Friday, September 11, 2009

Ergonomic Office Furniture Design - One Sign For A Company Who Cares

By Philip Barker

The office interior is incomplete without office furniture, and the latter must be in line with the overall office design. The office furniture must also conform to the rules of ergonomics so as to ensure that employees can go on using them for a significantly long time without any health hazards.

Over one third of an average employee's day is spent in the office, and if the office furniture causes him discomfort and body pain, then it may pose serious danger to his health. Hence it is important that office furniture, particularly the office chairs used by employees, must be ergonomically designed.

Any purchase of office chairs must be made only after making sure of a few things. As an employer, you must select only those office chairs that are stable and can be shifted without much effort, besides making sure that they can be adjusted according to the requirement of the user. The arm rests of chairs must fulfil their purpose well, and the height should be easily adjustable so that the occupant can adjust the chair as per his requirement. The chair should allow for easy mobility of limbs so that there are no hurdles for the employee while he or she is engaged in work. The back support is the most critical element of an office chair. It must offer adequate comfort to the occupant and create no strain to his or her spine, and it needs to be optimally padded and curved for this purpose.

Office desks come second in order of priority in office furniture. Desks must be of a standard height and should have enough space on top to enable staff to do both computer and writing jobs without facing any problems. Crowded or small office desks are highly uncomfortable to work on and the user's body has to make many adjustments which are normally bad for health in the long run.

Another essential feature of office ergonomics is where the items of furniture have been put inside the office. There ought to be sufficient free space between the cubicles so that staff and heavy goods both get enough space for movement, without disrupting the work of seated employees.

Good office ergonomics ensure not only a healthy workforce but a happier and more efficient one as well. An employee can handle and organize his work efficiently and can perform his jobs in a comfortable and spirited manner if the ergonomics in his office are amicable to his health and fitness.

Office design should always be such that the physical discomfort is ideally zero or at least reduced substantially for the workers. The office interior must strive to create such working conditions in which staff can perform their jobs in a very efficient fashion without any health concerns, so that the business gets the advantages of a healthy and efficient workforce.

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