New Desks and Chairs for the "Era of Sitting Too Much" 3
27 million people in Japan suffer from back pain
--Approximately 27 million people in Japan suffer from back pain. Even in this era when new ways of sitting are required, I honestly have doubts about the fact that the "recommended sitting posture" is still based on guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare more than 15 years ago.
"Guidelines for Occupational Health Management in VDT Work" and Sakamoto's Personal Opinion
・Working posture
"The basic posture is to sit deep in the chair with your back fully pressed against the backrest and with the entire soles of your feet in contact with the floor."
→Do I need to rest my back fully against the backrest?
First of all, do all office chairs need backrests? (Sakamoto)
・About chairs
"It is desirable that the seat height from the floor be adjustable within a range of approximately 37cm to 43cm."
→This is the height of the chair assuming that the person sits at a right angle. While there are voices calling for a review of the right angle sitting posture, this adjustment range seems too low. (Sakamoto)
・About the desk
"It is desirable that the height from the floor be adjustable within a range of approximately 60cm to 72cm."
→This is because, in the midst of calls to reconsider the height of desks that are based on the assumption that people sit at a right angle, and taking into consideration the newly recommended sitting position that results in an angle of 110 to 135 degrees between the thighs and stomach, and considering that the range of heights of workers is 150 to 180 cm, it would be desirable to have a desk that can be adjusted to a height of about half the height, or 72 to 90 cm. (Sakamoto)
Muraki: As work styles and lifestyles become more diverse, we are no longer in an age where we can categorically say, "This is the correct way to sit!" As we mentioned earlier, products can accommodate our lifestyles by making it easy to adjust the height of your desk, and I think it's best to use different backrests depending on the situation, your physical condition, exercise habits, and the relationship between the desk and chair, such as attaching the backrest when you're resting and removing it when you're working.
Menshor: We ourselves would like to value the range of our proposals, rather than definitively saying "this is the right answer." We believe that our role is to spread awareness of the various combinations of sitting and working styles, such as how to use Balance Synergy and the Active Board, and to bring valuable innovation to the world of chairs.
Muraki: 100 years ago, what we do today may not have been considered work. In this era in which so much attention is being paid to "sitting," we will use empirical research, scientific evidence, and Mr. Menschol's inspiration to search for new standards for timeless desks and chairs.
──A chair is always in a state of process. It is constantly evolving, so we will continue to think outside the box and take into account the needs of society, creating new value with people like you two who are thinking about "how we will sit in the future." Thank you for today.
Monday, June 3, 2019
At the Aurora Hall of the Royal Norwegian Embassy