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; Edit ArticleHow to Sit at a Computer Sitting at a computer for long periods of time can take a toll on your body. By not sitting with the correct posture, it is easy to end up with back pain, neck pain, knee pains, and a tingling of the hands and fingers. Here are some tips on maintaining good ergonomics and staying comfortable at your desk during the day. Note: A 2006 study indicated that rather than an up-right position a more relaxed one at 135 degrees is suggested to relieve lower back pain. Sit close to your keyboard. Adjust the keyboard height. Adjust the tilt of your keyboard based on your sitting position. Position your monitor properly. Adjust the monitor and any source or reference documents so that your neck is in a neutral, relaxed position. Center the monitor directly in front of you, above your keyboard. Position the top of the monitor approximately 2-3” above your seated eye level.
If you wear bifocals, lower the monitor to a comfortable reading level. Sit at least an arm's length away from the screen and adjust the distance for your vision. Reduce any glare by carefully positioning the screen, which you should be looking almost straight at, but partially looking down. Adjust any curtains or blinds as needed. Adjust the vertical screen angle and screen controls to minimize glare from overhead lights. Position the source documents directly in front of you, and use an in-line copy stand. An articulating keyboard tray can provide optimal positioning of input devices. However, it should accommodate the mouse, enable leg clearance, and have an adjustable height and tilt mechanism. The tray should not push you too far away from other work materials, such as your telephone If you do not have a fully adjustable keyboard tray, you may need to adjust your workstation height and the height of your chair, or use a seat cushion to get in a comfortable position.
Remember to use a footrest if your feet dangle. Take small breaks during your workday to release some of that muscle tension. Studies have shown that constant sitting is very damaging to your health. Try walking around for a couple minutes, standing and doing stretches—anything to break up a full day of sitting on your bottom is good for you! Take short 1-2 minute stretch breaks every 20-30 minutes. After each hour of work, take a break or change tasks for at least 5-10 minutes. Always try to get away from your computer during lunch breaks. Avoid eye fatigue by resting and refocusing your eyes periodically. Look away from the monitor and focus on something in the distance. Rest your eyes by covering them with your palms for 10-15 seconds. Use correct posture when working. Keep moving as much as possible. Exercise your hand by pushing on top of your fingers, and using backward resistance movements. It's very important to stand and walk around while sitting for 30 minutes, because prolonged sitting can cause pelvic nerve pain.
Also, years of prolonged sitting can lead to other health problems. That 1-2 minute break after 30 minutes isn't that bad when it helps to prevent other pain and possible serious issues. Other techniques to reduce glare include use of optical glass glare filters, light filters, or secondary task lights Make sure that your chair is at the right position to help prevent back problems in the future. Avoid using excessively wide wrist rests, or wrist rests that are higher than the space bar of your keyboard. Get a timer application to remind you when to take a break. Take the break when the timer goes off or immediately after the current task. If the task takes long than 10 mins to finish, take the 1-2 minute break. A way to stop eyestrain is the 20, 20, 20 rule. Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet (6.1 m) away for 20 seconds. If your wrist hurts frequently while typing try the Dvorak keyboard setup. You may get stiff muscles if you are sitting in front of a computer too long.