Furniture designs come in a variety of different forms, themes and concepts and each type of sphere of design caters for the different expectations of the owners. People who buy furniture generally want their furniture to fit their environment which is all well and good, but sadly more often than not they overlook ergonomics which is a critical aspect of furniture design that revolves around the health of the users of furniture.
This is especially true when it involves office furniture which is on average utilized more often compared to the furniture at home. It is true that most people regardless if it is an office or a home want furniture to be aesthetically pleasing and comfortable, but they often fail to take into consideration the impact that regular furniture such as regular office chairs have on the user’s physical health in the long term.
Ergonomics in furniture has been proven to benefit users both physically and mentally based on the fact that this concept in furniture design revolves around the product designs that fit the physical aspects of the human body. This concept in essence reduces the risk of injury in the long run attributed to the body being subjected to long hours of sitting, standing and executing repetitive tasks that take a toll on muscles, tendons and nerves among others.
By incorporating ergonomics into office furniture such as office chairs, comfort is assured for employees and this basically enables these employees to focus on their respective tasks which in turn increase their productivity levels.
Technological advancements have caused most people to adapt to sedentary lifestyles, both at home and at the office as people do not move as much as they used to three or four decades ago due to computers that they sit in front of all day.
Unlike before, where hardcopy files were needed to complete tasks and, in most cases, employees are required to walk about in the office to obtain these files which required them to walk to where files are stored to retrieve them ever so often and return the files once, they are done. Nowadays, everything is in their computers and this basically means less or no physical activity at all during work hours.
Due to this there have been increases in cases of musculoskeletal disorders that range from back pain to carpal tunnel syndrome. The design of ergonomic furniture is specific to these issues and is critical towards reducing risk of injury while promoting comfort.
In essence, ergonomic furniture is designed in a way that allows users to adjust the furniture that they use to meet their personal and specific needs.
To explain this more plainly, an ergonomic office chair for example could be adjusted by the employee based on their height and fit their physical structure with all the physical support factors such as lumbar support, neck support, thigh support which are critical towards reducing the risk of injury.
This is especially important for employees who on average spend for than five hours sitting in front of a computer on most days.