Office ergonomics: Your how-to guideA comfortable work space can help you feel your best. Give your sitting work area a makeover with this visual guide to office ergonomics.By Mayo Clinic Staff If you sit behind a desk for hours at a time, you're not doomed to a career of neck and back pain or sore wrists and fingers. Proper office ergonomics — including correct chair height, adequate equipment spacing and good desk posture — can help you and your joints stay comfortable at work. Ready to give your work space a makeover? Get started making your sitting workstation comfortable with this visual guide to sitting workstation ergonomics. Choose a chair that supports your spinal curves. Adjust the height of your chair so that your feet rest flat on the floor or on a footrest and your thighs are parallel to the floor. Adjust armrests so your arms gently rest on them with your shoulders relaxed. Keep key objects — such as your telephone, stapler or printed materials — close to your body to minimize reaching.
Stand up to reach anything that can't be comfortably reached while sitting. Place your mouse within easy reach and on the same surface as your keyboard. While typing or using your mouse, keep your wrists straight, your upper arms close to your body, and your hands at or slightly below the level of your elbows. Use keyboard shortcuts to reduce extended mouse use. If possible, adjust the sensitivity of the mouse so you can use a light touch to operate it. Alternate the hand you use to operate the mouse by moving the mouse to the other side of your keyboard. If you frequently talk on the phone and type or write at the same time, place your phone on speaker or use a headset rather than cradling the phone between your head and neck. If your chair is too high for you to rest your feet flat on the floor — or the height of your desk requires you to raise the height of your chair — use a footrest. If a footrest is not available, try using a small stool or a stack of sturdy books instead.
Under the desk, make sure there's clearance for your knees, thighs and feet. If the desk is too low and can't be adjusted, place sturdy boards or blocks under the desk legs. If the desk is too high and can't be adjusted, raise your chair. Use a footrest to support your feet as needed. If your desk has a hard edge, pad the edge or use a wrist rest. Don't store items under your desk. Place the monitor directly in front of you, about an arm's length away. The top of the screen should be at or slightly below eye level. The monitor should be directly behind your keyboard. If you wear bifocals, lower the monitor an additional 1 to 2 inches for more comfortable viewing. Place your monitor so that the brightest light source is to the side. Workstations components — Monitors. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Accessed March 17, 2016. Workstations components — Pointer/mouse. Workstations components — Telephones. Workstations components — Desks. Workstations components — Chairs.
ANSI/HFES 100-2007: Human Factors Engineering of Computer Workstations. Santa Monica, Calif.: Human Factors and Ergonomics Society; You spend hours at a time at your desk, so hopefully you're sitting in a comfortable chair. If not, it might be time for an upgrade. This week, we wanted to know which office chairs you thought were the best of breed, either because they offer great value, great comfort, or great ergonomics. Here are the top five, based on your nominations. Earlier in the week, we asked you which office chairs you thought were the best of breed—the ones you'd suggest to anyone with a home office or who just spends a lot of time at their desk. We tallied up those nominations and picked out the top five in the category: The poll is closed and the votes are counted! To see which of the top five you decided was the absolute best, head over to our weekly hive five followup post to see and discuss the winner! Probably one of the most famous office chairs in the world, the Aeron chair set a new standard for ergonomics and comfort when it was released.
It also set a new bar for price: new models retail for over $1200, although they can usually be found in the $6-800 range, cheaper if you buy used from individuals or office supply stores. The Aeron's design is so popular that companies around the world order them by the hundreds, and the Aeron has a permanent installment at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Even though it looks sharp and is extremely comfortable, it was initially designed in 1994, and recent studies that point out the dangers of sitting for eight hours at a time also note that the Aeron may not be as ergonomic as we'd hoped over long sitting sessions. Still, it has a huge fan base, is comfortable, adapts to virtually anyone who sits in it, gives up foam and padding for woven mesh, and is highly customizable. new AmazonBox( 'B003M1C7XW', 'wide' ) The Embody, Herman Miller's next generation office chair, was designed by one of the original designers of the Aeron. It takes a more modern approach, and hones in on ergonomics and full-back support.
Any complaints about the Aeron's ergonomics were largely addressed in the Embody, as it's back can be independently adjusted and moved separately from the base and arms of the chair. It's still a pricey model, running retail between $1000 and $1500 depending on the finish, color, and fabric you choose, but it's easily one of the most comfortable chairs you'll ever sit in. The back conforms to your shape using what Herman Miller calls "Pixelated Mesh," with multiple points of flexibility all along the length of the chair back. Some people complain the Embody has subpar lumbar support due to its spine-like back, and its controls and settings are a bit more complicated than the Aeron, but—full disclosure—as someone who owns one, it's the best chair I've ever owned. The Steelcase Leap earned praise from many of you for being more affordable than some other options, its sturdy, long-lasting construction, and its incredible customization options. The Leap is a bit more of a task chair than some others, but it's exceptionally comfortable, and the design makes sure your whole back is supported, even in the non-high-back models.
It was designed with ergonomics in mind, and a special breathable foam padding that airs itself out through special slots on the back and bottom of the chair so it doesn't get too hot during long work sessions. Rather than conform to you, Steelcase designers gave you individual control over everything from the arm height to the seat depth, so the Leap at your desk really is just for you. They retail for close to $1100, but they can easily be found in the $7-900 range new, even cheaper used. I was lucky enough to sit in a Leap every day at my last job, and it's just as sturdy and customizable as the marketing promos say, and comfortable over long periods, too. The Raynor Ergohuman series was designed primarily for people who sit in their chairs for long periods of time working long hours. The design may not win any artsy awards, but its customizable components, add-ons, and independent control over the seat height, arm height, headrest, and rocker tension are impressive. Many of you praised the breathable mesh and leather upholstery, high back, and comfortable headrest.
The Ergohuman also features a slightly wider seat pan than most other chairs, perfect for...wider butts, as it were. The series isn't just for the wider among us though—it's ideal for taller folks who want decent back support as well. Raynor just unveiled the Ergohuman v2, which offers a number of improvements in design, ergonomics, and weight capacity. The v1 will run you between $6-700, and the v2 between $7-800 retail. The $199 IKEA Markus is a high-backed chair that comes in a variety of colors and your choice of leather or padded fabric, with a mesh back for breathability. Compared to some of the others here, the Markus is lacking in features and customizability, but if you sit in one for a while, you'll find it remarkably comfortable (I was thinking about getting one myself before I got my Embody.) It is height adjustable and can tilt and lock, but don't expect to independently adjust the armrest width or height, or change the seat depth. The curved design and the mesh back to support your back, however, and the seat pan isn't really deep enough for you to slouch or sit improperly, so it does enforce good posture.
If you're on a budget but want a quality desk chair, it's a great bang-for-your-buck office chair.Now that you've seen the top five, it's time to put them to an all-out vote to determine which one you all think is the best.This week's honorable mention goes to the simple exercise ball, which many of you praised for is comfort (once you're used to it), it's flexibility, and the fact that it pretty much enforces proper posture by nature. Plus, the fact that they're widely available for little cash (compared to the top five, anyway) makes them an attractive option for home office workers on a budget. Also worth mentioning is the Herman Miller Mirra, the most affordable of the Herman Miller chairs (Retail ~$1000, available ~$700) but also one of the most space-saving and comfortable options available. Have something to say about one of the contenders? Want to make the case for your personal favorite, even if it wasn't included in the list? Remember, the top five are based on your most popular nominations from the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week.