Thursday, September 10, 2009

Ergonomic Office Furniture Design And Its Numerous Benefits

By Philip Barker

Office furniture forms a critical part of the office interior, and it should be in sync with the office design. Simultaneously it must be ergonomic such that when made use of for extended durations, it does not result in any damage to the employee's health.

An ordinary employee spends more than thirty percent of his day in the office, and considering this, if the office furniture he or she is using is not comfortable and body friendly, then the employee is likely to have repeated and possibly serious health problems. Hence it is necessary that office furniture, particularly the office chairs used by employees, must be ergonomically built.

It is crucial to check for a few features before purchasing office chairs. Stability, convenient mobility and adjustability are the three features that must influence your choice of office chairs. The arm rests should give a comfortable hand placement when required and the vertical height must be adjustable according to the convenience of the occupant. The chair must allow for easy mobility of limbs so that there are no obstructions for the employee while he or she is engaged in work. The back is the most essential part of office chairs. It must be optimally curved and padded to provide the back and spine maximum support and rest when used.

The second most important component of office furniture is office desks. The desk should neither be too elevated nor too low, and must offer ample space to the person to carry out jobs both on his desktop and with his office files. Small office desks are very uncomfortable and force the worker to take awkward sitting postures that may cause painful cramps and back pain.

Another essential feature of office ergonomics is where the pieces of furniture have been put inside the office. There should be enough free space between the cubicles so that employees and bulky goods both get enough space for movement, without causing disturbance to the work of seated employees.

Ergonomic office furniture not only promises good health of the staff, but also increases their effectiveness and productivity at work. An ergonomic workplace allows an employee to better organise and manage his work and also offers an enjoyable and stress free ambience.

Office design must always be such that the physical inconvenience is ideally zero or at least reduced substantially for the workers. The office interior must try to create such working conditions in which staff can carry out their tasks in a very efficient fashion without any health concerns, so that the organization reaps the advantages of a healthy and productive workforce.

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