BIOMETRIC & ERGONOMIC STUDY CONFIRMS BENEFITS OF
ADJUSTABLE SIT-STAND WORKCENTERS
Workrite Ergonomics, in partnership with Fujitsu
Laboratories of America, Inc. (FLA) and Sony Picture Entertainment (SPE), finds
positive benefits from a workplace ergonomics and office equipment study
designed to measure the health benefits and workplace effects when introducing
adjustable height sit stand work surfaces into a typical corporate office
environment.
Joy Boese, President of E3 Consulting, conceptualized the
study and brought the three companies together to collaborate on the
initiative. Joy recognized the potential of using FLA’s monitoring capabilities
as a way to measure stress and fatigue in the workplace with the ultimate goal
of using the data collected to educate employees, reduce injury and improve
performance.
Conducted in one of SPE Los Angeles facilities, volunteer
participants consisted of members of the SPE finance and information services
groups. Managing the monitoring and biometric measures was Fujitsu Laboratories
of America, responsible for the independent capture, aggregation, and analysis
of all collected data and the reporting of results. E3 Consulting took on the
role of project management and also had staff members on site to provide
support for the study participants. Workrite Ergonomics provided the height
adjustable work centers and flat panel monitor supports and coordinated the
installation and set-up of the ergonomic equipment used in the study.
NEW
TECHNOLOGY = BIG DATA + BIG RESULTS
During the study, volunteers were outfitted with a real-time
wearable cardiac monitoring device designed to continuously capture various
human biometrics, including ECG, heart rate and skin temperature. The
adjustable height sit stand work surfaces were outfitted with Android devices,
which served two purposes. First, they acted as sensors for surface height,
movement and engagement, by continuously collecting accelerometer data and
images of a specially placed sticker on the feet of the desk. Second, they
hosted Fujitsu’s mobile real-time data aggregation and analysis platform — the
Sprout™
(http://www.fujitsu.com/us/about/other/fla/research/data-driven-healthcare/index.html).
The Sprout provided real-time data storage, analysis, and visualization of all
the biometric and desk-related data streams. In all, over 287 GB of electronic
data was captured over the test period. Participants were also manually
assessed by a medical team at the beginning and end of the study, including capturing
key metabolic biomarkers.
KEY
METABOLIC BIOMARKER TRACKING CONFIRMS HEALTH BENEFITS
During the 4–week test period, over 40 biomarker changes
were analyzed and tracked. The per participant average changes included:
- An increase in good cholesterol (HDL) of 3.65
- An increase in fasting glucose of 2.28
- A reduction in fat as measured by Body Mass Index (BMI) of .86 lb.
- A reduction in weight of .81 lb.
- An decrease in average blood pressure of 2.28/1.20
- Age and BMI were not distinguishing factors in the amount of standing desk usageAVERAGE TWICE DAILY HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT HELPS WORKER SATISFACTIONThe work surface tracking involved monitoring time spent sitting /standing and when participants were absent from their desks. On average, the mean standing percentage was 36%, with a high of 91% and low of less than 5%. Data revealed workers adjusted the height of their work surface on average two times per day, most often once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Workers stated they most enjoyed the freedom to make adjustments when they wanted to or needed to help relieve fatigue or better meet the work task at hand. On average, the heaviest standing occurred between the hours of 9–10 am, coinciding with the early part of most participants’ workdays, and the next heaviest standing period peaked around 3–4 pm. The data also revealed age was not a factor in desk usage - everybody in the study used the desks to stand: men and women, those with low and high body mass index, young and old. Women stood for a lower percentage of time compared to men, perhaps due to the footwear they used during the study.Having the ability tochange work state duringthe day is broadly empowering
SELF-REPORTING ERGONOMIC DATA REINFORCES BIOMETRIC FINDINGSIn addition to objective sensor data findings, subjective self-reported findings were collected via questionnaires distributed at the beginning and at the end of the study. These revealed even stronger judgments:
- Participants were uniformly delighted with their new desks
- Self-reported back pain decreased on average 1.3 points on a 1–10 scale
- 88% respond feeling healthier throughout the day
- 98% “loved” the new sit/stand work surface
- Home sleep quality improved +0.7 on a 1–10 scale
- All participants asked to keep height adjustable work surface after studyHalo effects: Some participants reported becoming more cognizant of diet, sleep and exercise during the study and reported that having the ability to change work state during the day was broadly empowering.UNEXPECTED POSITIVE RESULTS DELIGHT RESEARCH TEAM
Hourly data tracking suggests heart rate can be affected by several factors throughout the workday including basic activities such as talking or standing. Several individual participants’ heart rate measures settled into narrower bands (the average highs post-adjustable work surface introduction are not as high as before), possibly suggesting improved cardiovascular fitness upon the introduction of the adjustable height work surface.
During the study, some participants reported becoming more
cognizant of their diet, sleep, and exercise
At the end of the study, all participants were given a
choice to keep their height adjustable work center or have their fixed height
desks reinstalled. All participants chose to keep their height adjustable
workcenters.
METHODOLOGY
- STUDY OVERVIEW
In late 2013, Workrite Ergonomics was invited to partner
with SPE and Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc. in the design, development
and implementation of a research study intended to measure the effects of and
use of traditional office furniture work surfaces and the introduction of an
adjustable height work surface in a typical corporate office environment. E3
Ergonomic Consultants conceptualized the study, brought the three companies
together to collaborate and acted as project manager and on-site ergonomics consultants
throughout the course of the study. Conducted in one of SPE’s Los Angeles
facilities, volunteer participants were comprised of the SPE finance and
information services groups. Fujitsu Laboratories was responsible for the
monitoring of the participants and the adjustable height work surfaces, the
aggregation and analysis of the collected data, and for reporting on the
results of the study. Workrite Ergonomics provided height adjustable work
centers and flat panel monitor supports and coordinated the installation and
set-up of the ergonomic equipment to be used in the study.
RESEARCH
FRAMEWORK
The study was conducted over a five week period. During Week
One of the study, all participants worked in their usual workcenters which
consisted of traditional fixed height desks in both cubicle and private office
environments. During that week, the volunteers were outfitted with
VitalConnect’s HealthPatch wearable cardiac patch sensor devices, which
continuously monitor a variety of key biomarkers including ECG and heart rate.
These sensor devices were integrated by Fujitsu Laboratories into the Sprout
platform, thereby providing continuous storage of these biomarker data streams
for establishing a baseline for each participant. The Sprout also enabled storage
of participant stress values, based on real-time analysis of the ECG data
stream. All participants also underwent basic health screenings for weight and
body mass index (BMI) and took blood tests to establish starting levels for HDL
& LDL cholesterol, fasting glucose levels and other key biomarkers.
Leading into Week Two, fixed height work surfaces were
replaced with the Workrite Sierra Electric Workcenters and the Workrite Willow
or Willow Dual adjustable monitor arms. These workcenters were instrumented
with tablets running the Fujitsu Sprout; the accelerometer and camera sensors
in the tablets were used to algorithmically assess the height and state of the
workcenter. Beginning on Monday of Week Two, participants returned to work and
began using their new workcenter equipment after receiving basic operating
instructions and an overview of proper ergonomic equipment positioning.
During the next four weeks, each individual desk was
monitored using periodic photographic data and real-time tablet accelerometry
data to determine when participants were present and how much time was spent in
the sitting or standing position. This real-time data collection and analysis
was made possible through the use of Fujitsu’s Sprout mobile real-time data
aggregation and analysis platform, running on Android tablets affixed to the
work surfaces. In addition, all data streams (including those made available
through the cardiac patches) were synchronized with the cloud in real-time for
visualization and real-time on-site triage of any data collection issues.
During Week Five of the study, participants were patched and
monitored again so physiological measurements could be taken and compared to
the baseline data established during Week One of the study. Both biometric
results and self-reporting results are included in this report. Participants
completed a paper questionnaire at the beginning and end of the study.
At the end of the study, all participants were given a
choice to keep their height adjustable work center or have their fixed height
desks reinstalled. All participants chose to keep their height adjustable
workcenters.
©2014 Workrite Ergonomics, 2277 Pine View Way, Suite 100,
Petaluma, CA 94954 www.workriteergo.com 800.959.9675
