Ergonomics
> Proper Workstation Setup
INDIANA
UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY at INDIANAPOLIS
IUPUI
• Department of Environmental Health and
Safety •
620 Union Drive, Room 043, Indianapolis, Indiana
46202
Office
Ergonomics Proper Workstation Setup
Tips
on Decreasing Risk of Ergonomic Injuries
1.
AREA OF DISCOMFORT: Shoulder
| RISK
FACTORS |
HOW
TO DECREASE RISK |
| Phone
use is greater than one hour per day |
1-2
hours per day: Use speaker phone; Use head set;
Hold phone with hand, don't cradle with neck
phone rest
2 or more hours a day: Use speaker phone; Use
head set |
| Mouse
position is too far from keyboard |
Move
closer to keyboard |
| Wiggling
wrist while using the mouse |
Move
from elbow or forearm |
| Using
mouse solely with right hand |
Use
mouse with left hand |
| Arm
rest is too far apart and individual leans on
one rest |
Use
arm rests that have vertical and horizontal
adjustments |
| Lifting
heavy items with one arm |
Use
two arms or reorganize office space |
| Keyboard
drawer only holds keyboard |
New,
wider keyboard drawer that accommodates mouse |
| The
mouse is too far away |
Use
keyboard with built-in mouse |
1.
AREA OF DISCOMFORT: Shoulders (Both)
| RISK
FACTORS |
HOW
TO DECREASE RISK |
| Keyboard
is too far away, too high, or too low |
Options:
Bring keyboard closer; Install keyboard drawer;
Raise chair height; Keep arms at 90 degree angle
when typing |
| Monitor
too far away and person leans forward to view
screen |
Check
vision prescription; Tilt chair seat back and
use backrest and footrest; Bring monitor closer |
| Back
rest on chair does not fit individual; low back
and no shoulder support |
Purchase
chair with adjustable backrest |
| Arm
rests are too high or too far apart |
Set
up armrests that are slightly wider apart than
the shoulders; Use arm rests with a vertical
and horizontal adjustment |
2.
AREA OF DISCOMFORT: Wrist (Left OR Right)
| RISK
FACTORS |
HOW
TO DECREASE RISK |
|
Mouse is positioned far away from the keyboard;
the wrist is bent at an awkward position; Mouse
may be too low |
Place mouse close to keyboard or on left side
of keyboard |
| Tight
pinch grip on pen and heavy writing |
Use
a soft pen grip |
| Keyboard
is poorly placed |
Align
keyboard drawer at elbow height |
| Calculator
is positioned too high or too far away |
Place
calculator on desk with wrist in a neutral position
(straight wrist) |
2.
AREA OF DISCOMFORT: Wrists (both)
| RISK
FACTORS |
HOW
TO DECREASE RISK |
| Keyboard
is too high, too low, too far away |
Place
keyboard near elbow height with shoulders relaxed |
| Wrist
rest is too high, too low, too hard, too soft,
or in the way |
Remove
the wrist wrest or use one that is comfortable |
| Elbows
are below the keyboard height and there is a
crease in the forearm |
Options:
Raise chair height and get a footrest; Install
a keyboard drawer; Purchase soft foam on the
edge of the table |
| Repetitive
job without variety |
Options:
Take frequent breaks; Work on stretching exercises;
Redesign job with more variety; Reduce outside
activities involving highly repetitive hand
motion) |
3.
AREA OF DISCOMFORT: Neck
| RISK
FACTORS |
HOW
TO DECREASE RISK |
| Mouse
is too far to one side, too high, or too far
forward |
Move
mouse closer to keyboard height |
| Documents
on desk or documents too far to one side |
Place
the document and the monitor at height that
allows neck to be neutral (straight) |
| Individual
wears bifocals and tilts head back |
Lower
monitor and bring monitor closer (approximately
15 inches or arms length away) Wear computer
glasses |
| Phone
cradled between neck and shoulder |
Phone
use 1-2 hours per day:
Use speaker phone; Use head set; Hold phone
with hand, don't cradle with neck
Use phone rest
Phone use 2 or more hours a day:
Use speaker phone; Use head set |
4.
AREA OF DISCOMFORT: Eyestrain
| RISK
FACTORS |
HOW
TO DECREASE RISK |
| Monitor
tilted too far away |
Change
monitor position |
| Direct
light in eyes |
Reduce
light, use glare screen or change monitor position |
| Low
relative humidity and dry eyes |
Wear
glasses instead of contacts Close eyes, cover
eyes with hands and relax eyes |
| Eyeglass
prescription too weak or too strong |
Change
eyeglass prescriptiont |
| Monitor
too high |
Lower
monitor; Keep neck straight; Purchase adjustable
height monitor |
| Monitor
off to side |
Center
monitor |
5.
AREA OF DISCOMFORT: Low Back Pain
| RISK
FACTORS |
HOW
TO DECREASE RISK |
| Chair
back is down at bottom of seat; seat pan is
too long |
Options:
Adjust back height; Make sure seat pan is the
correct depth; Adjust seat pan tilt; Purchase
chair with shallow seat pan or sliding seat
pan |
| Feet
are dangling from chair |
Use
a footrest to allow thighs to be parallel to
floor |
| Keyboard
in poor location or too far forward |
Move
keyboard closer |
| Back
injury or medical condition prevents sitting
for long periods |
Use
a sit stand workstation; Use a standing workstation
for writing; Add beveled floor mat to relieve
stress on feet |
6.
AREA OF DISCOMFORT: Legs
| RISK
FACTORS |
HOW
TO DECREASE RISK |
| Chair
seat is too big; individual has to sit forward
or cross legs to relieve discomfort |
Options:
Purchase chair with adjustable, sliding seat
pan
Purchase chair with smaller seat pan
Use foot rest to alleviate pressure on the back
of the leg
Short term: use lumbar support to shorten seat |
| Chair
seat too small; poor weight distribution |
Adjust
seat pan
Purchase chair with longer seat |
Pain
in buttocks
Knees higher than hip (usually problem for tall
people) |
Raise
chair height
Raise height of keyboard |
| |
|
| Pain
in calf or back of thigh below knee |
Install
foot rest
Install keyboard drawer (attempt to get thigh
angle parallel to floor) |
| Top
of leg hurts, can't cross legs |
Table
top too thick; purchase a thinner table |
|
