Get the Correct Fit

How to be Supported by your Equipment

At their workstation, an employee should be supported by their equipment in a neutral position to minimize excessive muscle activity. 

Sitting while leaning forward produces an 85% increase in lumbar disc pressure over standing relaxed.

Chair:

1. Raise or lower the seat to ensure your thighs are parallel to the floor with your feet flat on the floor or a footrest. Raise or lower your armrests so your elbows are just over 90 degrees and your shoulders are kept down.
2. Adjust seat pan depth to maintain two inches of clearance between the back of your knees and the front edge of the seat.
3. Adjust backrest height to comfortably fit the small of your back.
4. Adjust the recline tension, if necessary, to support varying degrees of recline throughout the day. Avoid the use of recline locks.
5. Lean back and relax in your chair to allow the backrest to support your upper body.

A 30% increase in a wrist tilting upwards cause two times the pressure on the intracarpal tunnel and a 27.5% increase in forearm muscle activity. The keyboard tabs compound the issue, particularly for proficient typists who anchor their wrists in front of the keyboard.

Keyboard:

6. Use an articulating keyboard support and position it 1 to 1.5 inches above your thighs. Angle the keyboard away from your body to keep wrists straight while typing. Rest your palms—not your wrists—on a palm support.

Mouse:

7. Position your mouse close to the keyboard or over the numeric keypad to minimize reaching. Avoid anchoring your wrist on the desk. Instead, glide the heel of your palm over the mousing surface and use your entire arm to mouse.

Monitors:

8. Position the monitor at least an arm’s length away with the top line of text at or slightly below eye level. Tilt the monitor away from you so your line of sight is perpendicular to the monitor.

A study at RPI’s Lighting Research Center found that subjects who had controllable lighting (a task light) felt more comfortable in the room, rated tasks as being less difficult, and produced a 35% to 42% decrease in energy consumption

Lighting:

9. Position a task light to the side opposite your writing hand. Shine it on paper documents but away from computer monitors to reduce glare.

When introducing occasional standing in the workplace 87% of employees felt more energized, 75% felt healthier, 66% felt more productive, 62% felt happier, and 33% felt less stressed.

Align:

10. Align the monitor and spacebar with the midline of your body and arrange frequently used work tools within easy reach. Prop reference documents between your body and the monitor with an in line monitor holder

Rest:

11. Take two or three 30- to 60-second breaks each hour to allow your body to recover from periods of repetitive stress

A microbreak is a break from using a specific set of muscles. Micro breaks are short but take the time to stretch, stand up, move around or do a different work task. 

Eye breaks are also important. Looking at a screen for extended periods causes changes in how your eyes work, including blinking leass often and exposing more eye surface to air. Every 15 minutes, briefly look away from your computer screen for a minute or two to a more distant scene. This lets the muscles inside the eye relax.