As more of us are working from home either full or part time, we need to think about setting up our home offices with comfort and ergonomics in mind. Everything from keyboard and mouse to chair and lighting should be considered. This is one area where you don’t want to skimp, especially if you spend…
Category: Ergonomics Tips
Fighting Monitor Glare
Monitor glare can lead to headaches and can also adversely effect your posture since you may need to lean closer to the screen or off to the side in order to see well. Bad posture can lead to problems with RSI and other computer-related maladies (see, your mother was right). Some obvious ways to fight…
Exercise!
In my two-odd years dealing with RSI, one of the things I’ve noticed is that taking a break and getting some extra oxygen into my body often makes sore hands feel better, at least for a while. I’m sure it’s no secret that exercise is good for you, and you should be working out 30…
Work from Home? Think Ergonomics.
Got aches and pains? Work from home? Your home office maybe the culprit. A recent article from Ergoweb has some ergonomics tips for those who work from home, suggestions regarding chairs, desks, light, workspace, and work habits. For those who fashioned their home office from any old furniture line around the house, it’s a good…
Home Office Lighting
Lighting is an important part of setting your home office up with proper ergonomicw in mind. Poor lighting can cause eye strain, glare, headaches, and other related maladies. It can also be an instigator for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Here are a few articles I scrounged with information on lighting your home office: Office Lighting…
Negative Tilt
A lot of keyboards are higher in the back than the front. In actuality, a negative tilt–higher in the front than the back–may be more comfortable in the long run and possibly help prevent typing-related repetitive strain injuries (RSI). It may be worth trying if you’ve had trouble with your wrists in the past or…
Ergonomics Are Important in Your Home Office, Too
According to an article in the Ithaca Journal, almost 20 million people in the US do some work for their primary job at home. Less than 20% of people with home offices, however, have them set up the way they would like. (Maybe they’re like me, and their home offices are more like office/living rooms…
Free RSI Quick Reference Brochures/Handouts
The RSI Program site, maintained by the folks who put together It’s Not Carpal Tunnel Syndrome…, offers brochures on Repetitive Strain Injury in various sizes that you can print off and handout to your employees. They cover proper posture/ergonomics for computer users, some stretches and exercises, and general RSI information. It would probably be a…
Ergonomics Checklist
The University of Washington (the school that may eventually give me a degree) has an ergonomics checklist online that covers chairs and chair positioning in relation to your desk/monitor, glare, keyboard/mouse positioning, lighting, and tips for preventing repetitive stress injuries. Fairly decent pictures make it easy to understand. The article finishes with a number of…
RSI Risks of Web Browsing
Our fun computer time, spenting surfing the web or gaming, can contribute to repetitive stress injuries as readily as our work time. I have no doubt my Everquest years were a part of what made me an RSI sufferer in the first place (alas, I’ve since given up gaming). I found an interesting study on…
Break Reminder Programs
It’s a good idea to take frequent breaks from the computer during your work day in order to help prevent repetitive stress injuries. Most sources I’ve read have recommended taking a break at least every half hour for 2-3 minutes, with some recommending a break every 15 minutes. There are a number of break reminder…
10 Stretches You Can Do at Your Desk
There are number of sites out there that give you some stretches or exercises you can do at your desk (it’s a good idea to take breaks every 15-30 minutes as a preventative precaution against RSI). I thought I’d share this one. It’s quick and easy, with cartoons to illustrate the stretches. I love the…