Testing the weight capacity of our Ergo Office 2 Frame

I recently challenged myself to find new, unorthodox ways of showcasing some of our Ergonomicsdirect products. One of my personal favourites has always been the Ergo Office Two Dual Motor Height-Adjustable Desk Frame. On paper, it’s quite easy to identify all benefits and specifications of this product, but a common question we’re asked is “Can it really carry 120kgs?” as claimed. So we decided, let’s put it to the test!

No surprise at all, our Ergo Office Two Frame effortlessly carried the 120kg weight of our tabletop and our pet food.

Here are a few additional features of our Ergo Office Two Frame that you can look forward to:

  • Dual motor technology.
  • Control panel with up and down buttons and 3 programmable memory settings.
  • LED display that indicates the current desk height.
  • Alert button: The control panel has an alert button to remind users to change their position. The timer on the alert button can be set to the required timeframe, for example, 45 minutes.
  • Anti-collision protection software.
  • Low standby power consumption.
  • A 3-stage column design allows the desk to adjust to 625mm which is lower than a standard desk height of around 720mm.
  • Square column design.
  • Quick installation: The foldable, pre-assembled legs ensure easy assembly and installation.
  • The frame width can be adjusted/configured to use your own top of varying sizes.

Customise your Ergo Office Height-Adjustable Standing Desk Frames

All pet food used to make this content was donated to a local NPO: Cheryl Lyn’s Rescue Organisation

Written by Austin Harichuran – Head of Digital and Marketing at Ergonomicsdirect.

Ergonomics in the Tattoo Industry

Written by Austin Harichuran, (COEE) & Head of Digital and Marketing at Ergonomicsdirect

Ergonomic furniture and accessories have taken our local market by storm. Office trends aren’t really “trends” anymore without ergonomics being featured in the conversation. Over the years, the focus of ergonomics has been mostly on everyday office workers. However, what we’ve discovered was that the need for ergonomic products across certain industries was much bigger than we had realised. Many different audiences and markets need our ergonomic products, and boy are we excited to discover them.

We’ve found perfect homes for some of our products, in the most unexpected working environments. Many individuals who work in an office environment may need assistance identifying and understanding where their pain and fatigue comes from. For some other industries, identifying the cause is a little easier.

Tattoo artists are creative, skilled, and a lot of the time, busy individuals. Many have clients who book 10–12-hour tattoo sessions, at a time. Without a proper seating solution that provides support for their forever-bending backs, imagine how many of them feel after these long sessions? Imagine how some of their backs feel after years of designing canvas on clients’ bodies? 

As expected, the common answer to “Do you frequently experience back pain/strain due to working conditions?” was of course, yes. We presented a few tattoo studios with a few of our ergonomic products to see if we could reduce strain, and the feedback was remarkable.

Below is some of the feedback we had received from tattoo artists on using our products:

  • “The Saddle Chair is perfect for tattoo artists. It’s so comfortable, that it feels like sitting on a soft bum. I love how I can just lower the height and slide the saddle chair under my desk or even under the tattoo bed when I’m done for the day.” 
  • “The Height-Adjustable Mobile Desk is a great table to place my ink and accessories while I tattoo. At night I use it when I’m in the mood to stand and conjure new designs.”
  • “I attach my phone to the Ergo Flex Device Holder, hook it up to the tattoo bed, and start shooting while I tat’ my clients. I don’t have anyone to take content for me, so this product is cool for getting shots at a cool angle.”
  • “The LED light is great. When you working on a small tattoo, you can just focus the light on the area being tattooed instead of bringing the studio lights out. It’s also small and doesn’t take up much space.”

Some of our products at Blake Ink Tattoo Studio

Blake Ink Studio: Instragram Handle: @blakeinktattoos

Ergonomics in the tattoo industry should strike a balance between keeping the artist healthy and providing efficient artwork. It means preventing musculoskeletal problems by enabling the artist to adopt a more natural and comfortable posture. Thereby achieving client-friendly work, improving efficiency, and achieving accuracy.

We hope to one day offer our ergonomic solutions to all tattoo Studios and reach more industrial industries – saving one strained back at a time.

Visit our Instagram page to see more exciting content on ergonomics in the tattoo industry. @ergonomicsdirect

Ergo Flex vs. Ergo Tray ft. (@tkskingdom)

Ergo Flex vs. Ergo Tray ft. (@tkskingdom)

We had recently partnered with TK for our birthday giveaway, and boy was it spectacular. We’ve successfully sent out a whopping 30 Ergo Flexs’ to 30 lucky winners across the country, and their feedback was outstanding.

In case you’ve missed it, check out our recent Instagram collaboration with TK (@tkskingdom).

Receive 20% off your Ergo Flex when you use coupon code “tk-ergoflex” at checkout. (Limited time only)

Receive 30% off your Ergo Tray when you use coupon code “tk-ergotray” at checkout. (Limited time only)

Working with TK was great! She understood our vision and the value of our products. She absolutely LOVES her Ergo Flex and Ergo Tray, and her contagious enthusiasm has made many new customers love theirs too. Not only did she find a unique way to showcase our product to her audience, but she also helped many people find us who really needed us.

From the Ergonomicsdirect team, we’d like to thank you for partnering with us @tkskingdom, and we look forward to partnering with you again soon.

We’d also like to thank everyone who has engaged with our competitions and recent campaigns. We value all of you and hope to see you soon at our new showroom.

Yours in ergonomics,

The Ergonomicsdirect Team

Follow us on instagram (@ergonomicsdirect)

Benefits of Using Standing Desk Mats at Work

By Wendy van Wyk, Registered Biokineticist

Standing while working has become a popular work approach. Many offices are adopting the use of ergonomic standing desks for their employees to adopt a healthy lifestyle, encouraging them to move as they work. They have equally become a popular home office fixture, now that working from home has become the new norm for many.

Equipping the standing workstations with complementary accessories further enhances a comfortable, safe, and active work environment. Anti-fatigue mats for standing desks allow users to stand for longer with fewer aches and pains.

As the name suggests, the purpose of anti-fatigue mats is to reduce fatigue on the legs and body, which can occur when standing for a long time on a hard surface. They are placed directly underneath your desk and should be readily available to move into position when you move from seated to standing.

Anti-fatigue mats come in many different versions but have the same benefits, here are some of the benefits that standing on an anti-fatigue mat can offer.

  1. Reduce Stress on the body. Rather than standing on a hard, solid surface like tile or concrete, if a worker stands on a standing mat, extra flexibility is added, much of the stress is relieved, resulting in a less exhausting working environment.
  2. Promote Better Blood Circulation. Anti-fatigue mats reduce stress on a person’s joints and muscles which makes the blood flow more evenly and regularly throughout the feet and legs.
  3. Prevents Joint Stiffness. Stiffness can be avoided as anti-fatigue mats allow you to make minor changes to your standing position.
  4. Reduced Lower Back Pain. Anti-fatigue mats can also alleviate pressure on the spine and alleviate the strain on the muscles, thus reducing lower back pain.
  5. Reduced Foot Pressure. Anti-fatigue mats prevent foot and leg pain by softening the floor surface, making it ergonomic.
  6. Increased Productivity. Removing pain and discomfort from the workplace makes good business sense since employees will perform more productively and with greater accuracy.

Our Ergonomicsdirect team can assist in doing an ergonomic assessment of your workstation, and can then advise which solutions and products will meet your specific requirements to reduce/prevent fatigue.

We stock a selection of standing mat options, which you can find on our online store. To view/shop our range of anti-fatigue standing mats, click here

Till next time, please stay safe out there.

Yours in Ergonomics
Wendy

References:
https://ergo-plus.com/resources 
https://www.safety.duke.edu/ergonomics/ergonomic-resources 

Affordable Ergonomic Festive Gift Ideas

Affordable Ergonomic Festive Gift Ideas

Are you struggling to find the ideal gift for a colleague or loved one for Christmas? We understand that shopping for others may not always be simple. To assist you with your holiday shopping, we have conveniently created a list of our 4 best-selling products (Under R1000), which we believe would be great gifting options.

These great products are suitable for both home and office working environments.

 

Curble Posture Corrector

Help a loved one improve their seated posture and reduce back pain.

RRP: R999, click here to read more/purchase yours today.

Ergo Flex Device Holder

RRP: R469, click here to read more/purchase yours today.

Position your phone or tablet while sitting on the couch, working at your desk, sitting or lying in bed, or even cooking in the kitchen! It is the ideal product if you watch movies or videos on your device or need easy access to your phone or tablet screen while at work.

With the use of the Ergo Flex you can at least ensure that you reduce the postural strain caused by the time spent on mobile devices.

The Ergo Flex can carry a maximum device weight of 700g. The adjustable device clamp can accommodate gadgets with a width range of between 125-225mm. The attachment clamp can be mounted onto desk edges with a thickness of up to 75mm. *Best Seller*

Both of these adjustable laptop stand options are compact and portable, and can be used to better position your laptop, tablet, books and more.

Ergo Anywhere Laptop Stand

Ergo Anywhere + Laptop Stand with USB ports

RRP: R369. Click here to read more or to purchase yours today.

RRP: R699. Click here to read more or to purchase yours today.

Ergonomic Footrest

Our height-adjustable footrests can,

  • Improve Seated Posture by helping you utilise your chair’s backrest.
  • Reduce Lower Back pain, footrests improve posture and reduce back pain by facilitating more ergonomic postural angles through the entire body.
  • Improve Circulation, using a footrest dramatically decreases the chance of developing circulatory issues.
  • Increase comfort levels, allowing you to rest your feet on a stable surface while working.

Kelly Footrest – RRP: R829.00. To read more/shop now, click here.

Ergo Dynamic Frame and Board Footrest – RRP: R799.00. To read more/shop now, click here.

Ergo Height Adjustable Footrest – RRP: R949.00. To read more/shop now, click here.

Investing in the health, comfort and productivity of your loved ones is a great way of showing them that you care. Spoil them with the gift that keeps on giving this December at Ergonomicsdirect.

Happy shopping, we wish you all a safe and jolly festive season.

 

Yours in Ergonomics,

The Ergonomicsdirect team.

3 Benefits of an Ergonomic Footrest

3 Benefits of an ergonomic footrest

By Austin Harichuran (Ergonomic Evaluator, Head of Digital and Marketing at Ergonomicsdirect)

This article is ideal if you’re interested in learning about the benefits of a footrest, or if you can relate/have experienced any of the following: (Swinging feet while sitting on a chair; back pain; poor posture; low productivity while working; fatigue; poor blood circulation; difficulties in concentration)

For a long time, ADHD has controlled my ability to focus and be present in the moment. Besides the mental impact it had on me, I’ve developed a few physical habits over the years which have been more challenging to get rid of.

Over the years, I’m happy to say that I’ve outgrown many of my mental challenges and I’m continuously aiming to improve myself whilst building new positive habits. From a young age, whenever I’d start to feel anxious or overwhelmed, my legs would start to shake rapidly and uncontrollably (imagine what campus life was like). Although emotions like anxiety aren’t exactly easy to outgrow, I’ve found a solution that helps control my anxiety and “happy feet” while I work.

Besides the major impact ergonomics has had on my ability to focus, to my surprise, I’ve found myself getting “attached” to some of my products – more specifically today, my ergonomic footrests.

Here are the 3 benefits that I’ve found while using a footrest

Promotes dynamic movement for my happy feet

The “Tap-dance Foot Dance” (when my feet are on the ground), or “Swinging-Leg Shoo Dance” (when feet are hanging about) has been distracting over the last FOREVER. Knowing how disruptive it is and not being able to control it has been distracting and quite embarrassing at times.

The Ergo Dynamic Frame and Board Footrest has been my top pick whenever my feet are in the mood to go somewhere, and I’m not. The easy-glide movement somehow allows my feet to dance around as they please. This allows me to stay at my desk longer without feeling the need to get up and walk about too frequently

Improves blood circulation

With my feet being as busy as they are, I’ve found that my feet tend to automatically go under my body onto the base of my chair. With the back of my knees then squashed against the seat pan for long periods, it’s no surprise that it affected my circulation, which caused pins and needles, along with fatigue. With my feet on a footrest, I no longer want to fall over when I get up from my desk. Happy to say – Monday only happens once a week for me now.

Reduces back pain, when used with an ergonomic chair

Back to basics. Because of the position of my feet, I wasn’t sitting right back in my chair and therefore wasn’t utilising the backrest or lumbar support my chair offers. This resulted in back pain, fatigue, and poor seating posture over time. A footrest helped push me further back in my chair, enabling me to use the backrest optimally.

I’ve found that after two weeks of using the Ergo Height Adjustable Footrest, I’ve started to feel more comfortable, sitting right back in my chair for longer periods. The Ergo height adjustable footrest is dynamic and moves/tilts as you move your feet and legs, and it also has above-average height settings.

For many years, footrests have been advertised as solutions for “shorter individuals” who work behind a desk. Although a footrest does provide a solid or dynamic higher platform on which individuals can rest their feet, it can be equally beneficial to taller individuals who require dynamic movement or improved circulation while seated.

In summary, my advice would be:

Maximise your chair’s lumbar support and reduce back pain by investing in an ergonomic footrest.

To view Ergonomicsdirect’s range of ergonomic footrests, please click here.

If you are experiencing any pain or discomfort while you work, please contact us – our Ergonomicsdirect team will be happy to assist you in selecting your ideal ergonomic workspace solutions.

Contact number: 021 426 2378

Email: info@ergodirect.co.za

Wishing everyone a happy October 2021.

Kind regards

Austin (Ergonomic Evaluator, Head of Digital and Marketing at Ergonomicsdirect)

Our working from home favourites

Our working from home favourites

Since the start of national lockdown in SA, there has been an increased demand for work from home equipment due to so many people having to work remotely. Below we have listed a few of our best-selling work from home products with a summary of the benefits that they offer to you and your workspace.

 

Ergo office chair with/without headrest

On-desk sit-stand workstations

  • Ergonomic chairs are fully adjustable to align with your height and workstation, ensuring that you remain in the correct sitting posture.
  • The reclining, lockable backrest has been designed to support the natural curvature of your spine. The headrest is optional – provides support for the head and neck.
  • It has sufficient padding and depth adjustability to reduce pressure behind your knees and allow proper circulation to the legs.
  • The introduction of ergonomic chairs has reported increases in productivity and work quality
  • Desktop workstations provide an easy way to transition between sitting and standing throughout the workday.
  • These spacious desks offer a deep work surface with a tablet slot and a wide keyboard tray.
  • These quality workstations offer smooth up and down motion, twelve height adjustment settings, and ergonomic monitor mount compatibility.
  • Ideal for compact offices.

Footrests

Laptop Stands

  • Footrests decrease the chance of developing circulatory issues.
  • Footrests improve posture and reduce back pain.
  • Footrests reduce posture-related musculoskeletal disorders resulting from computer work
  • The simple addition of a footrest can reduce strain and promote better posture, all while reducing leg discomfort.
  • Laptops are not ergonomically designed for prolonged use.
  • Use a laptop stand to raise the height of your laptop monitor.
  • Reduce the strain on your neck, back and eyes from looking down too much.
  • We strongly recommend the use of an external keyboard and mouse with your laptop stand.

You can find these and other amazing ergonomic products on our online store. At Ergonomicsdirect, we can assist in the assessment of your workspace and advise you on the correct products to improve your health comfort and productivity. To view our range, click here.

Yours in ergonomics,

Registered Biokineticist, Wendy van Wyk