Therefore, Hitherto, And Ergonomics: Making Your Workspace More “User Friendly”:

Save to notebook Email article Print article More articles

By Mia Bolaris-Forget

It’s your home away from home and probably the place and the space you spend most of your time during the day.

In fact, your office, your desk (area) to be exact, can be your own little haven for eight hours a day, or it can contribute to aches, pains and fatigue, depending on how its set up.

So, here are a few suggestions on how to make your comfort zone more comfortable.

1. Improve Your Stance: One of the most important ways to improve working conditions is by improving your posture. Make sure you maintain a natural, neutral and relaxed position while seated at your workstation.

· Make sure ears, shoulders and hips are aligned to help preserve your back’s natural curvature.

· Keep shoulders down and relaxed (not raised up by your ears).

· Make sure your keep a parallel line between the floor and your forearms. Elbows should never have less than a 90-degree bend and should be kept close to your body while typing.

· Make sure wrists are flat and in line with your forearm. Consider a writstrest for the keyboard as well as a mouse for helping you maintain your neural wrist posture between periods of typing. And, try not to rest your wrists while your type. Instead, keep them elevated and in line with your forearm.

· Keep knees in line or a bit lower than your hips and at no less than a 90-degree angle. Also keep feet flat on the floor in front of you.

2. Properly Set Up Your Seat: Remember, that you are probably sedentary for most of the day, so it’s imperative that the position you sit in is a comfortable one.

· Make sure the height of your chair’s seat allows you to keep both feet flat on the floor with your hands comfortably on the keyboard. And, if the height of your keyboard demands you raise your chairs, experts suggest using a footrest.

· Adjust the backrest allowing for lower back support and making sure that it cradles the contour of your spine.

· Keep a 1-2 inch gap between the seat and the back of your knees to eliminate pressure on the underside of your knees while seated.

3. Tidy Up Your Work Space: Make your (work) life simple by organizing your work area and making sure you have easy access to the items you need and use the most.

· Arrange your monitor between 18 and 24 inches (arm’s length) away from you and directly in from of your keyboard. Also make sure that the first few lines of text are at eye level.

· If you use a document stand, it’s best to keep it at the same distance and height as your monitor.

· Keep keyboard and mouse within a few inches of your elbow height when elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle.

4. Additional Improvements: A few other options for making your workspace more “user friendly”.

· Walk around every so often. Experts suggest a 2-minute break each hour to stretch your legs, roll your shoulders and shake out your arms and hands.

· Rest your eyes by occasionally looking away from your monitor. Focus at a distant object or close them for about 15 to 30 seconds every half hour, hour or so.

· Alter the angle or tilt of your monitor to avoid glare from overhead lighting. Also clean your screen regularly to rid it of distractions such as dust and fingerprints.