Ergonomics 101

How to sustain ergonomic habits at your workstation:

SIT

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.

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

Type

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. 

View

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.

Illuminate

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

Align

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 document holder.

Rest

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

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