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Home > Advice and how-to > Using your computer > Tips for designing a safe and comfortable workstation
Vision problems are one of the leading sources of complaints among office workers. Common complaints include eye strain and burning or itching eyes. Although lighting has often been sighted as one of the contributing factors, office work is not known to cause permanent vision or eye problems.
Contributing factors are:
A portable or local lamp can offer the advantage of allowing each worker to adjust the lighting level to her/his own personal preference. Glare on the computer screen can often be caused by sunlight or inappropriate lighting levels. Parabolic louvers, baffles, or indirect lighting may reduce glare. Windows can be covered with blinds, drapes, shades or filters. In many cases, reorientation of workstation may be all that is necessary to move sources of glare out of the line of sight.
Prolonged and repetitive motions and excessive force can cause muscle and joint problems. The parts of the body that office work most often affects are the back, arms, wrists, hands, neck and shoulders. Back problems can occur when workers use poorly adjusted chairs and work stations, and spend long periods working in one position. Overuse injury is an ongoing condition caused by the wearing down or deterioration of tissues that aid the body's movement.
The key to preventing posture problems is to avoid long periods working in one position and repeating the same motions.
One of the most crucial factors in comfort and performance in office work is the chair, as the majority of office workers spend most of their time sitting. The proper chair depends upon the fit between the worker and the job, but many chairs are now designed to fit multiple users and simply require adjustment. The proper adjustment of an office chair will improve body position and blood circulation, reduce muscular effort and decrease stress on the user's back. Chairs should swivel, have a breathable fabric on the seat, and have a rounded front edge.
Office chairs should be adjusted to allow the user to have the optimal spacial relationship with their worksurfaces. The following procedure will assist in obtaining the best arrangement for individual size and body proportions.
In most offices, the workstation consists primarily of a chair and a work surface. Three primary factors which play important roles are the specific job tasks, body size and equipment. The worker should have adequate workspace to perform each of the tasks required by the job. Lack of adequate space is one of the most frequent complaints. Individual body size must also be considered in the design of the workstation. The most crucial aspects to be considered will be the design and size of the chair, and the height and design of the workstation. The design will be largely affected by the type of equipment used by the worker. Standard equipment for office workers includes computers, and accommodation must be made for the monitor, the CPU (central processing unit), keyboard and mouse.
In order to keep the arms in a comfortable position, a lower than normal work surface may be required. The thickness and the slope of the keyboard are critical in determining the preferred height. The preferred working position for most keyboard operators places the forearms at a slight upward angle. This angle is about the same as that of the keyboard itself, which allows the hands to move easily over the keyboard.The upper arm should be nearly vertical and the lower arm nearly horizontal (90° angle). If a mouse is used, it should be positioned as close to the keyboard as possible and at a matching height. A preferred solution is to use a keyboard tray wide enough to place themouse adjacent to the keyboard.
Wrist rests should be called "wrist guides" because that's what they do: guide your wrists to keep them straight. Most people do what the misnomer implies and rest their wrists on them, which can lead to increased strain and injury. Wrists should not "sit" on the rest while working; rather, hover a half inch above the wrist rest. Take frequent minibreaks and rest the wrists when not typing.
To minimize the postural load on the muscles of the neck, the top of the monitor should be approximately the operator's eye level when the head is held up. If this is done when the head is at its natural position, the eyes will fall naturally to the middle of the screen. The monitor should be located in the central field of view. This will minimize postural fatigue by the frequent turning of the neck and shoulders. However, for data input, the source documents should be central, with the monitor more to the side. In terms of viewing distances, many operators find a viewing distance of about 500 mm (20 inches) comfortable. A document holder places the document in a similar plane to the monitor which can reduce eye strain.
Variety and movement keep you physically and mentally alert. The most interesting task can get boring if done for long periods of time, and the most comfortable chair isn't comfortable if the worker must sit in it for hours. To maintain good work habits, and reduce soreness, fatigue and stress while working at the computer:
Working overtime with the stress of deadlines often forces people to ignore and work through their pain or discomfort. Care and attention should be taken as soon as pain or discomfort is noticed. Generally, discomfort that goes away overnight is usually a sign of fatigue, pain that is continuous and does not go away is more serious and should be attended to by a qualified medical practitioner.
Excerpts taken from the University of British Columbia's HSE Safety Manual.