Ergonomic Issues .. 2/10/02 From a free ergonomic newsletter from Britian. You can reach them at: webmaster@system-concepts.com HOW MUCH DOES BACK PAIN COST YOUR BUSINESS? Anyone with back pain will tell you it is no laughing matter. That twinge in your lower back can often be the precursor of bad news. But back pain is also bad news for business: it is estimated that around 13 million working days are lost every year in the UK due to back pain. Our specialist occupational physiotherapists (at The Body Garage), have been involved with a wide range of employers to help reduce the cost of back pain to their businesses. One such project was implemented with the London Underground Occupational Health Department. There were two phases of the London Underground Project. The first phase provided fast-track physiotherapy assessment and treatment for all London Underground employees who developed lower back pain. The second phase, which was called "Back on Track", was developed for sufferers of recurrent back pain or a long history of back problems. The "Back on Track" program consisted of four, two- hour group sessions. The sessions included information on how the back works, postural advice, how best to deal with pain, and safe moving and handling techniques. Staff attending the program also had the opportunity to take part in exercise classes focusing on back strength, flexibility and relaxation. London Underground was so pleased with the savings associated with reduced periods of sickness that they have now made the service available permanently. In another project, lead by Body Garage occupational physiotherapists, physiotherapy and ergonomics advice was provided for staff at an automotive component manufacturing plant. Any member of staff with musculoskeletal pain had fast-track access to physiotherapy. This was carried out on site, so that staff did not have to take time off to travel to and from their appointments. The physiotherapist was also able to become familiar with the jobs that staff did and made recommendations about the design and set up of the workplace, reducing the risk of further injury. The management at the company particularly valued the positive impact on staff morale and were able to show that providing the physiotherapy service for the staff significantly reduced the cost of paid absence. A new government initiative aims to raise awareness of occupational health issues within companies. The initiative, called Securing Health Together, is being promoted through the website www.oshstrategy.net. Further details about these two Body Garage projects can be found in the Best Practice section of this web site. > Sue Mackenzie ______________________________________________________ ________ >THREE SIMPLE RULES OF CHAIR DESIGN In our consulting work we have noted that many office employees do not adjust their chairs. It is tempting to say that this is because people do not know how to make the adjustments, but this would be wrong. About half the office employees that we have assessed actually know how to adjust their chairs, yet only 40% of these individuals actually make adjustments. In this article, we specify three simple rules of chair control design to encourage users to make these adjustments. Would you ever jump into your car, after your 17-year-old, without making proper seat adjustments? Would you drive away even though your feet cannot reach the pedals? We all know the importance of sitting in a comfortable, well- supported seated posture. We also know the side effects of sitting in an uncomfortable position: lower back pain, loss of circulation to the feet and aching legs. We cannot rely solely on training and instruction manuals to encourage users to adjust their seating appropriately. In an ideal world, all manufacturers would design the same controls to perform the same adjustments. Once you had learnt to adjust one chair, you would be able to adjust them all. However, that would be too easy, and with every new chair model, we need to learn new chair features and adjustments. So, to the chair designers of the world, we suggest you follow three simple rules of chair control design to encourage your users to comfortably enjoy your chairs. 1.Make sure most users (90%) can reach and operate all controls whilst seated in the chair. No one wants to stand every time to make a minor adjustment. This also applies to stiff backrest mechanisms which require you to stand in order to use both hands, as well as enough force, to adjust. 2.Make the activation of a control intuitive. For example, lifting a paddle (control) will activate the mechanism, allowing you to move the seat, and releasing the paddle will stop the mechanism keeping the chair in the desired position. This type of mechanism control is often used in cars to adjust the seat position. 3.Provide immediate feedback once a control is activated. Have you ever tried to push or pull a chair lever and nothing would happen? You try three times and still nothing happens? You are not alone, most users give up after three tries and forget the lever altogether. In order to keep users healthy and comfortable, be sure to include the above key factors in your chair design, along with instruction manuals. And for those who are purchasing chairs, give the chair a test drive and evaluate the control designs. > Leslie Fountain