{"title":"Effects of armrests on workload with ten-key operation.","authors":"T Hasegawa, M Kumashiro","doi":"10.2114/jpa.17.123","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The constrained posture used for work using a visual display terminal (VDT), such as data entry, can produce static muscular fatigue. Based on the application of ergonomic principles, we conducted an experiment using a prototype VDT chair designed with an armrest adjustable to heights from 22 to 28 cm. The experiment--conducted to assess the static muscular strain based on varying heights of the armrest and distance from the keyboard--was performed with male subjects. The subjects were asked to input five-figure numbers using the 10 keys arranged on the right side. Using a surface electromyogram, we measured the strain imposed on the arm and the shoulder. This was followed up with a performance, weight-loading onto the armrests and a questionnaire. Results show that use of armrests is effective for the alleviation of muscles in one-handed keyboard operation where operators work on a desk whose height is unadjustable according to their body height or where operators are unable to rest their wrist on the desk. A chair with height-adjustable armrests is considered desirable when used by several people.</p>","PeriodicalId":79317,"journal":{"name":"Applied human science : journal of physiological anthropology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"1998-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2114/jpa.17.123","citationCount":"17","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Applied human science : journal of physiological anthropology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2114/jpa.17.123","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 17
Abstract
The constrained posture used for work using a visual display terminal (VDT), such as data entry, can produce static muscular fatigue. Based on the application of ergonomic principles, we conducted an experiment using a prototype VDT chair designed with an armrest adjustable to heights from 22 to 28 cm. The experiment--conducted to assess the static muscular strain based on varying heights of the armrest and distance from the keyboard--was performed with male subjects. The subjects were asked to input five-figure numbers using the 10 keys arranged on the right side. Using a surface electromyogram, we measured the strain imposed on the arm and the shoulder. This was followed up with a performance, weight-loading onto the armrests and a questionnaire. Results show that use of armrests is effective for the alleviation of muscles in one-handed keyboard operation where operators work on a desk whose height is unadjustable according to their body height or where operators are unable to rest their wrist on the desk. A chair with height-adjustable armrests is considered desirable when used by several people.