Title: Ergonomics Theory at Work
By Pat Darnell 03/19/07
Introduction
I discovered typical ergonomic assessment worksheets at Healthy Computing com. I uncovered a proactive approach to diversity compliance in a special article: Blanck, Peter David, (1996) Communicating the Americans with Disabilities Act, Transcending Compliance: 1996 Follow-Up Report on Sears, Roebuck and Co. Then I cross-referenced all the ailments mentioned in the second source web sites to my John Hopkins Family Health Book, 1999, and Cornell University Ergo college web site.
DiscussionI and colleagues have been asked to organize ergonomic checklists for our Administrative Assistants’ work places. Appropriation for all special cases will have to begin with the basic checklist we prepare today. It is my appeal that THC considers from the beginning a total or holistic approach to putting together the work-spaces. Thoughtful physical consideration includes discovering how the body moves naturally, and how the workplace environment negatively limits or exasperates those motions.
Human bodies are unfettered motion machines, not just as far as pre-school children are concerned. In adulthood, motion is not forgotten. The body at different times is meant to fight or flee, walk or crouch, lounge and lean and lay horizontally to sleep. Our bodies were never meant to sit and stare.
The neck is fashioned to aid in looking side to side almost in 360 degrees while holding up the heaviest organ in our body, our brain. Our head has all the senses except tactile centralized there. The wrist has an exotic design with 7 small bones that let the hand move in any direction. Ankles are eloquent groupings of special shapes of bones that balance our mass in motion.
The areas of neck, wrist and ankle have come into play as the main areas that have been attacked by sedentary lifestyles of modern office workers, such as people who administrate, compute and communicate or dispatch, just to name a few. Modern refers to last century; and the new kid on the block, the Ergonomics Society celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1999 (The Ergonomics Society; 1996-2006).
Cost of Ergonomic Adjustments are Perceived Expensive
While a holistic approach is not mandatory in offices’ spaces to find the happy balance between worker and space, it would be nice if minimum specification included some ergonomics checklists. The Total Ergonomic Workplace is or isn’t very costly, yet perceived as cost intensive because it has not been included in construction specifications that have evolved over the last ten thousand years.
In order to start a discussion on cost variables I sought a starter point, such as a benchmark. I found a good second source in: “Communicating the Americans with Disabilities Act Transcending Compliance: 1996 Follow-up Report on Sears, Roebuck and Co. by Peter David Blanck” (Blanck, D; 1996).
"Sears has found that effective workplace accommodations for qualified employees or job applicants with disabilities result in bottom line economic benefits that far exceed the costs," says Harry Geller, formerly Sears Regional Diversity Manager and presently an Executive Recruitment Manager"(1996).
After all it turns out this classic study of Sears concentrates on human capital in a “transcending proactive way.” Tony Rucci, Sears Executive VP of Administration at the time “...with oversight responsibility for human resources issues...” reportedly said that: "in almost all cases, the low costs of accommodations for employees with disabilities have derived positive and substantial economic benefits to the company-in terms of service to customers, work productivity, effectiveness and efficiency” (1996).
I think ergonomics implemented in administrative assistants’ workplaces are destined for the same cost savings results as those reported in the benchmark case above.
Office Ergonomics are after-market Micro Considerations
State-of-the-art construction of modern commercial space where considerable large populations are employed is basically the same nationwide, only with differing facades and storefronts. Woe but it doesn’t often include reforms with ergonometric assessments; construction is mostly speculative and cost intensive, therefore literal.
Ubiquitous ‘
minimum specification’ is a dreaded phrase for any progressive attempt to take the
stationary out of
workstation. Specifications for ergonomics are not a traditional part of space planner’s book for new or speculative construction. Perhaps planning for diversity of ergonomics is considered a micro-managed performance afterwards.
Possibly ergonomics is considered to be an accessorized specification for Interior Design. Post construction Retro-fit and trial and error is micro-managed by tenants’ and end-users’ of the core built environment. When it comes to making a basic speculative design into an upgraded environment design, tenants’, government entity, and local city groups determine any more build out.
Checklist for Administrative Assistant Work Space Ergonomics
A checklist is a worksheet for assessment of ergonomic tools of No/Yes Answers. The following outline is paraphrased from Healthy Computing com (Healthy Computing; 2004)
Affirmative answers by the administrative assistant to following questions about “work habits and postures”
define need for ergonomic tools (2004).
- Employee frequently performs tasks that require “extended periods of repetitive motions:”
Typing
Stuffing/ sorting envelopes
Opening mail
Punch press
Binding, and other
- Employee is required to perform tasks “using manual excessive force:”
Lifting heavy objects
Pushing/ Pulling heavy objects
- Employee is exposed to “physical stressors:”
Vibration
Radiation
Flashing light or Darkness
Extreme hot/ cold
temperatures
Wearing environment suits
- Maintains position with little or no motion for longer than 30 minutes?
- Must perform Recurrent reaching, extending, or supporting awkward posture in duties?
Shoulder scrunching while on phone
Squatting to find file in lower
cramped file/ Storage
Awkward bending of wrists while working the QWERTY
keyboard
Reaching for supplies stored in high shelves, etc.
- Aisle Space is adequate for circulation by wheel chair, or carts
- Positions of shoulders, elbows while keyboarding are relaxed and parallel to floor (2004)
Negative answers to the following questions indicate need for ergonomic tools in “Workstation Analysis” (2004):
- Desk area is organized with all work tools safely within reach?
- Adjusting chair is resulting in correct height, support of lower back, and proper angle?
- Feet are resting on floor or footrest comfortably?
- Chair arms and appurtenances do not interfere with typing or mouse use?
- Keyboard and mouse are placed in front of employee, close to the lap?
- The top of the monitor is at eye level when chair is adjusted to comfort position?
- Monitor is free of glare?
- Document holder is aligned with monitor?
- Worktops are all evenly lit, with no glare?
- The employee understands the importance of all these analysis questions? (Healthy Computing; 2004, outline paraphrased).
Remedy in Micro-Manage Administrative Assistant’s Work Space
Five typical remedies recur in work space assessment. They are: keyboard, seating, posture, lighting, and range of unhampered motion of employee.
For example in this discussion look at some considerations of the vital tool of the administrative assistant: the keyboard with number pad, and mouse.
Keyboard: Our QWERTY keyboard is traditionally our primary communicating device for today’s office space employees. Therefore, proper assessment of employees’ posture and motion is needed centered on this most important tool. Keyboards ideally fit just above the lap, with the ‘B’ key directly centered on computer operator’s navel.
Typical problems: centering, tilting, height, posture and repeated motions. Additionally, will the future offer persons without use of arms, hands or all one’s fingers possibility to be a typist, to fulfill the position of Administrative Assistant?
Conclusion
This discussion is a compendium of the travail of administrative assistants at their work places. The entire handbook on assessment and compliance is a large knowledge base crossing many disciplines. It is not a complicated field to delve into, but it is a part of post construction vocation specifically in micro-managed space-planning of offices.
Employees should use safety equipment provided. Also workers should contribute to assessment of dangers they will have found in their work place environment. In 1999 it was reported that “on average in the United States 17 people die each day due to work-related causes. Also ergonomics is a science based commitment “to the study of human work.” Repetitive Strain Injuries, RSI, “causes inflammation and pain, and can be permanently disabling if it is not dealt with properly” (Klag, M J; 1999).
Other key searches for different types of work will be found easily in the sources I found to be helpful. The key to the entire process is in the idea that repetitive motion can lead to wear and tear on the most delicate parts of our human bodies: neck, wrist, and ankles, joints. Muscles can surround the delicate skeletal areas, but the linkage of bones in the wrist and miraculous ankle and neck are still vulnerable. All repetitive body expressions that entail injurious result over a long work period are part of the scope of whole ergonomic discussions.
References
Blanck, Peter David, (1996) Communicating the Americans with Disabilities Act, Transcending Compliance: 1996 Follow-Up Report on Sears, Roebuck and Co, (Iowa City, Iowa, 1996)
Cornell Human Factors and Ergonomics Research Group, CHFERG, (ND), Ecotecture, edited by Hedge, Alan; Site content last revised: March 18, 2007, Department of Design and Environmental Analysis, Cornell University retrieved March 19-23, 2007: ergo human Cornell edu Ecotecture external
Ergonomics Society, the; (1996-2006) email ergsoc ergonomics org uk,The Ergonomics Society, Elms Court, Elms Grove, Loughborough LE11 1RG, UK, retrieved March 19-23, 2007 at ergonomics org uk
Healthy Computing; (2004) Office Ergonomics Training and Assessment Manual, retrieved March 19-23, 2007 healthycomputing net fuseaction home main
Klag, Michael J, Editor; (1999) Johns Hopkins Family Health Book, p 70-75, Harper Collins Publishers, NY, NY
