An Ergonomic Seat Helps Midwives Avoid Manual Handling Injuries

An extract from Worksafe Western Australia Safetyline Magazine, No. 26 May 1995.

The Bambach saddle seat is assisting midwives at King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women care for their patients, and helping them avoid manual handling hazards at work.

The adjustable ergonomic seat reduces postural stress for midwives helping new mothers breast-feed their babies. Midwives say the chair is easy to use, comfortable and lets them adopt a better working posture. They are able to move close to the mother and assist her with the baby without undue stress on their backs and arms.

The saddle shape of the seat is designed to place the body's centre of gravity above the pelvis, and place the hips at an angle of 35 to 40 degrees so that the body flexes forward at the hips and not the back. The seat angle and the seat height are fully adjustable. The seat can be moved easily in any direction on five castors and rotates freely.

Before the saddle seat was available, midwives had to bend over, or kneel on the floor, for long periods while helping mothers with their babies. The hospital trialed the seat in the obstetrics wards, concluded it was beneficial, and introduced it for permanent use by midwives in the hospital. It is now used to assist 90 per cent of mothers in obstetric Ward 12.