Ergonomics in the Selection of Task ChairsErgonomics in the Selection of Task Chairs – September 9, 2010
Task chairs represent a significant source of complaints from workers, expenditure for employers, and income for suppliers. Faced with satisfying diverse interests, and with other demands on their time, facilities managers may rely on claims of chair makers regarding the cost-effectiveness of their product, or else delegate the selection process to employees who subjectively understand their need for comfortable chairs, but not objectively how to select them. This session presents an effective, rational, ergonomics-based methodology for evaluating task chairs, regardless of claims made by makers and suppliers, resulting in tangible benefits both for employers and for their workers. Robert W. Stuthridge is senior ergonomist with Integrated Ergonomics LLC, based in Indiana, USA. Prior to earning his M.Sc. in Health Ergonomics at Surrey University's European Institute for Health and Medical Sciences, he worked for more than a decade in contract furniture sales, including stints for office workstation and seating manufacturers. Since 1995 he has provided ergonomics advice and training for UK and US government departments, as well as to private organizations in Europe, the Middle East and the USA. He is currently project ergonomist for the National AgrAbility Project, and is a PhD candidate at Purdue University, where he teaches classes on disability, usability, and universal design. |
|
Robert Stuthridge
Hirsch