Key factor in easing the strain - Leicester Mercury (23 February 2004)
[ READ THIS PIECE IN FULL ]
It's enough to end a promising career in the office. Health correspondent Carol Burns reports on the epidemic of RSI in the workplace. [...] "What employees need to remember is that it is up to their employer to ensure that they are provided with a safe working environment," says Luke Munro, managing director of Wellworking.
Sit tight - Evening Standard 25 June 2003
"One of the problems of working from home is the tendency to use any old desk or chair with no regard as to how comfortable it is, which can lead to back problems. But I have recently discovered the award-winning Aeron, with its excellent back-support system, has to be the most comfortable desk chair on the market. Even better, you can get the Aeron direct from Internet office furniture supplier Wellworking for 40% less than the high street price."
Home Work - Evening Standard (18 September 2002)
www.homeworkingsolutions.co.uk is a website for the home worker that not only sells a wide range of office furniture, but also offers information and legal advice on creating a safe working environment. The site has more than 5,000 items of furniture to choose from, ranging from traditional desks to some stylish lighting and computer accessories. And, unlike some suppliers, most items purchased are installed on-site by professional fitters within a week.
Design Classics - The Aeron chair - Sunday Times 19 May 2002
'In the early 1990s, veteran American Designers Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick set out to redesign the office chair from first principles. The result, The Aeron, has become more than a machine for sitting in. It has become a symbol of power and taste.
[...] Designed to be the most adjustable and comfortable chair in the world, you could regard it as a piece of orthopaedic equipment.
But this is not its image. Aeron has become the power broker's chair. Chairman Dimbleby and his panellists sit on Aerons on BBC's Question Time. It has been chosen for London Assembly members in Norman Foster's new City Hall. Mark Jones, director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, sits in an Aeron and praises its extreme comfort. And now it is starting to find its way into homes, competing with classic Eames chairs as the coolest of cool home-office seats.
There is no doubt that it will go down in history as one of the all-time great pieces of modern furniture. Functionally, it does everything it claims. But most people buy the Aeron for the look of it. Sitting in one sends the right signal: you are, as they say in America, ahead of the curve.'
WorkPace anti-RSI software review - Daily Express 2 April 2002
'Many people still find it hard to take repetitive strain injury (or RSI) seriously. After all, how can tapping a keyboard be bad for you? But RSI is now the country's most common work-related injury and even seemingly harmless activities, repeated often enough, can cause it.
Computer and keyboard-related tasks are the major cause of RSI. Every year about half a million people in the UK suffer upper limb or neck disorders.
Andrew Chadwick, chief executive of the RSI Association, says: "RSI is really just a term we use to describe any injury caused by putting a muscle under continuous strain, and it can occur anywhere in the body. Many people, for example, suffer eye problems caused by constantly looking at a computer screen. This is repetitive strain injury but many people don't realise they're suffering from it. The human body is like a piece of machinery: it needs to be well oiled and lubricated and given time to cool down or its parts will begin to burn out."
The solution is to take breaks from a repetitive task and perform light exercises to keep muscles lubricated. But while many people realise the importance of taking rests, actually having the discipline to do so during a busy day is not always easy. However, new computer software developed in New Zealand and now being launched here promises to reduce RSI by forcing breaks on us even when we don't want them.
Called WorkPace, the software is compatible with most PCs. [...] When first installed it asks a series of questions to determine the body areas most at risk from RSI in the person using it. It then sets a time limit for two different types of breaks. The first, known as Micropauses, are short 10 second rests taken after 5-10 minutes of continuous work. Rest Breaks are longer breaks taken after 50-55 minutes of continuous work.
The software recognises when a user has been typing continuously or working on the computer without a rest and flashes up a warning sign suggesting they take a Micropause. If the worker has been working continuously without a break for longer then the software will suggest Rest Break.
During Rest Breaks the software will also suggest some simple stretching and relaxation exercises.
Many companies, conscious of the amount of days lost to RSI each year, have already installed the software on their staff's computers. Blaby District Council in Leicestershire has been using the software for the last 4 weeks. Louise Price, 33, secretary to the Director of Resources, says: "I found the way the software reminds you to take breaks a bit annoying at first. However, I was surprised at how much time I was spending at the computer without taking a break. After a while I found myself getting into a rhythm and don't find the breaks irritating any more. I've noticed I don't suffer from the back and headaches that I used to get and although I'm taking more breaks I don't think I'm getting less done."'
'14 Steps to safe and comfortable computer use' review in The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents' Safety Express September/October 2001
'Fourteen steps to safe and comfortable computer use - The practical ergonomics approach is a handy and informative guide for all computer users. Written and reviewed by qualified ergonomists, this self-help guide contains a simple 14-step process to follow when setting up and using a computer, ranging from laying out your desk and equipment to comfortable typing techniques.
Steps 1-8 cover issues associated with setting up a computer and the correct layout for it on the desk (especially useful for home workers).
Included in this section is advice on adjusting your chair and adjusting your software (for example changing fonts and text size to make reading documents easier on the eyes).
Steps 9 to 14 relate to using your mouse, screen, and keyboard correctly and offers information on taking adequate rest breaks to prevent eye strain and repetitive strain injuries.
The final section of the book contains exercises for computer users which you can do whilst sitting at your desk.'
For press enquiries please contact:
Simon Southgate
Primus Communications
Tel: 020 7924 7988
Email: simon@primuscommunications.co.uk
