Repetitive strain injury (RSI), back strain and eye strain can affect productivity in the workplace. We take a look at some simple ways to ensure that your office workstations support good health and improve worker productivity.
Desks
Avoid storing items such as the tower for your desktop under desks as they may prevent you from enjoying adequate leg room. Desks should be able to accommodate a variety of working postures. Your desk needs to provide sufficient space to place your monitor at least 20 inches in front of you.
Keyboards
Keyboards should be positioned directly in front of you. Your shoulders should be relaxed and your upper arms should be free at your sides. Your elbows should be level with your keyboard's spacebar. Turn your chair sideways to test.
The ideal typing position is with your forearms parallel to the floor or lightly tilted downwards, your wrists straight and your fingers relaxed. This position puts minimum strain on your muscles, nerves and tendons.
Avoid resting your wrists on any surface while you type. This habit is a major cause of repetitive strains as it forces you to bend your wrists and stretch your fingers.
Monitor your monitor
Your monitor should be positioned directly in front of you at arm's length. Check that when you work on a document, the top line of text is located just below eye level when you look straight ahead at the screen. Don't forget that you'll need to reposition your monitor if you change the position of your chair.
Avoid eye strain
'Computer vision syndrome' - eye-strain caused by computer use - can be avoided by following some simple rules:
- Exercise your eyes by periodically refocusing on objects at varying distances away from your computer screen.
- Adjust the brightness control on your monitor downwards. Focusing on a monitor that's at full brightness for long periods of time can cause eyestrain.
- Adjust the contrast on your monitor to make the characters more distinct from the background - this will place your eyes under less strain.
- Make sure your monitor isn't flickering - a common cause of eyestrain - by adjusting its refresh rate.
- To avoid glare, make sure you position monitors away from windows and strong light sources whenever possible.
- Rest your eyes by covering them with your palms for 10-15 seconds at a time at intervals.
Mind the mouse
If you position your mouse too high, too far away, or at too difficult an angle, your upper arm will be forced away from your body every time you click. Over time, this poor positioning will place strain on your shoulder and cause fatigue. Make sure you can use your mouse without having to stretch and with your elbow comfortably bent.
Take care with your chair
Your office chairs should be stable and adjustable in height and tilt. Ideally, the seat back should move independently of the seat as this allows for more comfortable seating. Consider a separate back support if you feel you need more stability.
Posture
When you are sitting down, check that your thighs are either at right angles to your body or sloping slightly downwards. Your feet should be firmly on the floor. Plant your feet on the floor and use them to support your back. It's important to get up and stretch at least once an hour, but ideally every 30 minutes. This will reduce stress and the likelihood of repetitive strain injury.
Acoustics
A healthy office isn't just about posture and the way you position your monitor. Acoustics play a huge role too, with phones, computers, fax machines, photocopiers and other devices all contributing to worker stress levels.
In April 2006, the European Union brought in its Noise at Work regulation with the aim of protecting employees' hearing. The law stipulates that employers must implement safety measures to keep daily average sound exposure below 85dB for their staff. In reality most workplaces fall well below that threshold, but that doesn't mean you can't do anything to reduce acoustic stress. Try these tips:
- Try to position desks away from photocopiers and other noisy devices.
- Avoid straining your ears while on the phone by using a headset. Headsets reduce background noise and provide a calmer working environment.
- Replace wooden floors with carpet to muffle sound. Plants can also reduce ambient noise by absorbing and diffusing sound waves.
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