The right office equipment does make a difference
Ergonomics – ‘the applied science of equipment design, as for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort’
(American Heritage Dictionary)
It’s not every day you buy new office furniture. Buying the wrong office equipment can be costly and may cause you or your staff physical damage or work-related pain.
Buying a new desk? Download our spring newsletter [PDF 86kb] for tips on what to look for when buying a new desk.
Gone are the days when people would generally do only one aspect of a job – telephone work, typing, or talking to clients. Now most of us are expected to do all of these things in the one job, so our workstations need to be designed to make this as easy as possible to ensure minimal stress on the body.
Likewise jobs (such as civil engineering or architecture) that traditionally saw people out in the field, or working on large desks, now require people to spend hours on a computer.
How do you make the best decision?
Although there are OSH standards in place, there are few guidelines about which office furniture specifically meets these standards.
One size does not fit all
With so much to choose from, how can you be sure that you’re making the best decision?
For people using computers, this means getting the right equipment – chair, desk, keyboard and mouse - and positioning them correctly to suit the person and the job they are doing.
Wherever you work - from small businesses, to technology call-centres, factories, laboratories, kitchens or schools, having the right equipment makes a real difference.
SitRight WorkWell can:
- Advise you on the best desk for a job
- Arrange trials of suitable chairs and other desktop equipment such as document/plan holders, appropriate mice and wrist supports or phone headsets
- Provide training and instruction in how to use and set up your office furniture and equipment properly
Chairs
As we spend more and more time at our desks, choosing the right office chair has become as important as choosing the right bed.
We are all different shapes, sizes and heights, so the key starting point for choosing a chair depends on the person that will be using it.
These days as more men become deskbound using computers at work, there is a need for chairs with longer seats for comfort. Although there are many larger chairs available, employers do not always taking this into consideration when ordering furniture.
