Ergonomic Workspace

Ergonomic Workspace How to achieve an ergonomic workspace from home

Introduction

Working from home plays a significant part in many of our lives currently and as a consultancy, we expect this to continue for the foreseeable future. We believe it's therefore important to create an ergonomic workspace to prevent pain and discomfort, as well as maximise work performance.

Upper limb disorder

Upper limb disorders (ULDs) include aches and pains in the shoulders, arms, wrists, hands and fingers, as well as in the neck which can be caused, or made worse, by using a computer.

Examples of these:

Carpal tunnel syndrome
Tendonitis
Osteoarthritis

Posture

Poor posture can result in chronic pain, musculoskeletal disorders and injuries, all of which impact long-term health and productivity. To reduce those risks and enhance wellbeing, it's important to implement healthy habits that will improve your posture.

Practice neutral pose: This is the spine's natural alignment position. This can be achieved by keeping your computer monitor at eye level, keep your back flat against your chair, rest feet flat on the ground or even use a lumbar support tool.

Take breaks: Regular movement every 20-25 minutes increases blood and nutrient flow, it also loosens up your body so prevents stiffness.. A brisk walk around the room can help boost circulation and energy.

Ergonomic Aids

An ergonomic aid is any engineered enhancement that makes human beings more comfortable, healthy, or productive while performing tasks in which people and technology interact.

Office Chair

A good office chair should have multiple points of adjustment to promote neutral pose. These adjustments include lumbar support, height and tilt, depth and adjustable or removable armrests.

Keyboard Tray

A keyboard tray slides beneath or attaches to a desk, allowing the keyboard to sit at the same height as the forearms.

Footrest

A footrest will allow both feet to rest flat while keeping legs parallel to the floor. These should be adjustable to compensate for each individual.

Adjustable desktop/laptop stand

Having either an adjustable desktop or adjustable laptop stand allows the screen to be at, or slightly lower than, eye level and about an arms distance away.

Working Environment

Working from home allows more opportunity to customise your workspace to an environment that works best for you. It’s important to create a working environment that will prevent distractions and discomfort:

Natural light - can help reduce dry or strained eyes
Temperature - ensure this can be controlled for comfort
Quiet area - find a suitable quiet area or separate room to reduce distraction

Alleviating pain and discomfort

Performing a few quick stretches from your desk throughout the day can help to prevent/alleviate any pain or discomfort.

Neck Glides

Sit or stand up straight and glide head back as far as it will go, keeping head and ears level, then glide head forward.

Shoulder Shrugs

Sit or stand up straight, circle shoulders backwards 3 times with arms relaxed by your side.

Upper Back Stretches

Sit or stand up straight, circle shoulders backwards 3 times with arms relaxed by your side.

Forearm Stretches

Sit or stand up straight, extend one arm in front, elbow straight and hand flexed. Stretch forearm muscles by placing the palm of the other hand across the front of the first hand and push towards the body.

Forward Presses

Gently interlock your fingers, press your palms away from your body, gently stretching the forearm muscles, fingers and the muscles between your shoulder blades. Hold for five seconds.

Resources

To read our full article on creating an ergonomic workspace from home, click here.
To see what support we can offer for businesses and their home workers, click here.
We also have an article on working from home during COVID-19 which you can read here.

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