Healthy Computing: Work Area

When working in an office, we accept the ergonomic situation as it is.
Often, the set-up is not optimum and may increase the risk of discomfort.
Decrease your risk and enhance your health when you check your WORK AREA.

How to check your WORK AREA:

Use the following checklist, Work Area*. To any question that you
answered with NO, explore strategies to reduce the risk of injury.

The work area is designed or arranged for doing computing tasks so that…

1. Thighs have clearance space between chair and monitor table/keyboard
   platform (thighs not trapped). YES/NO

2. Legs and feet have clearance space under monitor table so employee is
   able to get close enough to keyboard/input device. YES/NO

3. Document holder, if provided, is stable and large enough to hold
   documents that are used. YES/NO

4. Document holder, if provided, is placed at about the same height and
   distance as monitor screen so there is little head movement when
   employee looks from document to screen. YES/NO

5. Wrist rest, if provided, is padded and free of sharp and square edges.
   YES/NO

6. Telephone can be used with head upright (not bent) and shoulders
   relaxed (not elevated) if employee does VDT tasks at the same time.
   YES/NO

7. Workstation and equipment have sufficient adjustability so that the
   employee is able to be in a safe working posture and to make occasional
   changes in posture while performing VDT tasks. YES/NO

*Adapted from Workstation Check List developed by OSHA. For more detail
see: http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/computerworkstations_ecat/checklist.html

Copyright 2003 Erik Peper, Ph.D. and Katherine Hughes Gibney
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