Abstract
Problem statement: This study is an investigation of the mismatch between chair and desk dimensions and student body dimensions. Approach: The objective of this study was to determine whether design improvement and further study is required in order to improve the conditions in Malaysian primary schools. Results: The supplied standard government issued classroom furniture was measured and anthropometrics measurements data were collected from 300 students from three pilot study schools in Kuantan, Pahang covering the age group between 13-17 years. The pilot data indicate a substantial degree of mismatch between the student body dimensions and the classroom furniture. The chair is either too high or too deep for the students. The data also shows that the desk is too high for most of the students. The variability between gender and age was found to have profound impact on the mismatch levels. Conclusion/Recommendations: The result is of great concern which could pose students with the risk of having back problems in the future.
Highlights
Malaysian school children spend a large part of their day sitting in a classroom environment comprising the normal school hours as well as the almost daily routine of tuition classes
The design of chairs and desks for the workplace has been studied with great interest and yet little interest has been shown in a school which under the Malaysian OSHA Act constitutes as part of the workplace whereby the students must be given the same attention (Malaysian Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1994)
The classroom furniture were provided by the government which is assumed to be designed to fit student body dimension this study found that the design of chairs and desk may not have been done through proper ergonomics considerations which cause these mismatches to arise
Summary
Malaysian school children spend a large part of their day sitting in a classroom environment comprising the normal school hours as well as the almost daily routine of tuition classes This prolonged sitting posture most often without support from a backrest makes them susceptible to risk of suffering negative effects from badly design and ill fitting furniture (Evans et al, 1992). This study was conducted not to determine the existence of back problems among student but to asses the fitness of the chair and desk which could be an indicator of possible back problems among students This pilot investigation examines the possible mismatches between the individual body dimensions of Malaysian primary students and the standard classroom furniture made available to them by the school authorities. This study would help in establishing and motivating the necessary further studies in classroom ergonomics with special attention to chair and desk
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