Citation

Fernandez JE, Poonawala MF. Int. J. Ind. Ergonomics 1998; 22(6): 483-487.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the optimum time in an 8 h work day for evaluating the comfort rating of chairs. Twelve female subjects were assigned the task of evaluating three types of chairs. The evaluation was conducted using the 11 point general comfort rating scale, which was administered to the subjects at 12 different times in an 8 h work day. The results showed that the comfort rating obtained at the end of the third hour of work was not significantly different from that obtained at the end of 8 h of work. Thus, we can conclude that comfort ratings obtained at the end of 3 h of work should be used for the subjective evaluation of a chair for a typical work day, as it saves time and ensures the selection of ergonomically appropriate seating which in turn could reduce the risk of CTDs.

Relevance to industry: Improper seating has been the major risk factor for the occurrence of low back and upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders in the office environment. Appropriate evaluation and selection of seats could reduce this risk.