Ergonomics Evaluation of School Furniture Design For Primary School Children in Malaysia

Recent studies have highlighted the high prevalence of back pain that exists among schoolchildren. Community based studies of back pain in childhood indicated that low back pain does have a relatively high prevalence during school years which varies from country to country. Numerous aspects of the school environment may hinder the effective functioning of children due to pain and musculoskeletal discomfort (MSD). Children spend more than a quarter of a day in school, mostly sitting in the classroom. The design of the classroom, especially the chairs and desks influences the posture of schoolchildren. The traditional desk and chair design may not fit the varying sizes of the students. A study was conducted to evaluate the ergonomics risk factors for schoolchildren aged 712 years old through a questionnaire survey. The anthropometry measurements of the school children were also taken to evaluate the fit between the school furniture and their body dimensions. The dimensions of the current school furniture were also measured and a subjective comfort evaluation was made. Two different primary school locations were chosen for the survey. Among the 467 students surveyed, 275 complained that they experience body ache while studying. The anthropometry measurements were taken from 144 students (72 males and 72 females). To identify the degree of discomfort, the fit between the anthropometry data of the student and the current furniture (chair and desk) were modeled using CATIA V5 R14. A RULA analysis of the posture showed that postural stress is severe among the students. The study also found that seat height and desk height were not suitable for the 5 th %ile. Since the furniture used is the same for all ages, different furniture designs were required to prevent MSDs and injuries to the neck and back, especially for the seven and eight yearold schoolchildren.