Workstation

Example of the ideal workstation posture

The best ergonomic workstation is one that is adjustable to fit your body. As Paul Linden states: "The way you set up your workstation is a crucial factor in computer stress. If you choose a poor chair, or set up your desk and computer wrong, you can place yourself in positions of torture" (30).

Chair

The chair is the most fundamental part of a workstation setup (31). Your chair is there to protect the curvature of the spine and maintain good posture. If your chair fits you, it will support you while you work. If it does not, you can suffer for the duration of the workday.

Chair height should be appropriate for the worker ‚- if many people are to use the workstation, the chair should be easily adjustable. It should be adjustable for both seat and back height as well as seat pan angle and chair back tilt (32). The best seat pan angle is a very slight tilt forward and it should be padded in order to cushion the sitbones. The chair should also have a backrest to allow a change of posture from time to time. Wheels are also essential if you move around to different task areas. Armrest are generally not recommended as they have a tendency to put pressure on the forearms and promote poor posture. Feet should never dangle but either rest on a footrest on flat on the floor. It is important to get up frequently as sitting for long periods of time is hard on the body.

If you develop lower back pain from your chair, it could be caused by any of the following:

The chair may be of an incorrect height, either too low or too high, causing you to bend forward.
The part of the chair that supports the lumbar region of the spine may not be sufficiently curved to provide proper support.
Your chair may be too far from the monitor, forcing you to lean forward to see.
You may sit on the front edge of the chair, not allowing your back to be supported.
Your feet may not be supported, which causes an increased forward bend of the back (33).

Desk

After the chair, the desk is the next most important piece of workstation equipment (34). Different activities such as reading, writing and typing require slightly different desk arrangements. The height of the desk is determined primarily by the seated height of the worker.

The desk or writing surface should be the same height as your elbows when sitting up straight with feet flat on the floor and arms are relaxed by the side of the body. Ideally, the height of the desk should be adjustable, but most workers do not have the luxury of such a high tech desk. The low tech solution is either to raise the desk on blocks or cut a bit off the legs to lower it. If it is not possible to cut the legs of the desk, there is the option of putting plywood under the chair to raise you to the appropriate height.

The desk should always have ample space to accommodate the monitor, keyboard, mouse and to hold whatever other tools you may use. The items on your desk should be arranged so you do not need to twist uncomfortably to reach any of them.

The keyboard should sit in a tray below the writing surface so the wrists can maintain a neutral posture. If the keyboard sits on the desk, it will force you to lean forward to reach it. The forearms will be horizontal and the wrists should be straight.

The chair should be neither too big nor too small, the monitor should face you straight on and not off to the side. The chair must allow you to sit with the back fully supported with the feet flat on the floor. There should always be ample legroom to allow for movement of both the legs and feet. If possible, there should also be a footrest to take some strain off the upper legs and to promote circulation.

Remember not to cradle the phone between the shoulder and the ear ‚ if you spend a lot of time on the phone, consider using the speakerphone or installing a headset. Also, consider standing up while on the phone as a change of position.

Monitor

The best monitors to avoid eyestrain have the following characteristics (35):

Picture should appear sharp and crisp.
Brightness adjustable to the ambient lighting levels in the work environment.
Appropriate surface treatment or coating to reduce glare.
Characters and graphics are easily legible.
Free from flicker.

You should also look for a monitor which includes a stand that allows you to adjust the height, tilt and swivel to accommodate your needs. You should set up your monitor as follows:

"Position your monitor 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) from your eyes. The screen should be level with your eyes, or down as low as 15 degrees below eye level. You might find it necessary to adjust the angle of the monitor to reduce annoying reflections. If you are worried about electromagnetic radiation from the monitor, you may want to keep it at a greater distance (an arm's length) but be aware that you may have to increase the size of type and other display elements (or even get a larger monitor) to compensate" (36).

You may also want to increase the size of the type to make it more readable ‚ smaller fonts tend to make users hunch over their screens while they read. That said, type that is too large will force you scroll through a document excessively, so it is up to you to find a good balance between the two. Finally, don't forget to clean the screen regularly ‚ it sounds obvious, but it is more difficult to view material on a dusty or dirty screen.