Office Ergonomics: A Complete Guide to Be More Productive

What is Office Ergonomics?

Office ergonomics is a science that studies human abilities, traits and limitations, both physical and mental, to design work systems that are able to create work comfort, prevent injuries and increase productivity.

Office ergonomics is very important to implement because it is related to employee safety and health. While working in the office, many employees experience muscle and skeletal disorders, aka musculoskeletal disorders (MSDS).

Their complaints regarding MSDS consist of:

1. Tiredness and pain, aka neck pain;
2. Shoulder pain;
3. Pain in the back and lower back (low back pain);
4. Knee pain;
5. Pain in the head and eye area;
6. Pain in the forearm muscles;
7. Carpal tunnel disorder or wrist disorders; And
8. Blood vessel problems in the thighs.

Also read: History of Ergonomics in the World of Furniture that You Need to Know

The Importance of Office Ergonomics

ITB research regarding Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSDS) complaints in office employees is very concerning. As many as 60% -70% of the 230 respondents experienced symptoms in the neck and lower back area during work.

The results of this research concluded that office ergonomics is still a trivial problem for several companies. The application of ergonomics in the workplace can affect employee performance and productivity while working. Employees are more productive while working if their health is in good condition.

Not only at home, the work environment can also have a big impact on employee health while working. Office ergonomics is one solution to increase employee productivity while working.

It is so important that the government, through the Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Number 48 of 2016 concerning Office Occupational Safety and Health Standards, states that "every office leader and/or building manager is obliged to implement K3 or office ergonomics".

So, PEXIO will discuss office ergonomics in full, including how to prevent ergonomic dangers and tips for creating an ergonomic work space. Read this article until the end. Also read: 10 Ergonomic Principles at Work and Their Functions

How to Prevent Health Problems Related to Office Ergonomics

'Prevention is better than cure', you need to take preventive measures so you don't experience health problems due to ergonomic dangers. These preventative steps can be started now so that your health is maintained in the future.

Some preventive steps you can try are maintaining your body's health while working. Take the steps below to prevent health problems.

1. Adopt an ergonomic sitting position

The sitting position when working on a computer must be adjusted so as not to cause fatigue in the limbs. So, what is the ergonomic position when looking at the monitor?

• The head should be upright;
• The position of the monitor is at eye level;
• Shoulders should be relaxed and not tense;
• The arms should be parallel and resting on the armrests;
• The chair must have lumbar support to support the back of the waist;
• The seat of the chair must support the thighs to keep them straight;
• The position of the feet forms an angle of 90-110 degrees; And
• Both feet must be on the floor, i.e. not tiptoe or hovering.

Also read: Footrest: Definition and Essential Functions for Health

2. Keep eye distance from the monitor

The distance between the monitor and your eyes must be adjusted so that your sense of sight does not get tired when working. Set the distance between the two to 50-100 cm and make sure the brightness of the monitor is not too dazzling. To make it easier, you can stretch your arms towards the monitor.

Make sure your fingertips touch the top of the monitor to get a suitable viewing distance. Also read: 8 Recommendations for the Best Comfortable Computer Chairs (Latest 2022)

3. Do eye exercises when you are tired

You can apply the 20-20-20 technique to remind yourself it's time to take a break. This means, every 20 minutes, take a break for 20 seconds by looking at something that refreshes your eyes that is 20 feet (6 meters) away.

Eye exercise is very important so that the eye muscles remain strong when looking at the monitor screen while working. Make sure your back and neck are relaxed before doing this exercise. Here are the steps for doing eye exercises:

• Start by looking up as high as possible, then look down. Repeat this movement 10 times, then close your eyes for 30 seconds as a pause.
• Open your eyes as wide as possible, then roll your eyes to the right and left as far as possible for 10 times. Take a pause by closing your eyes.
• Rotate the eyeballs clockwise 10 times. After that, move your eyes counterclockwise 10 times. Close your eyes to relax when you are finished.

4. Do Finger Stretches

An office workplace allows you to do repetitive work, such as moving your fingers when typing. Therefore, the control effort you can take is by stretching your fingers.

5. Body Stretching

Not only your fingers, you also have to stretch to relax body parts that are stiff due to work. This stretch can be done without needing to get up from a chair. The parts of the body that are stretched are the neck, shoulders and legs.

6. Manual Load Handling

While working in the office, you will definitely be required to lift quite heavy objects, even repeatedly from the floor. There are ergonomic principles that must be applied when lifting items from the floor, namely:

• Keep your spine straight
• Your knees should be bent until you are squatting or kneeling
• Don't put your weight on your back muscles.
• Use your leg muscles to support it.
• When moving objects, try to keep your back straight.
• Make sure the load does not exceed 20 kg and does not obstruct eye sight.

Also read: 6 Ways to Overcome Low Back Pain to Be Free from Back Pain

7. Distance to Work Station (Workstation)

Apart from paying attention to your body posture and stretching, it would be a good idea for you to start implementing an ergonomic work or office space to support employee productivity. You need to arrange the workstation layout in such a way that employees have more freedom in mobility. Use this workstation distance and area guide:

• The distance between staff chairs is 1-2 m with a minimum area of 2.2 m².
• The distance between the corridor and the workstation is at least 120 cm so it is not narrow.
• The distance between the front and rear workstations is 80 cm wide.

8. Arrange the Lighting

Not only viewing distance to the monitor, lighting in the work area must also be considered to maintain eye health. Make sure the work area lighting is 300 lux and the corridor and lobby areas are 100 lux. Use a lux meter to measure the lighting intensity of your room. Also read: 5 Standards for Room Lighting in the Workplace

9. Take care of air quality and noise

Air quality and noise are still important indicators in office ergonomics because they are related to employee health. Apply the guide below:

• Set the temperature to 23-26 degrees Celsius, humidity 40%-60% and air flow speed 0.15-0.50 m/s.
• Keep the workspace noise level at only 55-65 dBA.
• Use tools to make monitoring the indicators above easier.

Office ergonomics turns out to bring many benefits to employee health. They will be more productive while working if they have a healthy and fit body. In the end, your company will benefit from the presence of these ergonomic principles. How? Are you interested in implementing office ergonomics in your work area?

You can use an ergonomic chair from PEXIO that complies with the ergonomic principles in this article. Our ergonomic chair product line is available in a wide selection of designs and colors. Contact PEXIO immediately to get this ergonomic chair product.