Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1546135
32 FA L L 2 0 2 6 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y As audio professionals, we tend to think in terms of the tools we need to do our jobs. But we don't think in terms of the human factor of ergonomics: How does the space fit you? According to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, "Ergonomics is concerned with the application of what we know about people—their abilities, characteristics, and limitations—to the design of products they use, the environments in which they live and work, and the jobs they perform." Here is an illustrative Venn diagram from the International Ergonomics and Human Factors Association because who doesn't love a great Venn diagram? SITTING POSITION Colleen Carroll is an adjunct assistant professor of clinical occupational therapy at USC. Colleen has a unique perspective on sound studios and ergonomics: Her husband, Joshua Reinhardt, is an ADR mixer and b y C h a r l e s D a y t o n C A S M P S E STUDIO ERGONOMICS Since the lockdown in 2020, many of us have either started building or have built a personal edit or mix room. In the planning process, I often see posts on social media asking about the best kind of monitor, monitor controller, control surface, soundproofing and acoustical treatment, software, etc. Then I see the pictures of finished studios. These rooms look professional, well equipped … and painful. Speaking from personal experience, I see futures of neck and back pain. I see carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, eye fatigue, and any number of creeping, long-term physical and mental issues with these workspaces. sound editor. "In studios particularly, but with just about anyone who works at a desk, there's little awareness around body mechanics and how they come into play when people start experiencing issues like back injuries and neck issues. It's not typically on people's radar." She had her husband, Joshua, trade his conventional desk for a standing desk and anti-fatigue mat. This isn't a scenario for everyone. I couldn't stand and work, but for some, it's a solution. "It's good to take quick, short breaks where you're standing in between periods of sitting," Carroll observes. "The standing desk helped him." Making sure your sitting position is optimal is equally important, she adds. "There's no one specific chair that anyone will recommend, especially ergonomists. It really depends on the person and their body. What we look at instead is the positioning of your joints. You want to make sure that your elbows are near your side and at 90 degrees, and your knees are at 90 degrees—that you're basically bearing weight through your feet. Make sure your feet are touching the ground; your chair doesn't go all the way to your knees. You want about two inches from your knees so that you're bearing weight through your thigh bones, along with some kind of lumbar support so your pelvis is in a neutral place of alignment. Adjustable armrests are advisable so you're bearing weight through your forearm and also making sure to have some support under your wrists, like a wrist cushion or similar. Neck support will help your neck stay in alignment as well." An all-too-common assumption is that investing in a Herman Miller Aeron chair will resolve your studio's ergonomic issues.