Where you work from, home or office does not matter. it is important however to have a chair that does not pose any risks to your health. Now, workplace ergonomics alone is a wide subject but in this post, Dr. Julius Songopa, Occupational Health Specialist & our head of medical services talks about the right working chair, things you didn’t know but are important.
1. Chair versus your lower back
How does your chair support posture? Working a chair says a lot about your back. Ensure that your back is firmly resting on the chair while working, avoid slouching forward by sitting up straight and looking straight ahead to your monitor. Doing the opposite will lead to lower back pains and spine complications.
2. Chair versus your leg height
The height of your chair has to fully support the legs and body weight evenly distributed on your thighs. While seated, your legs have to be positioned in a way that the feet are flat on the floor. Having a chair too high for example will destabilize your body and can likely cause swelling in the legs and ankles.
3. Chair versus your hand position
While seated, you want to make sure you can get close to your desk with full support of chair armrests. Hands should be sitting ninety degrees (90°) from the elbow position to the wrist. A perfect ergonomic set up is when armrest supports 90° alignment of hands with keyboard otherwise it may lead to fatigue and other severe complications such as carpal-tunnel syndrome
It is important for employers to have ergonomic chairs that offer proper back support to prevent strain, tiredness and eventual injuries. The best part is eventually increased productivity and better safety and culture and lower costs from possible injuries saved.
Please visit TMHS Polyclinic Mikocheni for further ergonomics consultation and book workplace training via info@tmhstz.com