You Asked for It
February/March 2005

Hello,

I work in an area where we have many people on computers as well as trades-people out in our plant. I took your course last may on office workstation assessments and have been able to help many people that sit at workstations all day long. What I am having trouble with is finding products to help the trades-people. Many of them wear a tool belt and find that the tool belt causes them back problems due to the weight. Are there any tool belts that you can recommend that would more easily distribute the weight to still allow them to carry what they need without causing the back problems they are experiencing?

Thank you.

Response:
(I didn’t know the answer to Alison’s question, so I asked my colleague Mike Harnett for her opinion.)

Hi Alison

There are so many types of tool belts that it’s hard to recommend any particular model. Some of the more important features to look for:

• Heavy duty fabric belts (avoid leather belts which are heavier and less flexible). Denier polyester or Anso Tex are good fabric choices that are lighter and hold up to wear and tear better than leather.
• Padding support
• Lining designed to wick away sweat
• Pockets on both sides of belt for balancing the load (or pockets that are adjustable in position)

Many tool belts now come with a shoulder harness, designed to help ease the load off of the hips and back by distributing it over the trunk, but it requires adjustment until you find right the shoulder-waist-hip distribution. Independent suspenders can also be purchased and attached to certain belt models. Make sure they are padded for shoulder comfort. Similar to the belt itself, the wider the straps, usually the more comfortable the device.

However, regardless of which belt the tradesmen use, it comes down to how they load them up. Some guys will put every tool they can think of in their belts. At the beginning of their shift, they should evaluate what tasks they have in front of them and remove those tools that are not necessary for that day. Secondly, they should learn to evenly distribute the weight of the tools across the belt.

Finally, some tradesmen will sling their belt over their shoulder rather than wear it. This is not a problem if they regularly switch the load from side to side.

Hope this helps!

Mike Harnett

Director of Operations
WorkSMART
2nd Floor, 3304 Parsons Road
Edmonton, AB T6N 1B5
Tel: 780-414-6436
Toll Free: 1-866-414-6436
www.worksmart.ca

MORE You Asked for It

I had a call asking about validation for the need for 5 casters on office chairs.

Reply:

Hi Fran

I was able to find 3 references in my own library referring to having 5 casters for safety, but no indication of the studies that support that position.

CAN/CSA - Z412 - M89: Office Ergonomics: A national standard for Canada. Section 5.4.1.9 states: "For protection against tipping, the base should have five casters over a diameter between 400 and 450 mm."

NOTE: this is not the most current edition. The 2000 edition does not refer to the number of casters, only the type of casters. I can only assume that they considered it a moot point as it is part of the ANSI / BIFMA manufacturing requirement. I have reviewed the ANSI/BIFMA standard, but do not personally have a copy.

Chaffin, D.B. and Andersson, G. Occupational Biomechanics. (1984)Page 317 in the chapter on The Sitting Workplace states: "Factors such as the number of feet on the chair, the base diameter, and the use of casters or wheels are necessary safety considerations. Five feet and a maximum horizontal radius of 350 mm to prevent tripping over the base of the chair. Casters should be used when chair movements are often required at the workplace."

Kroemer, K.H.E. and Grandjean, E. Fitting the Task to the Human (5th Edition): A textbook of occupational ergonomics. (1997) Page 82 in the chapter on The Design of Workstations states: "An office chair must fulfill all the requirements of a modern seat: adjustable height (380 - 540 mm), swivel, rounded front edge of the seat surface, castors at a five-arm base and user-friendly controls."

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