With workplaces under scrutiny for occupational health and safety, and sedentary behaviour a concern to poor health, the sit /stand option is being looked at with interest.

Associate Professor David Dunstan, a VicHealth Public Health Research Fellow and the Head of the Physical Activity laboratory in the Division of Metabolism and Obesity at Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, is co-author of a VicHealth study released in March 2012 finding the average Australian office worker is spending up to 75 per cent of their working hours sitting down, increasing the risk of serious health problems and even early death.

Prolonged sitting and other sedentary behaviour have been found to be a serious risk factor, even for those workhorses meeting or exceeding national physical activity guidelines.

They have been linked to chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal disorders – health implications that are costing the Australian health system over $11 billion a year.

David Caple, a leading independent Australian Ergonomist and former president of the International Ergonomists Association says, “people need to get off their chairs… to generate blood flow… and maintain health.” An effective way to achieve this is to have a “desk being adjustable to standing or sitting height to maintain productivity”.

DDK has released the product to the Australian marketplace after rigourous testing, achieving the Australian Furniture Research and Development Institute (AFRDI) ‘Blue Tick’.

The touch-button electric drive assists the operation of the Selectric Desk to instantly set the desk height to the user’s desired requirements. “Height adjustability has been traditionally the requirement for shift work ‘hot-desking’ in 24/7 operations, with 3 users daily working from the same desk. This development in workplace requirements allows for the height range to move beyond a minimal range for the seated operator to the range required for sit/stand”, says Mark Watson, New Product Development Consultant for DDK.

Manufactured under license from a leading Scandinavian company, DDK has developed the desk to suit Australian workplace conditions and standards. Longevity is the key to the successful uptake of the market to sit/stand desking, and DDK’s 2-year warranty is a reflection of the confidence in the drive train.

DDK