Seven Steps to Creating an Ergonomic-Rich Working Environment - Guest Blog

by Carissa Harris, Marketing Communications Coordinator, Sovella, Inc.

In Carissa’s first Guest Blog for the Q Source Resource, she focuses on how you can create an ergonomic workspace.

Proper ergonomics play a vital role in workplace productivity.

When it comes to productivity and efficiency in the workplace, proper ergonomics play a vital role. A workplace that focuses on the well-being of their employees will find an increase in their output, leading to greater profit. Ergonomics is about more than just posture and arm reach. It takes into consideration all aspects of a worker’s movement, eyesight, noise level, and more. By having all components and areas in easy reach and at comfortable distances, it minimizes the amount of bending, twisting, and reaching workers need to make, and consequently reduces strain, stress, and discomfort, leading to a more relaxed positions and greater efficiency.

Here are seven steps that can guide you in creating an ergonomic-rich environment at your company:

1. Research and Develop a Plan of Action – Implementing a proper, ergonomic workplace requires research into the correct products for your company and your employees. Understanding the fundamentals of ergonomics will help when it comes time to selecting the best products for your environment. Creating a plan of action ahead of time will also reduce the risk of purchasing products that will not benefit employees in the long-term. It can be beneficial to look to other companies with ergonomic environments and see how you might replicate their successes.
2. Conduct Interviews with Employees and Observe Their Behaviors – To see where you have fallen short in the past, conduct interviews with employees and review any prior injury reports. This will provide the insight into the current problems and assist you in purchasing the right equipment in the future. Some risk factors in ergonomic-poor workspaces include: awkward postures, over-exertion, straining eyes, poor ventilation, and improper lighting. These can lead to worker injuries, including carpal tunnel syndrome, muscle cramping, slipped discs, and tendinitis. Understanding these risks and injuries will lead to better purchasing decisions and happier staff.
3. Gather the Team – Getting everyone on board will make the transition to ergonomics smoother and quicker. Employees will be open to the change when they are informed of the benefits, including less stress and strain.
4. Consider the Not-So-Obvious –
   • Should employees be sitting or standing for their particular work? Or given the option for both? Tasks with little lifting or reaching may benefit from sitting with the option to stand, while jobs that require heavy-lifting, continuous movement, or parts retrieval will benefit from standing with the option to rest. Height-adjustable benches and proper seating are essential.
   • Is the bench surface correctly positioned and does it cater to various heights? Body size and leg space are factors to consider.
   • Which style of chair is best? Comfort and adjustability are important in choosing the best chair for the job. A chair that is ergonomic will be adjustable to accommodate all body types.
   • Are the monitors in the correct position? Consider viewing angle and distance. Screens should be well lit and in focus to prevent strain on the eyes.
   • How does lighting affect work? Shadows, brightness, even color of light can affect the well-being of employees. Proper lighting can prevent headaches and fatigue.
   • Consider keyboard distance, reach distance for tools, placement of equipment, ventilation, etc. Managers should also encourage good posture and breaks to avoid strain, tension, and fatigue, as well as stretching. Remember, all employees are not created alike, and body type should be taken into account.
5. Be Sure Vendors Can Meet Your Ergonomic Needs – Choose furniture that can be properly adjusted and explore customizations to best suit your employees. Vendors should be able to demonstrate the functionalities, calculate benefits, and give references. Think about long-term use, and pick a sustainable option. Select a vendor that provides the best solution in a timely manner, with the best support.
6. Happiness is the Goal – Quality workspaces make for happier employees. If they feel better, they will perform better, in turn boosting your productivity and profitability. Ergonomic-rich environments have employees that take fewer sick days, report fewer injuries, and are over-all more satisfied.
7. Measure and Improve – Understand how employing ergonomics has improved productivity, reduced injuries, and created a happier staff. Compare output before and after, and survey your employees to determine any improvement and increased happiness. It is important to evaluate the workplace and make improvements as needed. By continuing to improve, you will continue to develop a better system that continues to function and produce at the highest possible level, founded upon proper, modern ergonomics.

An ergonomic-friendly workstation project takes an initial investment of research time, budget, customization, and more, but turns those investments into an opportunity for business growth. By using baseline data and key performance indicators (KPIs) to analyze your investment decision (both before and after), you’ll be able to justify the effect ergonomics has on employees and their work. You can also start small and increase investments with proven results paving the way to continue.

Great tips, Carissa! Thank you for providing a solid plan to implement ergonomics into the working environment. We look forward to learning more about the topic and how Sovella can assist in such an implementation.

For information about Sovella ergonomic workspace products, or to place an order, please visit QSource.com. You may also contact us via email or phone at 800-966-6020 and we will be happy to assist you.

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Top 12 Advantages of Vision Engineering’s Eyepiece-Less Stereo Microscopes

Vision Engineering offers a supreme ergonomic advantage. Using their advanced technology, such as Vision Engineering’s Eyepiece-less Stereo Microscopes, increases user comfort and leads to higher levels of accuracy and efficiency. With that in mind, here are the Top 12 Advantages of Vision Engineering’s Eyepiece-Less Stereo Microscopes:

1. Reduces strain by liberating users from a fixed working position
2. Allows for natural upright body posture, which increases user comfort
3. Provides an entirely natural view of the subject by allowing ambient light to enter the eyes
4. Allows users to wear prescription or safety glasses
5. Next to no set-up required, which means no fiddly eyepieces to configure for each user

6. Eyepiece-less technology provides users with better peripheral vision for tasks requiring hand-eye coordination
7. Enhanced 3D depth perception via freedom of head movement allows stunning image quality
8. Comfortable operators equals greater levels of accuracy for longer periods of time
9. Minimizes strain-related injuries and/or healthcare costs associated with prolonged microscope use
10. Superior performance improves fault detection and reduces costly mistakes
11. Happy workers are productive workers
12. Show your customers you have the best inspection capabilities and gain the competitive advantage

QSource.com carries a complete line of Vision Engineering products, including their eyepiece-less Mantis series of stereo microscopes.

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Looking Good, Feeling Good: Microscope Ergonomics Is Much More Than Sitting Comfortably – Guest Blog

by Stephen Sanderson, International Product Manager, Vision Engineering


In Stephen’s first Guest Blog for Q Source, he discusses microscope users’ injuries and discomfort and ways to remedy these issues.

Headaches are a common complaint of microscope users.

Ask any seasoned microscope user about working with microscopes and they will often have stories of sore necks, headaches and “microscope eye,” seemingly caused by leaning over conventional stereo microscopes for prolonged periods. Such issues not only have a significant effect on users’ comfortable working, but their discomfort also affects concentration and, by association, the ability to perform tasks.

They are not alone, in a report of microscope users from the Federal Institute of Industrial Safety:

• 33% reported stiffness and pain in movement
• 60% experienced headaches
• 40% had eye complaints

While it is hard to attribute every incidence of each complaint with the microscope, it is often the common factor. Specific attention can also be paid to eyepieces. Most conventional stereo microscopes produce a very small and bright exit pupil that requires the user to maintain a fixed viewing position very close to the eyepiece. This leads to areas of poor ergonomics, poor postural ergonomics, and poor optical ergonomics.

The requirement for a fixed viewing position can be helped by ensuring that the user’s workstation is correctly configured. To do this work from the ground up, adjust the user’s seat and bench height, have them stand and sample the position so that the final location of the eyepieces does not require the user to overextend or compress the neck. Don’t forget that it is often possible to raise either the sample or the entire stand, if needed. That dusty old text book that sits in the corner unused could be just what is needed to lift the sample to a better working height.

For optical ergonomics with eyepiece microscopes the situation is more complicated. Interpupillary distance, diopter adjustment, and eyepiece selection all sound complicated and can factor in the user’s comfort affecting eyestrain and headaches. The answer? Get rid of the eyepieces.

NO EYEPIECE = GREATER COMFORT & PRODUCTIVITY

Eyepiece-less systems, such as Vision Engineering’s Mantis and Lynx ranges, are designed with ergonomics at their core. Rather than small, restrictive exit pupils of conventional eyepieces, Mantis and Lynx ranges offer exit pupils that are up to 10 times larger. Those allow users freedom of movement and a natural comfortable working position.

Vision Engineering's Lynx Microscope is ergonomically
designed for user comfort and freedom.

When eye comfort is increased, by reducing refocusing and iris activity through a working position that is further from the microscope itself, it allows an equidistant direct view of the subject and inclusion of ambient light into the field of view. Where eyesight correction is necessary, the user can simply use their own spectacles allowing correction for conditions such as astigmatism that cannot be corrected through eyepieces.

Good ergonomics lead to comfortable users who are better able to concentrate for longer are less prone to illness or injury, and who experience ease of operation and enhanced ability to perform a task. More importantly, for many users it means that they can go home at the end of the day happy and pain free with the satisfaction of a job well done.

In conclusion, consider ergonomics when choosing your next microscope system to reduce user injuries, increase productivity, and ensure that users are at their best on the job.

Thank you, Stephen, for those valuable insights into creating a safer, more comfortable environment for microscope users. We look forward to future Guest Blogs from you and Vision Engineering.

For information about Vision Engineering's microscope/inspection products, please visit QSource.com. You may also contact us via email or phone at 800-966-6020.

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Steinel 34750 HB 1750 Heat Blower w/5 Temperature Keys on Flickr

The Steinel 34750 HB 1750 Heat Blower w/5 Temperature Keys is an ergonomic, ultra-quiet, advanced high-output blower. This high-quality heat blower features a powerful turbine blower, maintenance-free factory sealed motor, soft grip handle with convenient slide switch, and color-coded temperature keys. Check out our Flickr photo set to get a closer look at the Steinel HB 1750 Heat Blower.

To purchase this item please visit our Web site.

Workrite's Sierra HX Electric Series Boosts Worker Health & Productivity

Workrite Sierra HX Electric Workcenter

Workrite Ergonomics believes that worker comfort and productivity is directly related to the ergonomic design of the workplace furniture and equipment. Their Sierra HX Electric Adjustable Height Workcenters were created to address such needs and enhance employee health.

We recently added thousands of Workrite Ergonomics products to QSource.com including 588 Sierra HX Electric items. Let's take a look at the features and benefits of these innovative workstations.

PROPER POSITIONING PROMOTES PRODUCTIVITY

Workrite's Sierra HX Electric Workcenters allow the user to adjust the height of the workstation to suit their physical requirements. Improper worker positioning (such as slouching, slumping, or bending forward at the waist) may lead to fatigue, discomfort, backache, or other injuries…which all impact worker health and productivity.

The Sierra HX Electric Workcenters feature motorized adjustable height via quiet motors, which provide more than 100 pounds of lifting force per leg, allowing for precise positioning (with three memory pre-sets). These tables also eliminate the standard crossbar to provide maximum leg clearance for user comfort, while maintaining unrivaled stability through an under-the-worksurface mount structure.

SUBSTANCE & STYLE

Workcenters in the ANSI-BIFMA X5.5-1998-approved Sierra HX Electric Series use their 225-lb. lifting capacity to provide a 22"-48" at 1.6" per second height adjustment. These stations are available in 24" or 30" depth, 36", 42", 48", 54", 60", 66", and 72" widths.

The Sierra HX Electric Series also boast the following green/environmental factors:

• LEED Credit Eligibility (other LEED data includes LEED Base Only: 26-29%, LEED with laminate: 31-37%, and LEED with Silhouette: 13-18%)
• Material & Resources Credit 4.1–4.2 (1–2 points)
• Innovation in Design Credit 1.1–1.4 (1–4 points)
• 0.1 W standby power use
• GREENGUARD® Silhouette top material
• VOC-free powdercoat

A wide selection of accessories are available for the
Sierra HX Electric line

In addition to their ergonomic benefits, Workrite's Sierra HX Electric models offer a number of style and aesthetic options including:

• Frame finish: Charcoal or silver color
• Edge treatment: Standard, wedge, or ripple
• Edge color: Almond, Black, Folkstone, HW Brown, Opti Gray, or Soft White
• Table color: A wide variety of unique choices including Appears Likatre, Cavalcade South, Gateway to the Future, Ice Fishin, and Tropical Getaway

These tables can also be fitted with a number of tool bar and rail system accessories to create a custom workstation to meet your needs. Available accessories include modesty screens, CPU holders, keyboard holders, footrests, and more.

Visit Q Source's Workrite Ergonomics Department to place your order for the Sierra HX Electric Series Workcenters.

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