Work Station Set Up

 
 Ideal Work Stations Set Up for Keyboard Operators

A well designed workstation can eliminate health hazards from your office. Elements of good design to consider include your chair, position of the screen, lighting, and the keyboard and document.  

Chairs are one of the most important pieces of equipment in your office. Features of ergonomically designed chairs include:

1. back rest, easily adjustable in height and angle 2. adjustable back rest depth 3. preferably cloth covered seat and back 4. curved edge 5. height adjustable 6. five-star castor base for stability

To ensure you are sitting in the right position adjust your feet so that your feet are flat on the floor so that you can take your weight through your feet.

Thighs should be fully supported except for a 2 finger width space behind the knee’s which should be achieved by adjusting the back rest depth.

Maintain a relaxed posture where:

·      your shoulders are relaxed	·     your wrists are not bent or cocked when using keyboard
·      your elbows are by your side	·     seated at a comfortable distance (length of forearm away) from keys with your back against the back rest
·     your forearms and hands are parallel to the ground (90° at elbow)	·      neutral upright spine

Ideally the top of the screen should be at eye level and approximately 60-70 cm away with the neck in a relaxed position. Documents should also be the same distance from your eyes either beside the screen (using a document holder) or just below.  The screen should be tilted 5°upwards and to avoid glare and reflection the screen should be at right angles (side on) to windows.  If this is not possible, glare should be controlled by blinds, curtains and screens and should also ideally be placed parallel to overhead fluorescent lights to avoid rebound reflection. 

The keyboard surface should be adjustable to attain the recommended posture (elbows 90°and feet flat on floor).  If the keyboard surface is too high this will require you to raise your seat height and use a suitable foot rest to support the feet for an optimal posture.  The keyboard should be placed 6-7 cm from the edge of the desk to allow the forearms/wrist to rest when you are not keying.  The mouse should be at the same levelas the keyboard (90° at the elbow) with elbows held close to the body.

Discomfort and strain in the arms, neck, hands or back may be the result of unsatisfactory work practices and conditions.  Complete recovery is usually dependant upon reporting symptoms early and correcting the cause of the problem.