Ergonomics

Pacific Employers Advisors to Management

* Office Ergonomics Safety Tips *

SAFETY TIPS FOR MAKING YOUR WORKPLACE ERGONOMICALLY SOUND

By tailoring the work environment to fit individual needs and characteristics and by positioning the body so there is less stress and strain on it, employees can make their work environment fit comfortably with their work style and increase productivity. Listed below are some tips to help make the workplace ergonomically sound.

Since a poorly-designed workstation can slow you down and also increase your stress, organize it so you can keep twists, turns and uncomfortable movements to an absolute minimum.
Be sure that you have enough desk space to comfortably accommodate the materials and equipment that are part of your job; i.e., books, papers, calculators, and computers. Keep the items you most frequently use closer to you.
Make sure your keyboard is centered directly in front of you so you don't have to turn or stretch to get to it.
Place the keyboard so your hands are no more than ten degrees from a horizontal position and your elbows are bent at a 90-degree angle. Productivity can be cut by as much as 50 percent if your elbows are bent at a lesser or greater angle.
Elevate the keyboard about two inches at the rear to put your wrists in a "neutral" or natural resting position.
Place the monitor directly in front of you to avoid twisting your back. Make sure it is 18 to 24 inches away from your eyes.
The top of your monitor should be at eye level to avoid fatigue, stress, neck problems and backaches from looking down.
Your chair should have five legs, a rounded seat and a firm padded back to provide support for your lower back.
The backrest of your chair should fit comfortably at your lower back to prevent strain and fatigue to your shoulders and back.
Keep adequate leg room of three to six inches from the top of your thigh to the desk surface.
Don't store items under your desk.
Cut back on office noise by covering noisy printers and turning down phone ringers.
Glare and intense lighting are not always easy to eliminate and can cause eyestrain and headaches. Move your monitor to another location to avoid direct glare or try an anti-glare screen if all else fails.
Position yourself away from heating and air conditioning vents to avoid direct blasts of hot or cold air.
Short breaks are not only good for you but can actually increase productivity.

* Make Safety An Office Habit *

We welcome comments about this article, and your requests for future topics.

If you have a specific topic you would like to see covered here or that you may need for your company, please send an Email to our Tail Gate Safety Topics editor, Dave Miller at demiller@pacificemployers.com or to peinfo@pacificemployers.com. Thanks!