I think the 29” Height desktop is a factor in poor office ergonomics
Even though it is the de facto 'standard' for many North American furniture manufacturers I think it is a poor choice. Here's why.
For many people 29” is too high and the height conflicts with ergonomic best practices :
- it places the mouse / keyboard too high and risks creating wrist, elbow and shoulder problems
- it places the monitor(s) too high forcing an upward viewing angle instead of the recommended downward angle
- for shorter people it places the seated height too high maintain a 90⁰ hip angle with feet flat on the floor
THE 29” WORKAROUND (making the best with what you have)
Several products partly address the shortcomings of the fixed-height 29” worksurface :
- Keyboard arms, to lower wrists below work surface height
- Chairs that raise and lower users’ seated height
- Monitor arms for re-positioning monitors
.… But These Products Are Not a Complete Solution
- Keyboard arms are bulky, they increase the office size ‘footprint’ and they are expensive
- Chairs may help with seated posture but they don’t address the problem of a work surface that is too high and they are expensive
- Monitor arms allow better positioning of monitors but do not allow for the recommended downward viewing angle if the work surface is too high to begin with
... And They Don't Get People Standing Up While They Work!
