How to Break the Barriers of Office Ergonomics

Josh Kerst, CPE, CIE Focal Upright

Break the Barriers ofOffice Ergonomics

HOW TO:

When it comes to ergonomics, knowledge is power.

Challenging ergonomic conventions can change your

life for the better.

Remember when cars weren’t equipped with seat belts?

And smoking on planes was commonplace?

Institutional ergonomic change = healthier populations

Today’s pressing ergonomic issue is the inactive office.

Sitting has become the smoking of our generation.

Sedentary jobs have risen 83% since 1960 and now account for 43% of all U.S. jobs

Hazards of prolonged sitting

1 Hour of TV -21.8 minutes of life expectancy  

1 Cigarette -11 minutes of life expectancy  

“Today the AMA adopted policy recognizing the potential risks of prolonged sitting and encouraging employers, employees and others to make available alternatives to sitting… Prolonged sitting, particularly in work settings, can cause health problems and offering employees alternatives to sitting all day will help create a healthier workforce.”– June 18, 2013

Policy H-440.843 Health Risks of Sitting

Source: www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/new/2013/2013-06-18-new-ama-policies-annual-meeting.page

Hazards of prolonged

sitting

Hazards of prolonged sitting

Inactivity and metabolic impact

Deleterious health outcomes despite

regular physical activity Prolonged sitting

and back pain

What can we do about it?

1. Sit-to-stand Workstations

Researchers have reported that only between 8% to 12% of workers use

standing desk feature after 6 to 8 weeks of use.

1.  Sit-to-stand Workstations 2.  Stand-biased Desks

How long can you stand? Guidelines suggest that people limit standing to between 2 to 4 hours per

day

1.  Sit-to-stand Workstations 2.  Stand-biased Desks 3.  Stand-to-lean Workstations

Benefits of Stand-to-Lean

Posture

What can stand-to-lean workstations do for your business?

Enhances employee

engagement by 12%

Helps attract top talent

Improves workplace wellness

Boosts mood, well-being, and cognitive focus

No detrimental impact on the

quality of work

If we could increase the amount of time we are in flow by 20%, we would

double our productivity.

Source: http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/increasing_the_meaning_quotient_of_work

Top executives in "flow" are five times more productive than out of it. 5x  

Josh Kerst EVP & Principal Ergonomist josh@focalupright.com www.focalupright.com