ABSTRACT
The Chair as a Critical Element of the Workstation . . . 295
Additional Workstation Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
The Visual Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
The Auditory Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
Ergonomic Implementation Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
Summary of Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
In our last version of this chapter, we focused on fixed location computing workstations and situations, but acknowledged the burgeoning use of portable information devices (PIDs) and provided a few ideas to consider about their use. We indicated that fixed computer environments, while still a significant part of workstation design considerations, have been surpassed by highly mobile information technology that does not use fixed workstations. These portable technologies are now in use in almost every venue and human activity, and the nature of their characteristics and activities of use do not lend them to traditional fixed workstation considerations. This introduces a host of potential ergonomic concerns related to the design of work areas (and activities) in which PIDs and other forms of computing are used. Decades of research and applications have defined important considerations in the ergonomic design of fixed computer work areas (Grandjean, 1979, 1984; Stammerjohn, Smith, & Cohen, 1981; Cakir, Hart, & Stewart, 1979; ANSI/HFES-100, 1988; Smith & Cohen, 1997; Smith, Carayon, & Cohen, 2003; BSR/HFES-100, 2005). However, very little has been done to define the design of work areas for PIDs and mobile computing. In this chapter, we will propose some ideas and considerations for dealing with ergonomic concerns for these mobile technologies in addition to updating information on fixed computer workstation applications. However, we admit that the challenge to define good ergonomic practice for the use of PIDs is large, and our advice is still very limited.
