Tips for correct positioning and ergonomics

Whether you usually work from an office or at home, we need to take care of ourselves while we work. Health is our most important asset and we must never take it for granted.
Bad habits can cause health issues after long working hours across several months (or years!).

As mentioned in our blog entry Working From Home, habits are powerful and if you set the wrong ones (like sitting in a bad position) it will be difficult to revert it back!

Please consider following the below advice while working from home:

Electronics and other devices

• Place your keyboard right in front of the screen, leaving a minimum distance of 10cm from the border of the table so that your wrists are aligned to both keyboard and screen. If you have a comfortable wrist rest, it would be a good idea to use it.
• Try to avoid using extension cords for electronic devices or overloading the sockets. Think if you really need that many devices connected next to your working table, and possibly, use the USB of your PC or Laptop (i.e. to charge your Cell Phone).
• Needless to say, if any of your electrical equipment (like sockets) have any signs of damage replace them urgently!  A power surge would not only be potentially harmful to you, it could also damage your computer and electronics.

Ergonomic standards

• In general, you must have some ergonomic standards of your preference when you work(ed) at the office. Try to keep the same setup as much as possible. It is specially important to try and use a chair and a desk that enable us to work in a comfortable position.
• Use a support for your laptop and screens (a box or a pile of books can become an easy alternative of a homologated screen support).
• Even if you work with a laptop, make sure you have a screen, an external keyboard and mouse rather than using the integrated ones of the laptop.  This will reduce tension in your neck, arms and wrists.
• Change your position every hour and a half, make some small shifts in position, stretch or relaxing exercises (mainly for the neck and shoulders low back area) at the same time we make some required visual pause to give your eyes a break from looking at screens. Try not to watch the phone during those breaks!
• In case you make/receive phone calls during your working day, use a hands-free headset to avoid postural overload of carrying the phone in an uncomfortable position for too long.
• When possible, try to choose a screen of at least 20” Size. It would be great if your device allows you to have two of them, as you can increase efficiency. On your screens, adjust brightness and contrast of your devices as needed depending on the light conditions of your working space.
• Likewise, adjust manually the size of the text so they are more comfortable to read

Working Furniture

• It is recommended to have a height adjustable chair, with a firm back, if possible reclining and adjustable in height.
• Lean your back on the back of the chair, especially you lower back, keeping shoulders in their natural position.
• You need to adjust the height of the chair so you can keep a 90º angle between arm and forearm, keeping your wrists on the table
• Also your legs should be in a 90º angle. If the chair is too high, use a footrest. If you do not find any, use an object which is right in size, like a box. However, it is recommended not to have objects under the tables that have difficult mobility of your legs so make sure to choose the right object.
• Set the screen in the center of the table, and if you have two or more of them, set them in a way that you can easily oversee all the information without making uncomfortable movements.
• Avoid reflections and over brightness coming from strong sources of light. For this, place the screen in a right place, or use the shutters or curtains to avoid direct light from the sun. In case you have windows, try to set your screen perpendicularly to the window.
• Place your screen in the work table so the distance of vision (distance from eye to screen) is no less than 55cm
• Place the screen with the upper edge to your eye level, avoiding an excessive tilting of your head.

Do you fulfill all those requirements while working from home or at the office ?

If not, consider taking actions as soon as possible. Prevention is better than cure !

At Fut-Ure, we can put you in contact with one of our Employee Health and Facilities professionals, and with the best companies that can supply furniture both for your office and for your employees who are working remotely.

Are you looking for more technical Occupational Risks Prevention information ?
Contact Fut-Ure to take our questionnaire to it is FREE !  and you can use it to survey your employees too.