Some work environments can present significant challenges in terms of ergonomics. Whether it is the furniture and equipment used or the work situation in which workers find themselves, it is sometimes necessary to use imagination and creativity to create an efficient and safe workstation. For example, workers who must travel on the road using a vehicle that also represents their office workstation. Comfort and postures can quickly be called into question.

The case study presented in this article shows you that it is possible to transform a vehicle, represented here by a truck from the Energir company, into a workstation adapted to the environment.

INITIAL WORKSTATION – CONTEXT

The acquisition, operation or location technicians of the Gaz Métro company must use a SAVANA-type vehicle adapted for their functions. Obviously, these workers must travel to different work locations, but their vehicle also serves as an office workstation. Generally speaking, the employee spends approximately 90% of his time at the customer's premises and 10% at the workstation inside the truck. The worker may therefore find himself sitting at this workstation for between 10 and 30 consecutive minutes for each of his mandates.

During initial observations, it is noted that the workstation consists of a work surface on which rest a laptop, a mouse and a fax machine. The worker sits on a low-end office chair whose caster base has been removed in order to be able to fix the base to the floor. A pivot base is anchored to the floor and the workstation to ensure the stability of the chair. It is adjustable in height and a minimal adjustment in depth of the backrest is possible thanks to a wheel.

RISK ANALYSIS

The assessment of the office workstation inside the vehicle highlighted certain risks associated with the sitting posture. An optimization of the chair used was necessary to reduce the risk of discomfort. The risk factors are mainly related to demanding postures, including at the level of the shoulders and neck, which are partly caused by the equipment (chair). Here are the risk factors related to the postural constraints listed:

• The sitting position does not provide optimal support to the lumbar regionrelated to the back of the chair which does not promote support;
• Le lack of foot support(feet not positioned flat on the ground) can cause compression behind the thighs, depending on the worker's height;
• The chair does not allow for a perfect fit to the task, which causes the trunk to twist;
• La seat dimensions and paddingare not optimal;
• Possibility of flexion, abduction and elevation of the shouldersif the chair seat does not adjust high enough to accommodate the worker's height.

For this type of environment, it is also important to worry about the stability of the equipment when the vehicle is in motion to avoid the risk of contact between the chair and other equipment in the vehicle. It is therefore important to ensure that the chair will be well secured to the furniture when moving.

CHANGES TO THE WORKSTATION

In order to mitigate the risks associated with this workstation, a custom-made chair model has been designed to meet the various requirements of the environment. Here are the components that make up this adapted office chair:

• First of all, it is essential to satisfy the different sizes of workers. To achieve this, the seat height has a greater margin of maneuver in terms of its height adjustment. In addition, the backrest allows for depth adjustment, which allows for a variation in the length of the seat for better support of the workers' lower limbs.
• Then, the shape of the backrest as well as the possibility of adjusting its height offer better support, especially to the lumbar region. In addition, the padding of the backrest and seat have been improved to maximize employee comfort.
  
• Subsequently, two ball joints are present in the structure attaching the chair to the furniture, which allows a better adjustment to the task (avoiding twisting of the trunk).
  
• Finally, a strap with a carabiner to hold the seat in place when moving was thought of.
  
  
  OTHER ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER AT THE WORKSTATIONA reconsideration of the lighting source and its positioning were also recommended, because there was glare, which created postural constraints when the worker could not clearly see certain data on the screen. Also, it was suggested to lower the work surface to reduce the need to raise the chair and thus reduce the need to use a footrest. In addition, it should be noted that it could have been suggested to install a keyboard drawer as well as an external keyboard in order to be able to optimally adjust the height of the laptop. However, since computer use rarely exceeds 30 consecutive minutes, it is not necessary to make these additions.

   

  Through this case study, it is possible to see that the development of the work environment, while taking into account ergonomics, is possible. Although this type of situation requires a thorough evaluation of work tasks as well as time in research and development, it is realistic to believe that the working conditions of these employees can be improved despite the challenges that this presents.

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