The article below raised some interesting points, namely that having an ergonomic set up, whilst beneficial, would not prevent injury, and instead people need to change out of a sitting posture more often during the day. My thoughts are along similar lines - that the two - workstation set up and changing posture regularly, should go hand in hand. As I've said so many times during assessments - you can have the most ergonomic chair in the world, but that won't help if you sit with poor posture and don't move from your desk all day!
Here are some of my tips to get you up and out of your chair during the day:
- Avoid having a printer on your desk. Instead, set your printouts to go to a printer across the office
- Half fill your water jug / bottle so that you get up more often to get refills
- Walk over to your colleagues to talk to them rather than sending an email or using messenger
- Hold stand up meetings
- Start a mid-morning and mid-afternoon 5 minute group stand-and-stretch session in the office
- As a rule, stand up to access anything that is above shoulder height when you are sitting
- Take your breaks away from your desk - if you can leave the building and go for a quick stroll, even better!
Here is the article:
http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/business-it/chair-disease-outstrips-workplace-design-20120828-24xxr.html
Whilst it is very important to change your work posture during the day, it is equally important to acknowledge how much time is spent sitting down when at work. In saying so, a well set up workstation will help to prevent bad work postures putting additional strain on your body.
Until next time,
Linda
www.get-ergonised.com.au
1300 820 877
