\nNatural Keyboard. Siemens Nixdorf also has one called KBPC-E.<\/p>\n
Acer also makes a good ergonomic keyboard that has a touchpad
\nbetween the two parts. Some of these split keyboards are
\nadjustable and some are not.<\/p>\n
These keyboards have been so designed to allow us to place our
\nhands and arms on the same plane as our elbow. This is supposed
\nto make typing more comfortable and safer.<\/p>\n
The bottom line is, don't be too stingy and buy the cheapest
\nkeyboard for your workers. Good keyboards are no longer
\nexpensive. I just bought an IBM Option keyboard, which is a
\ndecent one, for just Rp 80,000.<\/p>\n
One thing that is very often neglected is the lighting
\ncondition of the room where the staff work. Remember that the
\nroom where your employees work should have sufficient ambient
\nlight, the recommended being 500 lux. If a reading lamp is used,
\ncare should be taken so that the light doesn't fall on the
\nsurface of the monitor screen and gets reflected straight into
\ntheir eyes.<\/p>\n
Copy holders are also another thing that I have introduced to
\nthe people at my office. They cost only about Rp 30,000 a piece,
\nbut they can increase the comfort of office workers as well as
\ntheir productivity. Chairs with sufficient support for their back
\nis also essential, although the problem of backaches is usually
\ncaused by the way they sit rather than by the design of the chair
\nthey sit on. You usually can spot secretaries with proper
\ntraining by the way they sit in front of their computer.<\/p>\n
Finally, remember that your workers are your assets. They may
\nnot know about ergonomics, but you do. Therefore, you have the
\nmoral obligation to ensure they never become the victims of poor
\nworking conditions in your office.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/making-your-office-an-ergonomic-workplace-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}