"Office chair manufacturers have been saying for decades that there is a healthy chair and healthy sitting. It just doesn't exist," says Ing. arch. Šárka Daňková, architect, certified ergonomics specialist, owner of ERGO Working Space s.r.o., member of the Czech Council for Environmentally Friendly Buildings and founder of PROERGO, an association of ergonomics experts.
You literally sat out your health problems at work. What was your work schedule like at that time?
As an architect I have done very successful projects. Clients sought me out. I loved my work. And I sat and sat and sat while working on projects. When I was a student, it was still standing at the drawing board. That was much healthier. Nowadays, all architects sit at a computer and click.
Although I have been playing sports and exercising in my free time all my life, four years ago my health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle peaked. Or rather, sedentary jobs. Doctors told me that lumbar spine surgery was necessary - now. However, the neurologist suggested me another option - conservative treatment at the Rehabilitation Institute Kladruby. I agreed.
On admission I was told that I would stay in Kladruby for at least three months. In reality, I was there for five months, then on sick leave for thirteen months.
What led you to specialise in ergonomics? Was it the health problems you mentioned or did you become interested in this topic earlier?
In my office interior design projects I have partly addressed ergonomics. But it was only in Kladruby that I started to look for detailed information about ergonomics and read scientific studies from abroad.
I had plenty of time to study in the hospital. Based on this, I came up with the concept that I am currently working on within Ergo Working Space - the combination of three professions: architecture - ergonomics - physiotherapy.
Thanks to new information about ergonomics, I changed my work habits and managed to avert surgery. That's why our project is aimed not only at prevention, but also at solving problems that have already arisen.
What is ergonomics? What do we actually mean by this term?
Ergonomics means the preparation of the working environment for the physical parameters of the person. It doesn't matter if it's a lumberjack, a person in production or a person in an office. Everyone needs to adapt their working environment and work equipment to perform their work.
Ergonomics as a scientific discipline has been in the Czech Republic for a long time. There are leading gurus of Czech ergonomics such as RNDr. Stanislav Malý, Ph.D. DBA, Prof. Ing. Lubor Chundela, DrSc. or MUDr. Sylva Gilbertová. They are mostly scientifically and theoretically involved in ergonomics. They teach, publish.
At Ergo Working Space, together with our colleague Tereza Náplavová, a physiotherapist, we focus on the practical side. We bring movement into the working day in the office. Our concept is called ACTIVE WORKPLACE.
Within the PROERGO association, we address office ergonomics in depth. I am bringing together experts in smart lighting (because the intensity and colour spectrum of light significantly affects our circadian rhythms and our performance), acoustics (because increased noise in the office causes fatigue, headaches and ultimately mental problems), air conditioning (so that we have clean air in the office), photocatalytic coatings on the ceiling and bionic floors that bind bacteria and viruses to each other. I work with these experts to design and create slightly healthier offices and office environments.
Is there a growing demand for ergonomically equipped offices?
Interest in ergonomics has been slowly increasing in companies recently. Professional awareness just a little. I try to educate people on ergonomics through EWS seminars, workshops and social media. I have a post series on LinkedIn under the hashtag #ergomyty. What you learn on some vendors' websites is mostly marketing platitudes and nonsense. The word ergonomic has recently become a winged term for office equipment retailers.
What I'm noticing recently is a trend where people are trying to buy ergonomic equipment for the office themselves without understanding it. Then they come back to me as clients. They've bought ergonomic equipment for their company, but it doesn't suit them or they don't know how to set it up and therefore it doesn't work as it should. And they want help back from me. I appreciate those clients as well. There is always room for improvement.
The word ergonomic has become a winged term for office equipment retailers.
What is the biggest and most common problem of today's non-ergonomically equipped offices?
Usually everyone immediately thinks - people are sitting in the wrong chairs. Or in an inappropriate way on an inappropriate chair. That's wrong, too. Just as there is no healthy chair, there is no healthy sitting. For example, programmers who sit all day on the best ergonomic chairs are hit with huge static loads. Often they are either hunched over a laptop or leaning backwards. This puts a lot of strain on their lumbar spine. In this sitting position, the pressure on the lumbar discs increases. Expert studies report up to one hundred and forty kilograms.
Another problem is that people buy the wrong chairs that don't suit their body type. They buy so that it is as cheap as possible or they are inspired by what suits a colleague. My clients include both women who are 155 centimetres tall and men who are over 2 metres tall. Obviously, they will not be comfortable with the same equipment.
However, the basic mistake is sitting all day. According to research, we sit for fourteen hours a day. We encourage people to get up from the computer often. To give them a reason. We recommend walking frequently to refill a small glass with a drink or to go to the restroom on a different floor if it is possible in the company building.
You can also do something for your health by cutting down on driving and getting off public transport one stop earlier. After twenty to thirty minutes of sitting, we recommend standing up and taking an activation break. This is not exercise, but a gentle way to get your body moving and get your metabolism going. In short, break up the sit. I had the opportunity to contribute to an article for Respekt magazine called SITTING: A SURVIVAL GUIDE.
If the employer does not want to invest in ergonomic office equipment, how can we adapt the workplace ourselves?
In case of major health problems caused by sedentary work, when you experience headaches, trapezius or hand pain, it is advisable to get a vertical mouse. The price ranges from 500 to 1 500 CZK. You can also get an ergonomic keyboard, which will ensure healthy hand positioning when typing.
Occasionally, activation at the workplace is sufficient. Three activation breaks during working hours of four minutes each are sufficient.
My colleague Tereza and I made a series of videos on this topic for our ERGO ACADEMY. In each part of ERGO ACADEMY we focus on a different part of the body. In each episode, we also add information about workplace ergonomics.
Tereza and I recently completed a diagnostic project at Metrostav Slovakia under the auspices of the President of the Czech Ergonomics Society and we got great results from it. We will be publishing our findings on our platforms and in other media in the near future. Anyway, the research clearly shows that our body responds well to changes in work habits even when we try to follow them fifty percent of the time. That's why even a small effort counts.
Why is prolonged sitting bad? What happens to our bodies when we sit for long periods of time?
I want people to realise that sitting doesn't have to be about musculoskeletal pain. There are far worse consequences. Normal body processes don't work, lymph doesn't flow, metabolism stops. After just half an hour of sitting, our metabolism slows down by up to 94%. This is proof that our body is not ready for life without movement. When we sit, we're basically hibernating. The body is stifled, function is stifled. After just two minutes in motion, our metabolism returns to normal. Based on this, we can see that the body really needs movement.
Anergonomically equipped workplace is not enough on its own. The body needs movement.
How should the workplace be ideally lit?
The moment we have older types of fluorescent lamps flickering above us, it has a devastating effect on us. The so-called flicker effect disrupts our attention, causes fatigue and headaches. For employers, investing in suitable lighting pays off. Lamps are a supplementary source if I work with printed documents. With a PC, it's not as necessary. The workplace must not be over or under lit. The ideal light is one that maintains a normal level of illumination of the work area according to the current light intensity in the room, while at the same time changing the colour spectrum of the light to simulate sunlight.
There is a hygiene standard for light in the office, so we design the number of luminaires in the space using a calculation. It's easier to do this in a home office. In our work corner, a suitable stand light or a pendant light above the desk is sufficient.
A lot of people try to spruce up their workplace with a footstool or a seated gymnastics ball. Are these suitable accessories for the office?
In 2010, the excitement of sitting on the balls in Germany was already cooling down. It was found that we could sit actively on the ball for fifteen to twenty minutes. Then we loosen up and collapse into a bad sit. The ball is a balancing surface, we're constantly strengthening on it. If we are in an inappropriate position, we reinforce unhealthy movement patterns and distort our posture.
Balance chairs and balls, yes, but fifteen to twenty minutes three times a day at most. Then choose balance chairs that have the ability to turn off the balance mechanism.
There is no point in having a raised footrest, but a balance mat is suitable. The lymphatic pump is the calves. When we sit or lie down and the calves don't work, neither does the lymph. That's what a balance pad helps with. A leg support that's fixed is useless. We also recommend the Gymba balance mat for active standing. It maintains our correct posture and strengthens the centre of the body.
If I want to equip my home office completely ergonomically, how much money should I prepare?
The basic workstation, which is a height-adjustable desk and basic chair with ergonomic elements, can be found for as little as CZK 14,000 excluding VAT. If you want to add a monitor holder, vertical mouse, ergo keyboard and Gymba balance pad, a complete ergonomic workstation will cost around CZK 23,000 excluding VAT. And the price also includes professional setup by an ergonomist. So it's not unaffordable. The investment in our health is well worth it.
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