Managing the Ergonomics of Office Seating
by John Jukes The Source Publishing Company Limited
Ergonomics expert John Jukes asks is the Sit/Stand desk the answer to aches and pains in the office?
Research done by Dr Henry Sanford see, Orthopaedic Consultant at the Cromwell Hospital adds another dimension to the problem of ergonomic comfort in the office. Sitting in a semi reclined position at 45 degrees reduces the gravitational loading on the spine by 50%. This is similar to the astronaut position, which permits working under heavy G forces. A suitable headrest and positioning of keyboard and VDU screen makes this a perfectly practical working position without inducing sleep. Many programmers, CAD users, control room engineers and tall people are seen to adopt this position using an ordinary chair when working for long periods – perching the tail on the front edge of the chair with their shoulder on the back and the legs out straight.
Sit/stand desks and pelvic support semi recline seating in the UK have yet to become part of the normal office landscape. When they do there will be several million office workers that will be grateful to be free from daily debilitating pain.
See OFFICE HEALTH, Stress & Ergonomics
He wrote
Dr Henry Sanford MA. MB. B Chir. (Cantab) D Phys Med. (Lond) is a well known Consultant Orthopaedic Physician in London and Associate Consultant to the Department of Rheumatology, St Thomas’s Hospital, SE1. Earlier he worked at St Thomas’s with Dr J H Cyriax who is regarded as the ‘Father’ of Orthopaedic (or Musculo-skeletal) Medicine after following 2 years in the army finishing as a Captain in the RAMC.
He was a founder member of the Society of Orthopaedic Medicine (SOM), the British Society of Musculo-skeletal Medicine (BIMM) and was Chairman of the Cyriax Organisation.. He has run courses and lectured internationally John Jukes – 30/07/2001
HAS in BAOR,1954
and with daughter, Marietta, in Cambridge, 2005.