Pete Bach at the Post-Crescent wrote about several ways to create an organized workspace. Among the ideas was using a keyboard tray.

From the article:

Manufacturers are designing things to get things off of desks, said Scott Hill, sales consultant with Emmons Business Interiors, Grand Chute. “We are seeing a lot more keyboard trays within a work station for ergonomics and high-performance chairs with additional posture mechanisms,” he said. “With monitors changing to more of a flat panel, we’re seeing monitor arms that actually get the monitor off the desk environment and help to give the person more work space.”

As always, you can find out about keyboard trays right here at Datavision Ergonomics.

From the Press Release:

San Carlos, CA, December 05, 2005 –(PR.COM)– Task 2, Inc., a dedicated ergonomic products and accessory company, today announced their new Micro RA1 and Micro RA2 Radial Monitor Arms. Now computer users can enjoy the benefits of sound ergonomics coupled with less stress while viewing their LCD monitors. Furthermore users receive greater flexibility and utilize less space on their desktops.

“These are wonderful additions to our extended product line,” says Gary Bragato, CEO of Task 2, Inc. “The Micro RA1 and RA2 arms offer users the ability to position their flat screens to any position, optimizing comfort, flexibility and the overall ergonomics of the workstation.”

Micro RA1 Monitor Arm features:
- 9.5 inches of vertical range
- 18 inches of horizontal range
- Tilts more than 200 degrees
- Rotates 360 degrees at 3 different joints
- Folds up to occupy 3 inches in total space

Micro RA2 Monitor Arm features:
- 16 inches of vertical range (8” up and down from horizontal)
- 18 inches of horizontal range
- Tilts more than 200 degrees
- Rotates 360 degrees at 3 different joints
- Folds up to occupy 3 inches in total space

Both the Micro RA1 and RA2 include Task 2’s universal mounting kit, giving users up to 6 different mounting options such as: desk edge clamp, rear edge panel system, grommet hole clamp, thru-desk mount, wall mount, and reverse wall mount. They also feature VESA compliance and compatibility, with proper 75mm and 100mm VESA adapters included.

About Task 2, Inc.
Recognized as an industry leader since 1994, Task 2’s mission revolves around one core philosophy. “Building innovative products through intelligent ergonomics.” Task 2, Inc. specializes in helping computer users achieve the highest level of safety and comfort while working at computer workstations.

Among Task 2’s array of products are keyboard platforms, mechanisms, monitor arms, laptop tools, copyholders, workstation bundles, task lighting, gel supports, and various ergonomic tools.

Register on the web site to receive the latest features, news and product information. For more information, please visit http://www.task2.com

Task 2, Inc. RSS News Feeds
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Press Contact:
Task 2, Inc.
Media Relations
media@task2.com

Source: PR Web

From the article:

For touch typists the ergonomic credentials of the new Senseboard® Virtual Keyboard are commendable. It eliminates the awkwardness and musculoskeletal risks of entering text on child-sized mobile keyboards, and it increases productivity because it speeds text entry.

Swedish ergonomist Gunilla Alsio invented the Senseboard® for the millions of users of personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart phone and cell phones. Collectively, these users need a fast and mobile way to enter text that doesn’t require a flat or stable surface or involve a tiny keyboard.

The Senseboard® is a virtual keyboard in the fullest sense of the word. Unlike other virtual devices that use light to project a keyboard onto a surface, or even a plastic mat that replicates the keyboard, this one can be operated on or against any surface - or even in mid-air - by a user with a special device strapped over the fingers. The device detects movement when fingers are pressed down, measures the movements and determines the intended keystrokes or mouse movements. The information is then transferred to the computer where a standard word processor translates the signals into readable text.

Source: Ergonomics Today

Has anyone used this product?

From the article:

Bathing helps you fall asleep
A study was conducted in the Department of Ergonomics at the Kyushu Institute of Design on sleep behavior during the winter. Nine healthy female volunteers were studied for the effects of daily bathing and hot footbath (immersion of feet in hot water) on their sleep behavior. The women were assigned to 3 sleep conditions: 1) sleep after bathing, 2) sleep after hot footbath and 3) sleep without either treatment (control). The women’s sleep patterns were recorded through polysomnography, which records electrical activity of the brain, eye movement, muscle activity, heart rate, airflow and blood oxygen levels during sleep. The women were also asked to fill out sleep quality questionnaires immediately upon waking.

Source: The Christian Post

From the article:

In a recent scientific study, Dr. David Kaber, associate professor of industrial engineering, and doctoral student Ruiqi Ma examined the effects of cell phone use and in-vehicle automation on driver situation awareness (SA) and driving performance through the use of a PCbased driving simulator. The results of their study recently appeared in the International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics (Vol. 35, No. 10).

They found that the use of adaptive cruise control (ACC) – a new technology that automatically adjusts vehicle speed to maintain a user-defined distance from the vehicle directly ahead of it – under normal driving conditions facilitated SA by relieving the drivers’ workload, which may have allowed them to pay more attention to the driving environment. The study also showed that cell phone use was detrimental to driver SA with and without ACC.

Source: Physorg.com

From the article:

The home appliance manufacturer Whirlpool announced on November 22 that it has incorporated digital manufacturing technology – Delmia’s V5 Human and DPM Assembly software – into its washing machine manufacturing operation for the Indian market. The technology offers a two-in-one ergonomic benefit as it targets the user’s precise needs while streamlining the design, manufacture and servicing of the appliances.

Source: Ergonomics Today

From Source:

The goal of Backatwork is to optimise the interaction between people, their work environment and the tasks they perform in order to achieve gains in comfort, productivity and OH&S outcomes.

Backatwork achieves this by introducing technologies and ideas that maximise flexibility and choice, and minimise activities that are potentially harmful.

Call centre workstation and office desk design has historically been limited by fixed-height work surfaces and cluttered subsurface spaces. Those workstations are designed to suit the body dimensions of the ‘average person’. Although their design approximates the needs of many users, it is never an exact fit, and can fail to meet the ergonomic needs of the smallest and the largest 5 per cent of the population for each body dimension.

Back@work height adjustable desks and work surfaces adjust to meet the needs of all body dimensions and, in so doing, reduce stresses on the worker’s body, thus reducing the likelihood of injury. Back@work products are fully electronic, touch-pad controlled and allow the user to adjust the work-surface height from a low sitting or kneeling height to a high standing height. And it only takes about 10 seconds to cover the full height range.

The micro adjustment capability of the workstations means that the user can select different heights for keyboard work, writing, reading, conference discussions or phone work.

Source: Infolink Architecture & Building

From Source:

When it comes to a portable mouse for notebooks, most of the designers focus more on acquiring the tiniest shape, neglecting the usability features. Keeping these ideas in mind, Microsoft has struck a nice balance between portability and usability with its Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 4000. Using patented Optical Technology and a creative and stylish design, Microsoft is trying to make a big impression in a new wireless form. But does the mouse live up to its promises?

Source: Tech Tree

From Source:

SINGAPORE: For the first time, a new standard has been put in place to help organisations introduce occupational health practices.

Referred to as the Code of Practice for Office Ergonomics or SS 514, this national standard, which comes in the form of a booklet, was initiated by the Ministry of Manpower, and published by Spring Singapore.

The booklet covers the fundamentals of office ergonomics and provides recommendations for employers and manufacturers such as correct sitting positions at work, recommendations on lighting, noise and indoor air quality in the work environment and the design and layout of workstations and equipment.

It is hoped that “by providing guidelines on the proper way of handling and using office equipment, this national standard helps workers to inculcate safe work practices and avoid unwanted health problems”, said Mr Teo Nam Kuan, the group director for Quality & Standards, at Spring Singapore.

In Singapore, seven out of 10 working adults suffer from back, shoulder and neck pains. It is either caused or exacerbated because of poor office ergonomics.

If left unchecked, these illnesses can cost businesses as productivity falls and staff absenteeism and healthcare costs rise.

Ergonomics refers to the study of designing objects such as chairs, keyboards, and workstations so that they are aligned to the shape of the human body.

Office ergonomics refers to the use of well-designed chairs, desks and keyboards that promote good posture and good work habits.

As most of us spend a significant amount of time on our personal computers at work, good ergonomics at the work place is critical.

In the US, a study that followed the implementation of an ergonomics training programme for office workers revealed that ergonomics-related injuries dropped from eight injuries for every 1,000 employees to three between 2002 and 2003.

Medical bills for staff also fell dramatically by more than 70 per cent, from $30,010 per 1,000 employees to $7, 894 the same year.

In Singapore, organisations such as CapitaLand and ExxonMobil have taken up some of the recommendations in the standard.

Last year, the CapitaLand Group engaged Singapore General Hospital to conduct an ergonomics exercise in its offices.

Subsequently, the group bought new ergonomically designed chairs for some 90 employees in March this year as part of its effort to enhance the quality of work life.

Said Mrs Sylvia Lee, CapitaLand’s senior vice president of its human resources/corporate services department: “For this exercise, each employee had his workstation and posture evaluated by a physiotherapist, who also gave advice on how individual space can be optimised. Employees were asked to vote for their preferred ergonomically designed chair before we selected one to replace their old chairs.

“So far, we’ve received positive feedback on this initiative,”

While the standard provides guidelines for a typical office setting, it can also apply to the home setting as well.

Mr Patrick Ker, head of the occupational therapy department at the Singapore General Hospital and member of the working group that developed the SS 514 said: “While employers have the responsibility to provide a good ergonomic environment, employees have to play their part by applying ergonomic principles in the workplace.

“This standard can provide office workers with useful guidelines on how to achieve a better quality of working life.”

Companies that want to purchase a copy of the standard can obtain it from Spring Singapore, or order online at www.spring.gov.sg/eshop. - TODAY

Source: Channel News Asia

BY KATHERINE SALANT

Bill Stumpf has spent his professional life designing chairs that are comfortable and good for your body. This may not seem so unusual, but when he started nearly 40 years ago, it was a novel concept.

Stumpf was one of the first industrial designers to apply rigorous ergonomic analysis to furniture design, and his first work was with office furniture. Part of his research included hours of observing what felt comfortable to people of widely differing body types and working with orthopedists and vascular specialists to understand the physiological effects of sitting for long periods.

The Ergon, his first office chair, was introduced in 1977. It looked odd, and it didn’t gain wide acceptance initially. But over time, office workers and their employers began to understand the rationale behind the funny shape. Not only was this ergonomically designed chair much more comfortable, it also helped them perform their jobs more effectively because when they sat in it they assumed a posture that reduced fatigue. At the end of the day, they were far less tired.

Twenty-eight years and many office chair designs later, a look around any office shows that Stumpf’s approach to chair design has transformed the work environment. But the general public has yet to apply the lessons learned about chair comfort at work to their furniture choices at home, Stumpf said in a recent interview. There’s plenty of very comfortable and ergonomically sound furniture available, but he said most people put looks first.

Unfortunately, when that becomes the main criterion for selection, people end up with a houseful of furniture that doesn’t fit them, Stumpf said. The seats are too high or too low for their body type, the cushions are too soft to offer good back support or too hard with no give at all and make you sit ramrod straight. The one notable exception to this is a La-Z-Boy-type recliner. It’s big and clunky and a lot of people,including designers, think it’s disgusting, Stumpf said. But even casual observation shows that it accommodates the position that most people want to assume when they come home from work — semi-relined with their feet raised. When there’s no La-Z-Boy in the house, most people do the next best thing — sit in a chair or sofa, take off their shoes, and put their feet up on a coffee table.

When buying other furniture, people should use the same intuitive sense of comfort that led them to the La-Z-Boy purchase, Stumpf said. You don’t have to be scientific as you try out different chairs — the sensation of comfort will register immediately, just as you sense right away that a room is too hot or too cold.

As Stumpf explained it, ‘True comfort is the absence of awareness. If your shoes are comfortable you’re not aware they’re on. If the water is pure you can’t taste it. Similarly when a chair is a perfect fit for your body,it becomes `invisible’ and you’re not aware of it at all. You may not find that many chairs with true comfort, but there’s many that come mighty close.'’

The hands-on, try-them-out approach is the best test, but Stumpf did offer a few tips for your perfect chair search. The secret to creating true comfort in a chair is biomorphic contouring of the seat. As Stumpf explained it, “You can sit on a flat board for about half an hour before you start to squirm. If you add a foam pad you can go for another 10 minutes. But if you contour the wood and put a curve that’s the shape of your buttocks you can sit much longer. A chair can be simple and even Spartan-looking but very comfortable if it is contoured correctly. “While comfort is clearly his priority, Stumpf acknowledged that people choose furniture that’s uncomfortable for all sorts of reasons, including religion, philosophy, and historic authenticity. A good example is Shaker furniture. With its straight backs and hard seats, its austerity perfectly reflected the Shaker religious principles of asceticism and celibacy, and it continues to be popular because many people like its simple elegance. But in truth, Stumpf said, “The furniture is wildly uncomfortable. You have to be a Shaker to like it.'’

Some traditional chairs do have great ergonomics. A great example, but one that Stumpf rarely sees in houses today, is a rocking chair. It provides excellent lumbar support while taking the weight off the base of your spine. If you have a place to put your feet up, and your rocker seat is padded, the comfort is very similar to what you get in a La-Z-Boy, he said, but it’s healthier because the slight rocking movement produced when you pump helps move blood from your legs back to your torso.

In putting individual pieces together in a room, ‘’conversation scale'’ becomes a comfort issue, Stumpf said. When you are talking with another person you will feel uncomfortable if your eyes are more than three to four feet from the person you are talking to.

Source: The Miame Herald