Ergonomics Is More Than Adjusting a Chair
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Ask most people what an ergonomic assessment involves and you will probably get the same answer:
"Check the chair."
Maybe adjust the monitor.
Move the keyboard.
Lower the desk.
And, hopefully, remind everyone to stop working with their laptop balanced on their knees.
But professional ergonomics is considerably more complicated than that.
And as more rehabilitation professionals become involved in workplace injury prevention and Stay-at-Work programs, ergonomic assessment is becoming an increasingly important service.
The Workplace Is a System
An ergonomic assessment isn't simply an evaluation of a chair.
It is an evaluation of the interaction between:
- The worker
- The task
- The equipment
- The environment
- The pace of work
- The physical demands
- The organizational demands
Changing one part of the system may affect another.
For example, raising a workstation may improve one posture but create a different reaching demand.
Changing the height of a work surface may reduce trunk flexion but increase shoulder elevation.
Adding a tool may reduce grip force but increase repetition.
There is rarely one perfect adjustment.
The OT Role
This is an area where occupational therapists have a natural advantage.
OTs already think about the relationship between the person and the occupation.
The question isn't simply:
"Is this workstation ergonomic?"
It's:
"Is this workstation appropriate for this person performing this particular task?"
That is a much better question.
Ergonomics and Return to Work
This also connects directly to the growing Stay-at-Work and Return-to-Work conversation.
AOTA's recent participation in the Department of Labor policy forum specifically highlighted ergonomic adaptations as one of the ways OT practitioners can help workers remain at work or return successfully after injury or illness.
Sometimes the best rehabilitation outcome isn't getting someone to tolerate an unreasonable workstation.
It's changing the workstation.
Objective Measurements Help
There is a place for observation and clinical judgment in ergonomics.
There is also a place for measurement.
Depending on the assessment, a clinician or ergonomist may need information about:
- Joint angles
- Reach distances
- Force requirements
- Posture
- Workstation dimensions
- Repetition
- Environmental conditions
That is one reason Matheson Development recently expanded its product offerings to include ergonomic assessment equipment, including digital goniometers, inclinometers, and force-measurement tools.
Portable Matters
Unlike an FCE, an ergonomic assessment often happens somewhere other than the clinic.
The therapist may be standing in a manufacturing facility.
A warehouse.
An office.
A hospital.
A job site.
Or someone's home office.
That means ergonomic equipment has to travel well.
It also has to be practical.
Nobody wants to arrive at a workplace with a suitcase full of equipment that takes an hour to set up.
Ergonomics Isn't About Making People Sit Perfectly
This is probably the most important point.
There is no single "perfect posture" that makes every workplace safe.
People move.
They shift.
They reach.
They stand.
They sit.
They change positions.
Good ergonomic assessment is less about finding one magical posture and more about understanding exposure, task demands, force, repetition, recovery, and the individual's capacity.
The Goal Is Better Work
Ultimately, ergonomic assessment isn't about creating a prettier workstation.
It's about creating a better match between the worker and the work.
Sometimes that means changing the equipment.
Sometimes it means changing the task.
Sometimes it means changing the workflow.
Sometimes it means educating the worker.
And sometimes it means recognizing that the job itself needs to be redesigned.
That is what makes ergonomics interesting.
It isn't really about chairs.
It's about people doing work.