Watch Out for New Ergo Concerns

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, many businesses are searching for precautionary measures to take to reduce employee contact and in-person interaction amongst workers.  One precautionary measure that has been implemented by many businesses to achieve this is allowing employees to work remotely from their own homes.  Allowing employees to work from home instead of coming into the office is one of the most effective options to accomplish this, as it completely eliminates employee contact and in-person interaction.  New ergonomic concerns are introduced when employees start to perform their work from home, that you wouldn’t typically think about when working from the office.

Fit the Work Station to You!

The basic principle of ergonomics is attempting to fit the work station to the employee as best as possible to allow them to work comfortably and with good posture.  Typically, most office work stations are set up initially to address ergonomic concerns and reduce the likelihood of potential ergonomic injuries and musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s). However, employees setting up their work stations at home may not be aware of different ways to make their work stations ergonomically efficient.  As a basic practice, employees setting up a home work station should try to mimic their office work station as best as possible.

Below is a list of quick tips that employees can use when setting up home work stations to allow for good postures.

  • Utilize an adjustable chair that is able to be fitted to the employee. Ensure that the height of the chair is adjusted properly so that the thighs are parallel to the ground, and the feet rest flat on the ground. If the chair is too high off the ground, a footrest can be placed in front of the chair to help.
  • The backrest of the chair should be set up so that the back remains straight and the head and neck are in line with the torso instead of being bent down or up. There should also be a support to the lower back or lumbar area.
  • Upper arms and elbows should be close to the body, elbows should be at about a 90-degree angle so the forearms are able to rest flat on the desk. The keyboard and mouse should be set up at a distance away from the torso so that the arms don’t have to extend to reach them, and forearms, wrists, and hands should be in a straight line.
  • The monitor should be set up at a height where the top of the screen is at or below eye level, and the user’s head/neck doesn’t have to be bent up or down to look directly at the screen.