Video transcript - Healthy home workspace
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Ergonomics in the workplace is about the person and their work environment. That doesn't always mean a fancy new chair is needed, or a sit/stand desk, or even updated technology. It's more about our posture and awkward positioning and how we, as workers, engage with our workspace.
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The chair needs to have a lumbar support and adjustable armrests. These allow us the ability to maintain our upper body positioning, with our shoulders above our hips and proper lower body positioning that also includes leg clearance. The adjustments to the chair are important and impact lumbar support, height, and seat pan, which is the back of your bottom to the backs of your legs. Being able to adjust these areas of the chair can help with implementing healthy work habits and reducing risk.
The smaller the keyboard, the less ergonomic it is and the less space you have to navigate, which can lead to awkward positioning. A full-size keyboard is recommended for preventing and reducing carpal tunnel symptoms and strains that can be increased with repetitive use or awkward positioning of the hands and wrists.
You want to keep neutral position with your forearms, your wrists, and your hands while keying. Ideally, you'd like to have a 19 to 22-inch monitor that is positioned at arm's length away from you and tiltable, so that you're not having to have a direct angle right at your vision toward the monitor.
If you're required to cradle a phone in your ear, this can create strain on your shoulders. This is why a hands-free headset is recommended. This removes the awkward positioning and strain. It also allows your hands to be free for other tasks, if needed, such as keyboarding.
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Regardless of how good your posture is, a prolonged period in any one posture is not healthy. Take the time to stand up, stretch, get a drink of water, go to the restroom, or get a package from the doorstep. The sooner or earlier we adopt and adapt to those behaviors, the more proactive we are becoming in controlling our ergonomic environments.
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