Ergonomic Office Furniture by Ergonomic Office Designs

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What Is Ergonomic Office Furniture?

Ergonomics is the science of designing specific items, such as furniture, to comfortably conform to the body and reduce the risk of injury from stress and strain. If you spend long hours at the computer and use ergonomic furniture in your office, you will find that it will provide a greater amount of comfort than traditional office furniture and will enable you to accomplish more throughout your workday. More offices are being equipped with ergonomic furniture to enable employees to work comfortably and effectively, with less risk of injury to the body.

Ergonomic Chairs

Height
Chairs that consist of an ergonomic design come in a variety of types to fit a variety of needs. One thing you will want to look for in a comfortable chair is the ability to adjust the height. Seat height may range from 16 to 24 inches from the floor. The majority of workers will be able to do their jobs comfortably in this range. To avoid stress on the legs, especially the knees, your feet should be able to rest completely on the floor.

Width and Depth
The width of the chair should be enough to provide a comfortable seat, which usually falls anywhere from 17 to 20 inches. The depth of your chair is also important. From the front of the seat to the back, there should be enough room for you to position your back against the chair back. There should be from 2 to 4 inches between the backs of your knees and the front of the seat.

Armrests
A quality ergonomic chair will always have adjustable armrests. You should be able to sit at your desk with arms resting comfortably on the armrests of the chair. Your shoulders should also be comfortable, otherwise, neck strain may be the result.

Back of Chair
The back of your chair should have adequate width to offer complete support to your back, usually from 12 to 19 inches. A backrest that is not connected to the seat should be adjustable in tilt and height. If the backrest and the seat are one continuous piece, the backrest should be adjustable in tilt, either forward or backward to a certain degree in order to provide maximum comfort.

Lumbar Support
Lumbar support in an ergonomic chair can lessen the amount of strain that will be felt on your lower back. You will definitely appreciate this option at the end of a long, busy day. A lumbar support feature that is adjustable is important for providing the maximum amount of comfort to your back. The lower back has a natural curvature, and a chair that can be adjusted to best fit this curvature will provide the most comfort for long periods of sitting.

Ergonomic Desks

Sit and Stand Desk
A desk that is adjustable in height is crucial in certain jobs, especially if sitting and standing will be involved. Certain models may have two separate components, one higher and the other lower. Each separate piece can be adjusted individually so that work may be accomplished in a sitting or standing position. An adjustable workstation may be the best choice for you if you work at the computer extensively or have employment in the medical field.

Portable Desk
Offices can benefit from a desk that not only adjusts but can also be closed up and moved to another location. If you have a small home office, you may want a desk that can be opened for use and closed for storage when your work for the day is finished, providing additional space. This type of desk is portable and can be taken from one location to another, which is an asset if you work out of more than one office.

Medical Workstations
If you work in the medical field and handle imaging equipment, you will reap many benefits from an imaging workstation that is designed for comfort with adjustable tilt and height features. Desks come in a variety of sizes so that a compact unit can even be found for smaller work areas.

How does ergonomic furniture increase productivity in the office?

This type of furniture increases productivity greatly by decreasing the amount of stress the body experiences. When you feel comfortable and can work with less strain on your body, you will do a better and more productive job. The designing of ergonomic furniture incorporates technology that cuts down on body strain and provides comfort during those times when hours are spent sitting at a computer or standing at a desk.

Ergonomic furniture is a step up from ordinary office furniture. Whether your office is in a business complex or in the home, ergonomic furniture may be the answer to the aches and pains that result from using traditional furniture.

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Ergonomic vs. Traditional Office Furniture

Long hours of office work can be stressful to the mind, but time spent at a desk does not have to strain the body as well. Modern office furniture manufacturers have finally realized that design does make a difference in the amount of time that can be comfortably spent working at a desk. The ergonomic office furniture now on the market reflects these changes, and after examining the differences between traditional office furniture and the desks and chairs that have an ergonomic design, few office companies would choose to continue purchasing the older styles.

Traditional office furniture was designed before any ergonomic research was available to designers. Until office workers began to complain of headaches, backaches, cramping, carpal tunnel, and other troubling conditions, furniture companies never considered the effect that their designs might have on the body. Since modern workers often spend much more time at their work station than workers did in the past, these problems have been acerbated by furniture unsuited for the way the human body is designed.

Most traditional furniture is made with little consideration for the natural alignment of the skeletal system. The lines of the chairs put the body into positions that strain, rather than support the muscles and joints involved in doing close work. The lower back often goes unsupported, and because these desks and chairs have no system for making adjustments for lumbar support, people who are not average in height often suffer the most serious issues because they are placed in awkward postures for long periods of time.

Traditional furniture always appears to be a bargain, but the cheap materials used in the construction of these pieces means that they are unlikely to last very long. This makes traditional office furniture a bad investment in the long run. This is especially true when office managers consider the lost work time resulting from the physical injuries sustained by the workers who are required to use these outdated tables, desks and chairs.

Ergonomically designed office furniture gives workers the ultimate working environment to help keep the spine in alignment and reduce the strain on other body parts. Unfortunately, a great number of health problems are brought on by office furnishing designed using the old-fashioned concepts of what a work space should be like. Workstations that are ergonomically accurate provide support for the hands and wrists while keeping the arms lined up parallel to the floor. This makes problems with the carpal tunnel much less likely.

All of the seats incorporated into the design of ergonomic office furniture are easily adjusted for lumbar support and comfort, and the bottom of most seats are padded to ease pressure on the upper part of the legs and hip area, reducing the odds of developing sciatica from those long hours of sitting. The chair is proportioned so that a person's weight does not rest entirely on the seat but is distributed to the backrest, arms and floor as well. In addition, ergonomic seating can be lowered or raised so that both the shortest and tallest people in the office can work with their feet comfortably positioned on the floor.

Ergonomic design is also important on all work surfaces, including desks and tables. These items can be adjusted to allow workers to sit or stand so that they do not spend the entire day in the same position. Employers have found that this option results in their staff being able to work longer without taking as many breaks. The greatest benefit reported from using an ergonomic work surface is a 50% decrease in painful injuries and health complaints.

Of course, employers who buy these superior products must be willing to invest a bit more money into developing office spaces that are healthier and more comfortable for their workers, but the rewards will be worth it. Ergonomic office furniture is made with the best quality materials and has superb craftsmanship. This means that it can withstand years of use and still perform well.

This beautifully designed furniture has clean, modern lines and is not only aesthetically attractive, but also it can be customized for individual office spaces in order to maximize the square footage. This makes even the smallest office appear larger and less cluttered. This means that these attractive pieces can withstand years of use and still perform well. In contrast, traditional office furniture is often composed of plastic, particle board, and inferior hardware. It often looks cheap because it is poorly constructed.

Most employers are beginning to realize that ergonomic design is the path to greater productivity and less employee absenteeism. Employers considering making the move toward ergonomically designed office furnishings should know that quality will always pay for itself through minimizing worker injury.

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