JOURNAL REFLECTION: EFFECT OF OFFICE ERGONOMICS INTERVENTION ON REDUCING MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS

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According to Effect of Office Ergonomics Intervention on Reducing Musculoskeletal Symptoms, workers who have a highly adjustable chair partnered with an office ergonomics training, had reduced pain symptoms over the workday. The ability to reduce pain symptoms has implications for understanding how to prevent musculoskeletal injuries in workers. (pg. 2706) Which then lead to productivity improvements of sizeable increase of benefit-to-cost ratio (pg. 2710).

Effect of Office Ergonomics Intervention on Reducing Musculoskeletal Symptoms, came to its conclusion by examining how office ergonomics effect musculoskeletal pain symptoms over the workday. They gathered this data by collecting data, for a week span, 1 month before the trial and 2nd, 6th, and 12th month during the trial. Each week, or as they called it round, a short daily symptom survey was completed at the beginning, middle, and end of the workday for 5 days to measure total body pain symptoms throughout the workday. (pg. 1) Workers rated their level of pain on a scale from 0 (none) to 10 (extremely severe) for each of nine body areas: neck, shoulders, upper back, elbows, lower arms/wrists/hands, lower back, buttocks/thighs, knees, and lower legs/ankles/feet (pg. 3). Each one of the workers, or test subjects, worked in sedentary computer-intensive jobs that required at least 4 hours per day working at an office computer and at least 6 hours per day sitting in an office chair. Test subjects were assigned to one of three study groups: a group receiving a highly adjustable chair with office ergonomics training, a training-only group and a control group who they continued to work as usual but received training at the study’s end. (pg. 2707)

Reaction

I chose this article thinking it was going to tell me all the positive facts about office ergonomics; however, that was not the summary of this article. But instead I learned that not any kind of ergonomic chair can reduce pain symptoms and increase worker productivity; it is recommended to get a highly adjustable chair. This study also showed that companies should have an office ergonomics training to increase the benefits of office ergonomics. This was interesting because I never thought to add a training session for furniture usage.

Application

This study uses a highly adjustable chair, and this is how it is described: “The chair includes adjustable armrests in height, width, and pivot that should allow the user to support arms and reduce shoulder static muscle load, providing low-level type I muscle fibers an opportunity to rest. Chair height and armrest adjustment relative to keyboard and mouse location may help the worker achieve a neutral posture, reducing forearm extensor static muscle loading required to maintain an extended wrist against gravity and the passive and active forces of the forearm flexor musculature. A flexible back support conforms to the shape and movement of the user’s back, which should allow for a range of trunk postures while maintaining the relationship of the hands to the keyboard. The chair provides adjustable firmness support in the low back combined with adjustable seat depth. The chair’s gliding mechanism allows the seat to glide forward as the user reclines; this mechanism as well as the back firmness and seat depth adjustments support reclining action and should improve matching of the chair’s reclining support with the upper body gravitational forces, so the worker can recline without requiring active trunk extension or feeling unstable. This is reflected in more reclining postures, more varied postures, and less static load on erector spinae, so the user can easily adjust body postures throughout the workday without causing forearm or visual range shifts potentially allowing for trunk loading variation. The chair’s high adjustability supports large and small frame bodies and allows for an open hip angle and comfortable floor contact for the feet” (pg. 2707). The detail of this chair will help me pick the right type of office chairs for my project. Not only is the chair important, I also need to make sure it can be used in relation to other workstation features (key board, screens, etc.).

Reference

Amick, B. C. III, PhD, & Bazzani, L., MPH, & DeRango, K., PhD, & Harrist, R., PhD, & Moore, A., PhD, & Robertson, M. M., PhD,CPE,& Rooney, T., MPH. (2011). Effect of Office Ergonomics Intervention on Reducing Musculoskeletal Symptoms. Spine-| occupational Health/Ergonomics 28, 2706-2711