Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 9, 1993 TAG: 9302090145
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WARREN EPSTEIN KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE: COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. LENGTH: Medium
ERGONOMICS IN THE WORKPLACE HAS EMPLOYEES TAKING IT SITTING DOWN
The hottest self-improvement class of the '90s isn't aerobics or memory enhancement.It's sitting.
That's right. Thousands of companies nationwide are spending millions of dollars so their employees can learn how to properly place their butts on chairs.
Of course, instructors of this fine art don't call it sitting. They call it "ergonomics" and lump it with other work-related activities - lifting, carrying, bending, pushing, pulling, phoning, typing, stapling.
But at its core, this class is designed to teach us what our mothers told us years ago: "Sit up straight" . . . "Stop slouching" . . . "If you don't stop that, it'll stay that way."
Sitting classes are big business. Properly educating a work force can take weeks, and most ergonomics companies get about $700-$1,000 for a day's training.
But many employers - concerned about the welfare of their employees, the skyrocketing cost of worker's compensation, and growing governmental regulation - believe the cost is a good long-term investment.
"It's definitely worth it," says Denise Ferguson, an occupational-health nurse for United Technologies, which has spent thousands of dollars in the past four years on ergonomics classes. "With just one cumulative-trauma disorder, if you had to settle out of court, it could cost up to 15 grand. Just paying for physical therapy could cost about $200 to $400 a week."
Sitting instructors arrive at offices armed with slide projectors, fact sheets and plastic spines to illustrate what slouches we all are and what we need to do to go straight.
"We see a lot of slouching, people propping their feet up on desks, not letting the chairs give the support they're meant to, and not adjusting their chairs even when their chairs are adjustable," says Jim Rennell, director of the Back to Work Clinic, one of more than a dozen Colorado Springs ergonomics companies.
To turn us into posture-correct employees, sitting instructors like Rennell start with the basic: the posture-correct chair.
A worker who spends much of the day sitting should have a chair that provides good lower back support and can be easily adjusted. Chairs should be covered with fabric rather than vinyl (which makes the back sweaty and slippery), and should have a five-pedestal base for maximum stability.
They should have arm rests only if the worker can use them properly, resting forearms on them, not leaning all the body's weight on one of them.
The seats should be wide enough so the worker's behind doesn't spill over the sides, and narrow enough so the worker doesn't have to stretch to use the arm rests.
And they should be long enough so the worker can sit all the way back on the chair without putting pressure on the back of the knees.
The height of the chair should be adjusted so the worker can type or do other desk work while maintaining proper arm position, which is with a bend of about 90 degrees at the elbows.
The knees also should be bent at about 90 degrees. Short (or vertically challenged) people should prop their feet on foot rests so they don't dangle.
The rule is to sit up straight (remember, like your mother said) while working, but it's OK to lean back, and even to cross the legs, occasionally while relaxing.
In fact, ergonomics experts say it's important to change your sitting position several times during the day. If you have a chair with tilt adjustments, giving it a slight forward or backward tilt will provide that variety. But it's important that the back be fully supported at all times.
(Just remember: Variety does not include sitting on one foot or sliding down on the chair and propping the feet on the desk. Also, sitting on a wallet can cause a pinched nerve and, eventually a lopsided pelvis.
But even when performed with proper "body mechanics," sitting all day isn't the most healthful activity. Sitting experts suggest some easy at-desk stretching exercises to keep stiffness at bay, and off-hours aerobic exercises to keep the heart and muscles healthy.