Healthy Workspace Ergonomics

Physical health is one of the foundations for human well-being. With jeopardized or less than optimal physical health, our daily quality of life is reduced. Physical pain and aches in the body create distractions in our mind and make basic tasks less enjoyable and more challenging. While physical injury can occur as a result of various strenuous activities, such as sports, construction, moving services, etc., subtle injuries can also develop from more benign, repeatable actions. These might include preparing food while standing in the kitchen, cleaning intricate surfaces while kneeling, weeding plants while gardening, and so on. Repeatable daily activities can begin to cause strain and fatigue on certain joints supporting the muscle groups being consistently used, potentially resulting in musculoskeletal disorders (MSD).

This also occurs for activities as subtle as working at your desk for eight hours each day of the week. Over time, the basic actions of working at your desk on the computer can create strain in the upper back, neck, and shoulders and also within the joints of the hands and wrists. In some cases, the lower back and hip joints can also become fatigued as a result of posture during the long hours of sitting. Ergonomics is a science about how a person’s body fits within and adapts to the actions and tasks of their work environment with an aim of reducing discomfort and increasing productivity. 

For your home workspace, a few key areas of your furniture and device organization can be assessed to ensure optimal ergonomic design. The work chair is one of the primary furnishings designed to support the human body for work tasks. Adjustable chairs will provide the ability for tuning the seat height, length, lumbar support, and arm rest position to your specific body. Find a position that allows your feet to rest flat on the floor with your upper legs parallel to the floor. The length of the seat between your back and your knees should allow for 2-3 fingers of space between the backside of your knees and the edge of the chair seat. The lumbar support should form to the arch of your back to provide support of your spine in a 90-degree position to your seat. If your chair has armrests, adjust these so that the forearm is parallel to the floor and allows your shoulders to remain relaxed.

The second important furnishing of the home workspace is the desk. Ideally your desk should provide a large enough work surface to create adequate distances between your devices and your body. The first position to consider is the placement of your computer screen. The screen should be a one full arm’s length away from your body in front of you. The height of the screen should be at eye level, with the top of the screen being around the same height as the top of your head. Sometimes the screen is too low to be positioned for your direct sightline, in which case you will want to use a monitor stand to raise its height. Your keyboard should be positioned to allow for typing with a relaxed hand position while maintaining forearms parallel to the floor and keeping your shoulders relaxed. Sometimes the desktop height is too high or too low for the proper keyboard position. In these scenarios, you may want to use a keyboard tray that can be attached to your desk.

Adjustable desks that allow for alternating between sitting and standing positions can benefit your workday by allowing you to change body positions from time to time. This can help to reduce muscle fatigue and body aches from sedentary activity. You can also add a mini mobile laptop desk that can serve as an alternative work position for computer related tasks and use your primary desk for reading, planning, and other document related tasks. This encourages forced changes in your body position throughout a workday. No matter your desk design situation, you will want to take frequent breaks for standing and walking around or stretching.

It is also important to take regular breaks for resting your eyes away from your computer screen to avoid fatigue and headaches. Your computer screen should also be positioned to eliminate glare from windows or interior lighting. Position your desk perpendicular to any windows in your workspace to reduce the chances of glare on your screen or directly into your eyes. Update interior light fixtures to have proper covers and orientation to help diffuse any direct and indirect glare issues. Incorporate a task light at your desk for reading documents and print details. Glare and dim lighting can both cause general challenges of legibility and increase eye strain, resulting in eye fatigue and headaches.

Pay attention to your posture and check in with your body throughout the workday and make micro-adjustments to your posture as needed. Neck strain can occur when you don’t have correct computer screen positioning. Shoulder and wrist tenseness occurs when you don’t have proper keyboard or armrest positioning. Lower back pain can result from improper chair positioning or design. Design some movement into your workday by using a timer or app to remind you to stand up, stretch, and move around for a few minutes every hour. You can align movement activity with the Pomodoro work task method, allowing for regular increments of focused work and rest. Designing your workspace with visual cues and reminders for movement, such as having floor space for interim yoga, can also help encourage these practices and support your physical health. Grab you free copy of the Healthy Home Workspace 5-step Guide, delivered right to your inbox, for additional insights and knowledge for healthy home and workspace design.

If you are interested in specific ergonomic design strategies for you and your home workspace, reach out to AIDA, LLC today for a consultation. You can always find more information and healthy home resources at Aletheia Ida Design and Architecture, LLC (AIDA, LLC) at www.aletheiaida.com.