Your Healthy Office

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the study of how people interact with their activities and their environment. The purpose of ergonomics is to improve health and safety, prevent injuries and improve productivity.

Office ergonomics can help a person be more comfortable at work, reduce stress on the body, and reduce injuries caused by prolonged awkward positions and repetitive tasks at an office workstation. Office ergonomics focuses on how the workstation is set-up – the placement of the desk, computer monitor, chair and associated tools such as a computer keyboard and mouse. It also examines a person’s job surroundings, including the work surface, lighting or noise level.

Injury and illness are common in the workplace and costly to both you and your employer. Not only do they reduce your quality of life, but they also reduce your ability to be efficient and productive. Most job-related injuries are caused by falls, repetitive movements, awkward postures, reaching, bending over, lifiting heavy objects and applying pressure or force. Office ergonomics can help you be more comfortable at work while reducing stress and injury caused by awkward positions and repetitive tasks.

Below are a few ergonomic principles and exercises you can do to keep yourself healthy at the office.

Office Ergonomic Principles 

Chair

• Set the height of your chair to allow support of your feet with a footrest or if your workstation height will allow, place them flat on the floor supporting your feet and lower legs only.
• Make sure the angle between your torso and legs is greater than 90 degrees.
• Allow 2-4″ of space between the waterfall front of the seat cusion and the back of your knee.
• Relax your shoulders.
• Suport your forearms while keeping your elbows and wrists in a neutral position with your wrists at or below elbow height.
• Position the backrest nearly upright, or slightly reclined if you have head support.
• Fine tune the backrest to provide full support of your lumbar curve.

Keyboard

• Adjust the keyboard to keep your arms, wrists and hands in a straight line. Your hands should be slightly lower than your elbows.
• Place the mouse and keyboard at the same height with the mouse close to the keyboard.
• Allow sufficient clearnace below the keyboard for your knees and legs to move (at least 1-2″)

Monitor

• Place the monitor directly in front of the keyboard (centered on “g/h” split of keyboard) with the top of the screen at or below eye level (at least 24″ from eyes).
• Adjust the screen angle to eliminate glare.
• Use a document holder to place documents as close to the monitor as possible, preferably at the same height and viewing distance from your eyes.
• Illuminate your documents properly with direct task lighting.
• To reduce eye strain, avert your eyes from the monitor periodically and focus on distant objects.

Exercises 

Hands & Wrists
To stretch your wrists, hold one arm in front of you with the elbow straight. With the other arm, slowly bend the wrist down and then slowly bend it back up. Repeat this exercise for three to five repetitions with each hand.