How much should I stand at work?

March 7, 2016

newspaper_headlines_600As the debate about too much sitting rages on, there are many misunderstandings. ‘How much should I stand at work?’ is a question we are asked frequently but, like ‘What is the best office chair?’, it is one of those ‘not really the right question’ questions. Thanks to the reach and diversity of the ‘net, the volume of information on the topic – impartial research, marketing blurb pretending to be research, informed opinion, ill-informed opinion and downright nonsense – continues to grow and, for many, the newspaper headlines and conflicting messages are bewildering.

When people ask me about the ‘right’ amount of time to sit and stand, I jokingly ask them to give me a figure that suits their needs and I will find them some research to support that figure! As a non-academic, it seems to me that researchers always say that more research is needed (possibly because they are actively seeking funding to extend their research?) but they are not always good at looking objectively at existing research, especially if it may contradict theirs (possibly because they are actively seeking funding to extend their research?).

Sometimes, history is completely ignored. Reports as far back as the nineteenth century and significant research from the 1980s onwards identify musculo-skeletal symptoms associated with long periods of standing amongst retail workers and others. Yet, the Consensus Statement published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) in 2015 concludes that those whose jobs are predominantly desk-based should “progress towards accumulating 2 hours per day of standing and light activity (light walking) during working hours, eventually progressing to a total accumulation of 4 hours per day”.

I have already stated that I am not an academic and I must also make it clear that I have no medical training either but, as one who has spent over twenty years working in the field of workplace ergonomics, it seems to me that the research basis for the BJSM paper makes cardiovascular issues its focus and ignores or trivialises the musculo-skeletal considerations. I know many people who could not possibly stand for as much as four hours a day, yet a document with the Public Health England logo in its header advises them to do so.

No wonder there is so much confusion!

what-can-we-learn-from-spacePrompted by the disparity in advice and encouraged by recent conversations with professional colleagues and friends, I have been looking for research-based recommendations that we may be more confident about. As a result, I have been reading ‘Sitting Kills, Moving Heals’ by Dr Joan Vernikos, former NASA Director of Life Sciences.

At first glance, the cover has the look of one of those slightly dubious self-published, self-help books but the content is based on thirty years of NASA research and experience. It was published in 2011 (more work that was apparently ignored or overlooked in the BJSM conclusions) but is particularly topical at the moment since British astronaut Tim Peake has been carrying out cardiovascular research on the International Space Station.

In simple terms, Dr Vernikos’ primary recommendation to reduce the cardiovascular risks of prolonged sitting is to stand up often. Her work concludes that the length of time standing is not relevant but the number of times you stand up is what matters. In other words, standing up ten times for two minutes is ten times more effective than standing up once for twenty minutes. The answer to the question ‘How much should I stand at work?’ is therefore little and often. A couple of minutes a few times an hour should suffice. Remember, though, that this must be throughout your waking hours, not just at work. Obviously, other elements of a healthy lifestyle will also help and we continue to recommend all our other sit-stand tips.

Of course, the 150-page book contains much more than one simple recommendation and the history, background, medical and scientific explanation makes an easy, enjoyable read. It is likely I shall blog further about this in due course.

In the meantime, I look forward to being challenged about this article! What do you think?

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Posted by Guy Osmond

Sit-stand workstations in the UK

February 8, 2016

Recently, I was asked about what employers are doing with sit-stand workstations and this prompted an overview of how I see the UK market at the moment. Whilst subjective, I hope it provides some useful indicators.

In the United States, there has been a strong move to 100% sit-stand in new installations. As a result, this has been reflected in many US-owned companies in Europe.

Motus_HeightDemo_LoResFor other organisations, the picture is much more diverse.

Most large organisations have been using at least some sit-stand workstations for several years in cases where individuals are unable to sit for long periods (typically as a result of a workstation assessment or medical evidence). More widespread use is still comparatively uncommon in the UK. Beyond the (very small) minority who are adopting the 100% sit-stand approach, strategies fall broadly into these categories:

  • Suck It and See – trying small numbers to test user feedback. Typically, these will be individual workstations (one per department or work group) or small clusters (2-4 units).
  • End of the Aisle – a pair of face-to-face sit-stand workstations on the end of each bank of standard desks.
  • Fixed Percentage – a specific proportion of all workstations to be sit-stand. Most commonly, this is 10-20%

ergofit-tEnd of the Aisle and Fixed Percentage programmes nearly always use complete desks but the Suck It and See fraternity often use sit-stand adaptors for rapid deployment and maximum flexibility. The adaptors are also popular where bench desking systems limit or eliminate the possibility of easy sit-stand desk replacements.

Sooner rather than later, employers should formulate a strategy – even if it is a ‘no sit-stand’ policy – to ensure there is a consistent approach to requests from individuals. This ensures the organisation is prepared for employee demands such as ‘My physio says I must have a sit-stand desk’ or ‘It says in the paper that the way I have to work is killing me’.

Most important, employers need to recognise that implementing any sort of sit-stand programme brings a culture change to the workplace because installing sit-stand is as much about the concept as it is about the product. As a result, proper training and education is essential. This should cover not just how to adjust a desk but why users should do that and what they should be trying to achieve.

Motus_ConsoleUseCloseUpLoResFinally, and contrary to much of the publicity around this topic, this whole issue is not about standing more but about sitting less. To be fully effective, therefore, sit-stand should be part of a broader wellbeing initiative that encourages more movement.

You can find further information and more of my articles about sit-stand and related topics here. I would also love to know your own views.

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Posted by Guy Osmond

Happy New Year!

January 14, 2016

This article was originally emailed as our monthly eBulletin at 11:30 on 13/01/2016. You can view older eBulletins here and register to receive them monthly.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HeaderImage01-2016

As we enter 2016, there are many pundits predicting what we should expect in the coming year.  To me, this seems rather like playing Russian Roulette with a bullet in every chamber: you just can’t win. The best you can hope for is that you look smug and/or lucky at the end of the year and the worst is that you just look an idiot! There are, however, a few certainties. The nature of work and work environments will continue to evolve, probably at an ever increasing pace, we shall become more dependent on technology – especially mobile technology – and the importance of health and wellbeing as a vehicle for greater productivity will continue to gain traction. We shall also launch a second monthly eBulletin with a rather different perspective (see below).

TABLET USER SURVEY RESULTS

Tablet_User_SurveyWe have now collated the data from our comprehensive survey completed last year. In my view, the most significant result is that only one fifth (20.5%) of respondents use a tablet supplied by their employer but 81.2% do at least some work on a tablet. This means that employers can no longer assume that ‘we have no tablet users’ just because they do not issue them. Combine this with the fact that 43.2% reported musculo-skeletal problems that they attributed to tablet use and there is obvious cause for concern. See the full report here.

EBULLETIN FEEDBACK

eBulletinSurvey

As notified last month, we have created a new survey to find out what you think of this eBulletin. After six years, it continues to work well for us but we know that it is getting harder to stand out from the deluge of email dross that we all receive and we must not be complacent. To ensure we meet your expectations and maintain our relevance, we would love to hear your views. Please take a few minutes to complete the short survey here. All participants will be entered in a draw to win a £200 Red Letter Day Voucher.

HEALTH & WELLBEING AT WORK 2016

HealthAtWork2016We shall be back at the NEC in Birmingham on March 8 – 9 and our stand is just inside the exhibition entrance on the left – the same location as last year. What we display will be dependent on new product developments that are still being finalised but, as always, we shall have an interesting array with plenty for you to see, discuss and think about. Find out more about the exhibition and/or register for the conference here.

WORKPLACE DESIGN & MANAGEMENT

WorkplaceDesignAfter more than 70 editions of this eBulletin, we think it is time to introduce a sister newsletter alongside it. Our new Workplace Design & Management email will be sent out in the third week of each month. It will cover more strategic issues relating to facilities design and people management. This will enable to us to explore the interaction between physical and human factors issues that need to be considered in the design and implementation of the modern workplace. You will not receive it automatically, so please register here if you think it will be of interest.

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Posted by Guy Osmond

Tablet User Survey results

January 13, 2016

Tablet_User_BusinessThe results of our recent survey of tablet computer users are shown below.

Key findings:

  • Only 20.5% of respondents have a tablet supplied by their employer but 81.8% are using their tablet for at least some work application(s).
  • 71.7% are provided with no accessories to improve posture when using their tablet in the office.
  • 71.6% are provided with no accessories to improve posture when using their tablet away from the office.
  • 43.2% have experienced musculo-skeletal pain which they attribute to tablet use.
  • Of these, 7.1% have had time off work.
  • Of those who have received posture guidance and/or training for tablet use, 63% had found it themselves.

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Please contact us for a more detailed pdf summary of our findings.

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Posted by Guy Osmond

Personal Tablet Use for Work – A Pain in the Neck?

October 13, 2015

This article is aimed at managers in ergonomics, health & safety, occupational health, HR or facilities roles and those who have a general interest in health, wellbeing and productivity.

If you are a tablet computer user, please help our research by completing our survey.

tablet-user-workTablet computers are everywhere. Although overall sales are currently in decline, the worldwide market for the second quarter of 2015 exceeded 44 million units. Interestingly, the majority of these sales are still to individuals rather than employers.

If this is the case, and your organisation does not provide tablets for employees, surely you have nothing to worry about? There is plenty of evidence that prolonged tablet use brings about musculo-skeletal conditions but if, as an organisation, you do not issue them, is there a problem?

I believe this should be a major concern to employers and, potentially, an enormous cause of lost productivity.

Evidence suggests that many people are using their personal tablets for work. Early results from our Tablet Use Survey indicate that nearly 80% of tablets are privately owned but 85% of tablet users are doing at least some work on them. Whether you see it as a duty of care or productivity issue – or both – employers need to be aware of the high levels of tablet use by their personnel. Whether or not you have a BYOD (Bring your own devices) policy, such use is hard to manage or control.

tablet-userSignificantly, nearly half (47%) of the respondents have experienced musculo-skeletal pain which they attribute to tablet use. As more young people enter the workplace with a history of tablet and smartphone use in unmonitored environments, it seems likely that this proportion can only increase.

Nearly 85% of survey respondents so far have indicated that they use either a computer or a tablet for certain activities, depending on the circumstances. Anecdotally, we also see the length of time spent on work-related tablet activity increasing as users find more apps and become more familiar with their tablet. I have said many times that the ergonomics issues relating to tablet use today are similar to the situation we faced with laptops twenty years ago. For example, only about 10% of respondents ever use a separate keyboard.

My purpose here has been to give an early idea of the key indicators and food for thought about the potential issues. When we publish the full results, I shall be providing further comment as well as more ideas about what I think we need to do about the explosive growth in tablet use.

In the meantime, the survey is open until the end of November 2015 so please help our research by taking part yourself or encouraging friends and colleagues to do so. You could also copy and past the purple text below into your social media channels. Many thanks!

If you’re a tablet computer user, please take part in our user survey to win a TabletRiser & Bluetooth Keyboard http://svy.mk/1EQGs8I 

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Posted by Guy Osmond

Don’t waste your money on sit-stand furniture!

July 8, 2015

This may seem an unusual entreaty from someone who has been selling sit-stand furniture for nearly 20 years but I am becoming more and more exasperated by the half-baked, ill-informed, incomplete and often misleading stories appearing in the press and online about sitting and standing.

If you or your organisation are contemplating buying sit-stand furniture, I want to stop you in your tracks and make you think carefully about how you approach the ‘less sitting’ issue. Otherwise you will waste money, no matter what products you buy.

This statement probably needs some explanation!

You may have seen all the noise in the press, social media and online about the risks of prolonged sitting. Attention-grabbing headlines such as ‘Sitting is the new smoking’ sell newspapers but don’t really help you understand what to do about it. The more you see or read, the more bewildered you will probably become! Academic research can be confusing or inconclusive (or both).

All the evidence supports the statement that many of us are too sedentary but nobody seems to know what is the optimum sitting/ standing ratio. Furthermore, much of the noise completely omits any reference to the need to replace sitting with a variety of activities, not just standing. A lot of apparently validated material is, in reality, a thinly veiled effort to add implied academic rigour to the process of selling sit-stand desks.

The office furniture industry is full of willing salesmen who will be happy to let you replace your existing desks with sit-stand options. But most are selling the product, not the concept.

I have been selling sit-stand furniture since the last century! I understand about the cultural issues of introducing sit-stand, the training requirements and the benefits as well as the problems they may cause. I also know that standing more is only part of the solution. Most people in the furniture industry don’t.

It doesn’t matter whether your motivation is a board level edict, a wellbeing initiative, a desire for best practice or a vociferous colleague with a note from their physiotherapist. Whatever the circumstances, you need to avoid a knee-jerk reaction or a relationship with a poorly informed supplier.

With good quality sit-stand desks now available at under £500 and desktop adaptors available for even less, taking the sit-stand option may seem logical and (comparatively) inexpensive – perhaps even inevitable. However, it will not be money well spent if nobody is using them in six months or if your personnel replace poor sitting postures with poor standing postures.

So please – stop and think before you sit and stand!

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Posted by Guy Osmond

Choosing Office Chairs (for the Majority)

July 3, 2015

A while ago, I wrote the article How do I choose an office chair (for myself)? At the time, I promised to follow up soon with an article about choosing a chair for a whole department or organisation. It’s taken longer than planned, but this is that article! A further blog about choosing specialist chairs for individuals in the workplace will follow in a few days.

Manufacturers of workplace seating often talk of products designed to accommodate 90% of the population: meaning everyone except the smallest 5% (5th percentile) and largest 5% (95th percentile).

In reality, this is nothing like as simple as it sounds. A 95th percentile individual is not necessarily made up of 95th percentile body segments and anthropometric (body dimension) data tells us, for example, that a 50th percentile male may be 13cm taller than a 50th percentile woman but is also 1cm narrower across the hips [Pheasant, S. (1986, 1998).  Bodyspace – Anthropometry, Ergonomics and the Design of Work]

In the modern multi-national office, different races complicate the statistics still further and, taking lateral dimensions into account, women change shape in different ways from men as their BMI (Body Mass Index) increases. As obesity becomes more of an issue, specifying a general workplace chair becomes even less straightforward.

It is, therefore, no wonder that many ergonomists believe that the majority of chairs may actually be closer to 60-70% in their accommodation!

How, then, does a conscientious Facilities or Health & Safety Manager ensure best practice?

The answer comes in two parts. First, choose your general chair carefully and, secondly, implement a procedure to provide for those who are not properly served by the general chair. This article addresses the first process.

Choosing a general chair will often involve compromise, whether because of budget constraints, corporate sourcing guidelines or perhaps just the limited knowledge of your incumbent chair supplier! It is most important, therefore, to minimise such compromise and maximise value.

diverse_groupThe following are essential:

  • Create a focus group
  • Ensure it contains male and female personnel of different shapes and sizes and, if you have them, ethnic origins. They should also be different ages and from different parts of the business with varying job roles.
  • If possible, include some users with pre-existing physical disabilities and/or MSDs (musculo-skeletal disorders).
  • Make sure you have right- and left-handers!
  • Involve your Health & Safety and Occupational Health personnel.
  • Draw up a shopping list of features your chair must include (e.g. seat slide, adjustable lumbar support, etc.).
  • Perhaps controversially, I believe that the criteria list should not include any price restriction at this stage. This should be considered later in the process.
  • Using the shopping list, identify a number of chairs from different manufacturers that all meet your criteria in full (no compromises at this stage).
  • Ensure that all the chairs on your list comply with the appropriate international (EN, ISO) standards. The supplier(s) should be able to provide this information and explain the relevance of the various standards issues.
  • Obtain at least one sample of each chair from your preferred supplier(s).
  • Ask the supplier(s) to demonstrate each chair and explain the features and benefits. As well as providing you with an understanding of the various models, this is a good opportunity to judge their knowledge and the likely level of support they will be able to provide in the selection process and subsequent customer support.
  • Design a score card so that each member of the focus group can rate each chair. As well as comfort, other factors such as ease of adjustment and range of adjustment should be included. You may also wish to score non-physical factors such as environmental considerations and whether the design reflects your corporate brand.
  • It is often a good idea to weight the scores for different elements. e.g. sustainability may be rated out of 10 points but the appearance may only be rated out of 5 points. If you decide to use weighting, make sure you do this before the assessment process begins!

If you do not have the experience or the time to operate such a process, find a good ergonomist to advise you and manage the process.

The foregoing procedure should enable you to create a shortlist of 3-4 chairs. This is the stage at which I would recommend introducing price considerations. Doing so will enable you to compare focus group scores with prices and give a more measurable indication of value. You will also be in a stronger negotiating position with your supplier(s) if they know the chair has been shortlisted!

Once you have a shortlist, it should be straightforward to select and purchase the best chair for your requirements. Since this is not an article about negotiating skills, I shall skip the rest of this process.

You can find more information at seatingexperts.uk.

My next article outlines how to implement a procedure to provide for those who are not properly served by the general chair.

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Posted by Guy Osmond

The Ergonomics Tsunami

April 22, 2015

TsunamiLately, we have been working with a few dynamic organisations who are taking a serious look at the trajectory of workplace ergonomics and the nature of work itself. As I have said elsewhere (and everyone knows), the work environment is changing very fast and, significantly, there are multiple influences.

  • For all knowledge workers (and many others), ‘workplace’ is now an IP address rather than a physical location.
  • Almost-universal Wi-Fi means that we can access information and communicate anywhere
  • Increasingly portable devices, with ever-extending battery life, further support our mobility
  • Simultaneously, employers are downsizing their real estate and reducing the number of desks on site. Hot desking, hoteling, co-worker hubs and home / smart / agile working are becoming widespread.

The list goes on.

One further impact, and perhaps the most dramatic, is the influx of Millennial (or Generation Y) personnel to the workplace. Their attitudes to entitlement, work-life balance, use of technology, privacy and many more of the concepts that older people take for granted are, at least, different and often radical. They have also been using technology of all types, in all sorts of locations and postures, almost since birth.

So why have I called the influx of millennials ‘The Ergonomics Tsunami’?

Because it’s coming, it’s enormous, it’s unstoppable and it’s potentially overwhelming.

I shall be writing more about this in due course but, in the meantime, here are some further resources:

If you read this before the event, you can attend the ErgoExpo webinar featuring Nigel Heaton of Human Applications, Ryan Pavey of Cardinus and myself. It will also be available subsequently as an on-demand video. This takes a primarily musculo-skeletal approach to some of the issues.

For a more psycho-social approach, you can start by looking here at some insight into the work done by Jim Taylour and Dr Patrick Jordan for Orangebox.

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Posted by Guy Osmond

What do home workers and online poker players have in common?

April 7, 2015



online_poker_keyboard_blogAre there any similarities between how an online poker player operates and the way many computer users work at home? As it turns out, the answer is ‘Yes, quite a lot’.

I was asked recently to write a ‘Top Ten Ergonomics Tips’ for online poker players. Initially, I saw this as a stand-alone project but, as I researched the process of online poker, it became clear that there are many similarities. Here are a few:

  1. Online poker players (OPPs) operate unsupervised for long periods, often without interruption.
  2. Workstation layout, posture and comfort are critical.
  3. OPPs often use two or more monitors.
  4. OPPs need to maintain concentration to optimise their performance.
  5. Exercise and hydration are very important.

To see the full list of tips and draw your own conclusions about the similarities, view the whole Online Poker Ergonomics article here.

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Posted by Guy Osmond

Should we really be telling people to stand more?

March 10, 2015

At the end of the recent Health & Wellbeing at Work conference in Birmingham (England), there was an animated debate about whether or not standing improves the wellbeing and productivity of workers. Votes were taken at the start and finish of the discussion. Interestingly, by the end of the debate, those who believed this to be the case decreased and the abstentions more than doubled!

In view of all the recent publicity about the perils of prolonged sitting, this outcome might seem anomalous. After all, the participants were nearly all ergonomists, physiotherapists, health & safety and occupational health professionals. Surely all the evidence means we should stand more?

Wrong!

All the evidence suggests we should sit less. And that is not the same thing at all.

sit-stand-exampleJust replacing static sitting postures with static standing postures is not the answer. There is a much bigger picture to be addressed. As a vendor of sit-stand desks for nearly 20 years, I am delighted that there is much more interest in such products. They offer both the musculoskeletal benefits we have been propounding and, as recent evidence now suggests, cardiovascular benefits too. However, their implementation will only be effective as an integral part of a broader initiative to encourage less sitting and more movement.

walking_meetingMore walking meetings, taking and making telephone calls on the move, locating printers and water coolers away from desks, drinking lots of water (to create natural breaks) and many other simple, effective (and often free) techniques can be applied to the workplace to increase movement and reduce cardiovascular risks. However, these ideas also involve behaviour change and this is the crucial issue.

Those organisations that simply install lots of sit-stand desks will find, in quite a short time, that they have achieved little. It is likely that users will soon revert to entirely seated behaviours and quite possible that many will never even attempt standing work at all. Without proper guidance, those who do try standing may find that it simply does not suit them. Even with appropriate footwear (a factor which is often ignored), standing workers may be susceptible to varicose veins, flat feet, corns, bunions and an array of other conditions. Done to excess, too much standing can be bad for you too!

In the United States, confusion is increased by references to ‘standing desks’, leading individuals to believe they should stand all the time. In Europe, the more common term is ‘sit-stand’ which at least implies in the name that the two activities should be mixed. But they should also be mixed with movement. Referring to available information about sedentary behaviour, one of the speakers in Birmingham, stated that more research is needed but the current ‘picture is grey’. Actually, it is many shades of grey.

problems_at_workThe binary sit-or-stand approach will not work. Employers implementing sit-stand without applying a holistic approach to ways of working will not only be wasting their money but worse, may simply be replacing one set of problems with another set.

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Posted by Guy Osmond

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