Office Ergonomics

The purpose of this troubleshooter is to help you link discomfort that you may be feeling with its possible cause and, where possible, change work habits or posture that may be causing it:

· fewer headaches

· fewer backaches

· less neck pain

· less muscle tension

· less eyestrain

· better overall health and productivity 

There is no best posture that the body can assume. This is largely due to the fact that body needs change. Since there is no one best posture, you need to identify several postures that satisfy as many of the following principles as possible:

· arms hanging relaxed from your shoulders

· (if you use a keyboard) elbows, wrists, and the home row of keys should roughly line up

· head should be in line with your body with a slight downward angle   

· (if you use a visual display) eyes should roughly line up with the viewable portion of your screen 

· (if you’re seated) back should be supported with the seat pan height such that you feet do not hang

· work materials should be within easy reach

Remember there is no one best posture, so give your body some relief from sitting by standing up, stretching or shifting position on your chair throughout the day.