Most of us spend 40 hoursper week at work

Most of us spend 6 hours per day sitting still at our

desk or chair

Is your workstation

set up correctly?

Office Workstation Ergonomics

Fit the workstation to your body

Reduce awkward positions

Encourage correct posture

Identify hazards such as excess glare, noise, poor temperature control

Leg/Feet Position

• Everything thing that you do at your desk starts from the correct chair height and angle

• Your chair should be at the right height where your thighs are parallel to the floor and you should be able to reach the ground.

• If you can’t reach the ground you need a foot rest (most women need a foot rest)

Chair Requirements

• Your back needs to be supported when sitting at your desk

• Make sure that the majority of your spine is supported against gravity by your chair

• If you’re under 5”6 tall be mindful to sit back in your chair and use the back rest. Don’t sit forward in the chair with a gap between you and the chair.

Head/Neck Position

• The top of your monitor should be level with your eye height

• So if you’re using a laptop on a table, raise the laptop up to eye height and use a separate keyboard and mouse

• The monitor should be directly in front of you – you shouldn’t be tilting your chin towards the left or right

Shoulder Position

• This lady is not using the back rest to support her spine.

• Make sure you sit right back in your chair and use a foot rest if you can’t reach the ground

• Leaning forward like this for more than 20 minutes places strain on your neck, pelvis, and lower back.

• So make use of that back rest.

Elbow Position

• This guy is putting his neck and shoulder at risk of pain by having his elbow stretched out away from his torso/ribs.

• For writing notes, move your keyboard away from you and write directly in front of your torso

• If you’re typing, try and keep elbows tucked in to your rib area to cradle your shoulders.

Wrist Position

• Be mindful of a mouse that is too small like this image.

• The hand should be able to be cradled by the mouse, where in this photo the man is holding his fingers up to push the mouse buttons.

• Same theory applies with using a laptop mouse or phone. Be aware to have your hand rested, not held up against gravity to push buttons.

Monitor Requirements

• This man’s monitor is too low.• As you can see, his chin is tilted

down to look at the monitor and over the day his neck muscles will get tired and start to feel sore.

• While this man has excellent angles in his forearms and wrists, his neck is under too much strain.

Using a Laptop

• This man’s monitor is too low, the laptop monitor is not straight in front of his torso and his elbow is away from his rib area.

• This man is at risk of neck, shoulder, and upper back pain, as well as headaches.

Environmental Factors

Standing Desk

• Standing desks are fantastic for short term use (less than 20 minutes for new users)

• Once you start to fidget or stand more on one foot, sit back down and try again in an hour.

Take a Break

Mini break: Relax your hands, turn your wrists up towards the roof, drop your shoulders, tuck your chin

towards your spine, tilt your pelvic back in to neutral position, uncross your feet, squeeze your shoulder blades (stretch chest), etc.

Deep breathing – 5 x diaphragmatic breathing (inhale 2, exhale 4 counts)

Exercise break: Complete 3 stretches – 15 seconds each stretch x 2 – 1.5 minutes in total

Rest break: Do a different task

Stand up and move from your desk – walk to your colleague instead of emailing/calling

Eye break: Look into the distance

Blink three times

Closed eye exercises – move up/down 3 times, move left/right 3 times

Remember…

This information is a guide only and should not replace professional advice, workplace policies and procedures, and safety authority advice

Contact an allied health professional or your doctor if you have a complex injury or health condition, or if you are experiencing pain.

Do what feels comfortable for your body and report an injury or concern immediately