Your Computer and Office Safety

In a world where sitting at a computer desk for hours dictates your work schedule, comfort becomes a major issue. Practicing proper body mechanics and articulation is essential in helping to promote comfort and prevent Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI) from developing. Many of us have received many pains and aches from sitting and typing but yet attribute it to stress. Unfortunately, many people do not know that these aches and pains ranging from sporadic to chronic can be prevented easily. The back and neck are particularly vulnerable to pain at the office, often simply from improper use of the spine. Typing also presents some problems and should be practiced with proper technique. Ergonomics, the science of fitting the job to the person, is now recognized as an integral part of any workplace. Computers are increasingly being used in businesses and as a result, employees are suffering injuries (other than RSI) due to their poor posture when using them.
In an office environment, 90% of your time as an employee would be spent at your desk. So let us go over a few things to keep in mind about your office desk and how to improve your comfort and decrease the chances of suffering any injuries.
To begin with, the office desk’s chair. When having the choice, use a chair with an adjustable backrest, so it can support your lower back. When sitting, you should sit right back in your chair not perched off the front. Pull your chair right in so that your fingers comfortably reach the keyboard and so that your back and shoulders are straight and supported by the back of your chair. The back should be supported and at least 90 degrees to the seat of the chair. Keep your shoulders back and relaxed. Tilt your chair forward so that your knees are about 20-30° and as much as a 45° lower than your hips.
If you do not have a tilt option on your chair then sit on a wedge cushion to give some extra lift at the back of your seat. Just as well, your feet should be firmly on the floor or on a footrest, therefore providing support to the body. Your knees should not be bent less than 90 degrees.
Ideally your desk should be about belly button level with your elbows just below the desktop. You may need to raise your desk or if it is too high then raise your chair and use a footrest. If you use the telephone quite a bit then you may want to invest in a headset because placing the telephone between your ear and shoulder adds a lot of tension and stress in your neck.
On your desk your keyboard should be placed in front of you to an easy reach, your mouse close along side. This allows you to have your arms to be close and relaxed while your wrists lay fairly straight; a great addition to this would be a wrist support which lies in front of the keyboard to cushion the wrist.
As for your neck, it should be well balanced and not leaning too far forward or back. Wearing a phone headset to keep your neck and shoulders strain-free will decrease pressure and radiating areas of the body. Adjust your monitor so the area you spend the most time looking at is straight ahead. If you use a document holder, position its height along the same line of vision as your monitor.
These things alone will improve your comfort at work and allow individuals to be more productive. Having everything you need on your desk in an easy reach plays a crucial role in preventing CIRSIs, Computer Induced Repetitive Stress Injuries.
It is important that all workstations and equipment are adjusted to meet each individual employee’s requirements as the recommended posture will be achieved differently with respect to people's unique body frames.
Although you cannot make employees sit or work properly, all employers can provide them with the correct seating equipment and workstations that allow them to work comfortably with a respect to their posture.