This picture contains a checklist of areas to
consider
when setting
up your workstation. Click on the numbers to learn more about each
piece of office equipment and how to use it properly.
If you would like an assessment done by a
professional
staff, please follow directive given in our Ergonomic
Assessment program
Neck should remain vertical; try not to cradle phone between head and
shoulder.
Risk Factors:
Talking on the phone while doing other tasks and holding the phone
between the neck and shoulder.
How to Reduce Risks:
Private office: use speaker phone, head set or phone rest.
Open office: use head set or phone rest.
All offices: hold phone with one hand.
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Use if feet do not touch the floor when seated.
Risk Factors:
Thigh angle not parallel to floor.
How to Reduce Risks:
Use footrest for support or lower the height of the keyboard to allow
the feet to touch the floor.
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- Should provide back support.
- Chair size appropriate for person.
- Arm rests absent or support arms.
- Chair should be adjusted to fit
individual.
- Chair design appropriate for the task.
Risk Factors:
- Chair is too large and individual sits
at
end or on one side of the chair.
- Chair is too small.
- Chair does not support lower back.
- Chair shared by two people and does
not have
pneumatic height adjustment.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Get smaller chair, narrower seat,
sliding
seat pan, arms
with vertical and horizontal adjustment, and use chair back that has an
adjustable tilt.
- Get larger chair and arms with
adjustable
width; longer
and wider seat pan and higher back; get chair with better construction.
- Adjust back height (the back rest will
often
fall to the
bottom), get lumbar rest for short term solution, get chair with better
back support.
- Purchase chair with pneumatic height
adjustment or use two chairs set at different heights.
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Wrist should be straight and fingers relaxed.
Risk Factors:
- Mouse located on desk near monitor far
from
keyboard.
- Wiggling wrists while moving mouse.
- Mouse sticks, making it difficult to
maneuver.
- High mouse use.
- Current mouse design does not work.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Change location to bring mouse at or
slightly above keyboard height and same distance away from keyboard.
- Move mouse to left side of keyboard.
- Move from elbow and not from wrist.
- Clean mouse ball.
- Use control keys or macros for
repetitive
tasks and switch side to side.
- Try an alternative mouse; individual
preferences vary widely.
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Keyboard:
- Keys do not stick.
- Keyboard at elbow height.
Risk Factors:
- Keys stick on keyboard.
- Keyboard too high.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Fix keyboard or purchase a new one.
- Several alternative keyboards
available and
individual preferences vary widely.
- Raise chair, install keyboard drawer,
lower
desk.
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Wrist Rest:
The wrist rest should support the palm and allow
the
person to type with the wrist in a neutral position.
Individuals who were taught to type or play piano may not need or want
a wrist rest.
Risk Factors:
- Wrist rest is too low.
- Gel in wrist rest is distorted.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Use different wrist rest.
- Fix gel in wrist rest.
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Keyboard Drawer:
Risk Factors:
- Only holds keyboard.
- Fixed height.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Replace with wider platform to
accommodate
mouse./li>
- OK if comfortable.
- Adjustable height with optional tilt
is best.
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Used by persons who do heavy word processing. The
choice
of the type
of document holder and location is dependant on the type of documents
viewed and the length of time the documents are viewed.
Risk Factors:
- The documents are flat on the desk.
- Documents are frequently transferred
and the
document holder is beyond arms length.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Place documents on a document holder.
The
documents should
be in a position that is easy to reach and does not cause the neck to
be in a poor posture.
- Bring the document holder closer to
the
person; do not use a clip on document holder.
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Watch head position when person looks at text on
word
processing
program. Should be looking straight ahead, not at an angle or tipped
back.
Risk Factors:
- Monitor sitting up on
CPU, causing head to tilt back.
- Neck tilted back while reading text on
monitor.
- Monitor won't tilt.
- Monitor too high when placed flat on
desk.
- Monitor off to side or documents on
table or
off to side and person complains of neck discomfort.
How to Reduce Risks:
- If individual does not have bifocals
or
trifocals place monitor so that top of the screen is at eye level.
- Monitor too high - lower monitor or
get
gradual bifocals, flip focals or computer glasses.
- Move monitor side to side then push
down or
up.
- Remove tilt mechanism and prop front
of
monitor with 1 inch high support.
- If document is viewed more frequently
than
the monitor, place the document directly in front.
Glare Screen
Risk Factors:
- Fabric mesh glare screen - the letters
of
the text are distorted.
- Strong overhead glare on the screen.
- Strong light from glaring directly on
the
screen.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Use a glare screen that does not
distort the
viewing of the letters.
- Place a cover over the monitor to
prevent
light on the screen.
- Sometimes a glare screen will not
work;
reposition the monitor or shield the light source.
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Risk Factors:
- High intensity light in area with
computer
use.
- Insufficient light on paper.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Reduce light.
- Add a task light to focus on the
document
but not the computer monitor.
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Desk
At least 30 inches deep with the keyboard and
monitor on
the table. The keyboard near elbow height.
The table should be thin enough for the legs to fit under the table
without touching the bottom of the table.
Risk Factors:
- Sharp edge on table and creases on the
forearms.
- The pencil drawer will often make the
desk
too thick and need to be removed.
- Monitor and keyboard can not fit in
front of
each other on desk.
- Computer on typewriter return. The
monitor
is too close
too view comfortably. Sometimes the monitor will be placed at an angle
to the keyboard.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Use palm rest or attach soft edge to
end of
table. Purchase table with round edge.
- Cover the sharp edges exposed under
the desk
when the drawer is removed.
- Use a table 30 inches deep if the
monitor
and keyboard is placed on the desk, 24 inches if a keyboard drawer is
used.
- Desk is too low and too narrow for
monitor
and keyboard.
Raise the height of the return to approximately 29 inches and install
keyboard drawer or remove return and get new desk.
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Corrective Eyewear
The person should be able to read the text on the
screen
while looking straight ahead.
With a trifocal, the middle lens should allow the screen to be in
focus. The focal length should be 20 to 30 inches.
Discrete bifocal correction for reading glasses has a focal length of
15 inches. The top of the screen will need to be below eye level.
Gradual bifocal correction for reading glasses has a focal length that
starts at 15 inches and gradually increases. The top of the screen will
usually be below eye level.
If the person is a heavy computer user, separate computer glasses may
be necessary. Objects greater than 3 feet away will probably be blurry.
Risk Factors:
- Head tilted back while viewing screen.
- Head leaning forward to view text.
- Eyes greater than 36 inches away from
the
screen.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Person probably has discrete bifocals.
Improve the neck
position by lowering the monitor height, switching to gradual bifocals,
or using computer glasses.
- Bring the monitor closer. Suggest that
the
individual have vision checked.
- The individual may be farsighted and
will
need bifocals soon. They should be reevaluated when they have their new
eyeglasses.
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Writing
Risk Factors:
- Heavy amounts of writing on a surface
that
is too low or too high.
- No space for writing and person uses
lap.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Use surface that allows arms and
shoulders
to be in the proper position. Angle the writing surface to reduce
shoulder strain.
- Acquire a table to write on.
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Stapler
Risk Factors:
How to Reduce Risks:
- Use ergonomic design stapler.
- Use electric stapler.
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Job Variety/Exercise
Risk Factors:
- No variety at work with very sedentary
tasks.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Redesign job tasks and increase
exercise
outside of work.
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Home Office
Risk Factors:
- Home office is poorly designed.
- Heavy computer use at home along with
heavy
computer use at work.
How to Reduce Risks:
- Design home office using above
guidelines.
- Lower the amount of computer use and
increase stretching exercises.
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Other Repetetive Activities
Risk Factors:
- Many repetitive activities at work and
home.
- Reduce repetition or focus repetition
on
different muscle groups.
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