Is yourchairheight adjustable?
- Is yourchair back adjustable up and down?
- Is yourchair back contouredtosupport thelower back?
- Is there room(1"- 4") betweenthe frontedge of the seatpan and the back of your knees?
- Do yourchairarmsinterferewithyougettingclosetoyour work?
- Do yourchairarmsallowyoutosit withyourshouldersrelaxed and not elevated?
- Do your feetrest flat on thefloor or are they supported bya foot rest?
- Are your knees bent formingapproximately a 90 degree or greaterangle?
Tobeseatedproperlyinyourchairyourfeetmustrestflatonthefloor.Useafootrestifyourchairdoesnotadjustlowenoughorifyourworksurfaceistoohigh.Thekeyistonotonlyhaveyourfeetflatonthefloor(orsupportedbyafootrest)butalsotohaveyourthighsparallelwiththeseatpansoyourlegsformapproximatelya90degree(orgreater)angleattheknees.
Ifyourchairbackadjustsupanddownand hasalowercontour(thelumbarsupport),adjustthebackofyourchairsothelumbarsupportfitsinthesmallofyourback.Ifthechairbackisadjustableforwardandbackward,adjusttheangletowhatiscomfortableforyou.Theangleyoupreferisrathersubjective;youshouldadjustthebackangleofyourchairsoyourtrunkandupperlegsformananglesomewherebetween94-115degrees.
If your chair has arms theyshould not interfere withyou getting close to your work.In addition,when you assumethe typing positionwithyourarmsrestingcomfortablyatyourside,thechairarmsshould beataheightwherethey justbarely contactyourelbows.Thechairarmsshouldnotnoticeablyelevateyourshouldersorforceyoutowingyourarmsouttousethem.
With your chair adjusted properly is your work surface at approximately elbow level?
- Are your shoulders relaxed and not elevated when you workat your work surface?
- When you address your work surface to type or write is there approximately a 90 degree
anglebetweenyourforearms and upper arms and are yourelbowsclosetoyourbody?
- When you address your work surface to type are your wrists in line withyour forearmsand notbentupwards, downwards, or side-to-side?
For the proper worksurface/keyboard height do the following: if your work surfaceis adjustable, firstadjust your chairas mentioned inthechairadjustmentsectionabove,thenwithyourarmsrestingcomfortablyatyourside,raiseyourforearmstoforma90degreeanglewithyour upper arms. Adjust yourworksurface so the homerow of yourkeyboard(the row which hasthe letters a,s, andd)is at approximatelyelbowlevel.Ifyourworksurfaceistoohighandnotadjustable,adjustyourchairtobringyourelbowstothehomerowlevelofthekeyboard.Ifyouraiseyourchairmakesureyourfeetareproperlysupported.
Is theviewingdistancetoyourcomputermonitorsomewherebetween 18"- 30"? (arms-length)
- Is thetop of yourcomputer screen ator just beloweyelevel?
- If your wear bifocals or trifocals, can you see thecomputermonitorwithout havingtotiltyourheadbacktoreadthescreenor otheritemsinyourworkarea?
- Is yourcomputermonitor free of glare or reflections?
Onceyouhaveyourchairandworksurfaceheightadjusted,adjustyourcomputermonitorsothetopofthescreenisatorjustbeloweyelevel.
Bifocalandtrifocalwearershavetopayparticularattentiontotheplacementoftheirmonitor.Wearersofbifocalsandtrifocalsoftenunknowinglytilttheirheadsbackwardssotheycanreadthescreenthroughthelowerportionoftheirglasses.Thiscansometimesleadtoneck,shoulder,andbackdiscomfort.Potentialsolutionsincludeeitherloweringyourcomputermonitororpurchasingglassesdesignedspecificallyforworkingatthecomputer.Ifglareisaproblemeitherreorientyourmonitororpurchaseaglarescreen.
4. / Workstation Accessory Arrangements / Yes / No / Is yourinput device(mouse,trackball,touchpad) at thesamelevel as yourkeyboard?
/ Do you have enough roomon your work surface for all your computer accessories?
/ Are your most frequently accessed items(e.g. phone, manuals, etc.) easy to reach?
/ Do you have an adjustable document holder to hold paper for prolongedcomputer inputting?
/ Do you have a wrist rest to support your wrists in a straight and neutral position?
/ Do your arms rest on, or contact any sharp or square edges on your work surfaces?
/ If a largepercentage of yourtimeinvolvesusing a phone do you use a phone headset?
Ifyouuseaninputdevice (mouse,trackball,touchpad,etc.)makesureitisatthesamelevelandatapproximatelythesamedistanceasyourkeyboard. Tryto keep your pointing device asclosetothecenterlineofyourbodyaspossible. Reachingforyourinputdevice orhavingitatahigherlevelthanyourkeyboardcancauseproblems.Keyboarddrawersorothertypesofkeyboardsupportdevicescanincreasetheamountofdeskspacebutcancauseotherproblems.Oneproblem withkeyboarddrawersandothertypesofkeyboardsupportsisthattheyforceyoufurtherawayfromyourprimaryworksurface,putyourmouseatahigherlevel,andforceyoutoreachtouseyourmouseandotheraccessories.Anotherproblemwiththesetypeofdevicesisthattheyofteninterferewiththethighclearanceunderyourworksurface.
Keepyourmostfrequentlyaccesseditemsclosetoyoutominimizetheamountofreachingyouhavetodo.Ifyoutypeandreferencematerialfrompaperyoushouldconsiderusingadocumentholderorslantboard.Placethedocumentholderatthesamedistanceandheightasyourcomputermonitor.Thedocumentholderwillhelpinkeepingyourheadoveryourspineandcanpreventorrelieve neck,shoulder,andbackdiscomfort.
Apaddedwristrestmadeoutoffirmfoamor a commercially available gel pad willtakesomeoftheloadoffyourneck,shoulder,andbackmuscles;keepyourwristinastraightandneutralpositionwhiletyping;andkeepyourarmsoffthesharpedgesoftheworksurface.Ideallythewristrestshouldbeconstructedsothepadheightmatchesthefront(toe)heightofyourkeyboard.
Talkingonthephonewithyourneckbenttoholdthereceivercancauseneck,shoulder,andbackdiscomfort.Ifyou'reonthephoneafairamountoftime,aphoneheadsetcanpreventyoufrombendingyourneckandpreventorrelieveneck,shoulder,andbackdiscomfort.
5. / WORK HABITS / Yes / No / Do youtake shortand frequentbreaks everyat least everyhour?
/ Are you free fromexperiencing any painor discomfort whileworking?
It'simportanttotakeabreakfromworkingatyourcomputer.Repetitiousstaticwork(workingatacomputer)isveryfatiguingonyourupperextremitiesaswellasyoureyes.Yourbodyneedsperiodicbreakstorestandrecover.Takingabreakdoesnotmeanyouhavetostopworking,youcouldmakeatriptothecopier,talktoacolleague,makesomephonecalls,etc.
It isalsoveryimportanttochangepositions periodically. Sitting in one position or leaningon your arms for an extended period of time caninterferewithcirculation.Movingaroundcanhelpwithcirculationandpreventyoufromputtingpressureononelocationforanextendedperiodoftime.
Becarefulwithwhatyoudooutsideofwork.Repetitivestressfulactivitiesoutsideofwork(e.g.homeimprovementprojects, hobbiesthatrequirerepetitivemotion,etc.)canleadtorepetitivemotioninjuriesaswell.Graduallybuildupyourstrengthandendurancewhenyoubeginanewtask.