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38
CompetitionWinners
Business Info and Posturite are pleased to
announce the six winners of the competition to
win a Posturite Penguin mouse run in
Business Info
Issue 102. The lucky winners are:
Mr PWhitfield of Field Factors, Prestatyn;
Micheal Dunlop of Havco, Romford;
Marcus Priestley of M A Priestley Chartered Accounts, Huddersfield
Miss Jackie O’Neill of Imperial College London;
Mr M McKaig of MRM Int., Brighton; and
Mrs M.D.Sjofjan of the Indonesian Embassy, London.
Congratulations to them and many thanks to everyone
else who entered the competition.
Ergonomics
The Perfect Workstation
Flexible working practices, like home
and remote working, make it difficult for
employers to supervise people’s working
environment, making it very important to
provide the right tools and advice on best
practice.
On its stand, ergonomic products
distributor Key Tools was showing
an example of the ideal computer
workstation and the perfect touchdown
point for notebook users. Key elements
of the former were a monitor arm; a
microdesk between the screen and
keyboard, in preference to a document
holder; a GoldTouch split keyboard with
a separate number pad; and a Contour
rollermouse (see below).
GoldTouch keyboards, which can be
tilted and splayed by up to 30 degrees,
have been shown to prevent and alleviate
symptoms of RSI. Although they tend
to be installed in response to a problem,
there are companies that supply them on
a preventative basis.
The use of a separate numberpad is
important because it can be moved out
of the way when not needed – fewer
than 20% of people ever use one anyway.
Keyboards with integrated number pads
are a problem because the extra width
needed pushes the mouse further to
the side forcing the user to adopt an
unnatural posture.
The ideal workstation
for laptop use featured a
laptop riser with a shield
over the keyboard, forcing
users to type on a desktop
keyboard; an Evoluent mouse
operated using a handshake
position; and a GoldTouch
Go keyboard – similar to a
Straight up: the
Posturite Penguin
Hands off:
the Ergo Q
laptop holder
Let’s split:
the GoldTouch
Go mobile
keyboard
Working the angles:
the GoldTouch
computer keyboard
Raising the bar
in ergonomics:
the Contour
Rollermouse
...continued
standard GoldTouch keyboard but smaller
and lighter and with a laptop-like key
depression.
Posturite was showing similar
solutions including a short keyboard with
an integrated scroll wheel and hidden
number keypad that can be pulled out
when needed and pushed back in when
finished with; and its new Penguin mouse,
suitable for both right and left-handed
users, which like the Evoluent is designed
to be used with the hand in a vertical
handshake position.
The Penguin was one of many
ergonomic mouse designs on display at
WEP. Another was the rollermouse from
Contour. Unlike mice that are gripped
with one hand and
placed to the side,
the rollermouse
has a long roll-
bar that can be
operated using
multiple fingers and
is designed to be
placed in front of
the keyboard.
The first Contour-
branded rollermouse
came out in 2001,
but this style of
device has been
around since the late
‘80s when there was
the expectation that
it would be built into
notebook computers.
In Sweden, where
there is a tradition
of supplying ergonomic products on a
preventative basis, it has a sizeable user
base. A spokesman for Contour said that
the rollermouse took some getting used
to but that most users found it more
comfortable and felt more in control
when using it. Those that didn’t could get
a full refund from the reseller if claimed
within 14-30 days (depending on reseller).
Eight or nine workers out of every 10
are perfectly healthy and don’t feel the
need for special treatment, even though
their working habits may be building
up problems for the future. By
providing ergonomic products and
training as a matter of course,
rather than as an exception,
businesses can minimise the
risk of injury and maximise
staff productivity.