In today's modern offices there are many health and safety rules and regulations to ensure that our health and wellbeing is well protected by our employers However with more and more people working from home, either for an employer or in a self-employed capacity, these rules can often get forgotten with people making do with poor equipment and existing furniture causing strain issues or even worse long term injuries.
Bolton Therapy Centre a long established Physiotherapist Practice in Bolton in association with Osmond Ergonomics have some fantastic advice for you to make sure that you do everything you can to make sure that you are posture perfect.
Below are some handy hints and tips to allow you work in an environment that really is great for your body and mind.
YES
Move the chair close to the desk and sit back on the seat. Adjust the chair back so that the upper body is relaxed and supported. Raise the chair seat so that, with the upper arms vertical, the elbows are level with or just above the desk.
NO
Sitting with the chair too low and too far from the desk encourages a slouched posture with no support from the chair back. The head is tilted forward. Feet are hooked around the chair base restricting blood circulation in the legs. Shoulders may be hunched.
YES
Set the chair position and height as described in above. Use a foot rest if the feet do not touch the ground. Height-adjustable chair arms provide additional support for the upper body when not keying. If the armrests restrict desk access, consider removing them altogether.
NO
Shorter people often set the chair height so that their feet are firmly on the floor. If this is too low for the desk, it is likely to result in arms stretched forwards (or sideways) and/or shoulder lifting. This causes undue muscle tension.
YES
TOUCH TYPISTS can raise the monitor so that the visible screen top is just below eye level. Any document holder should be at screen height and in the same focal plane to minimise head twisting and tilting. COPY TYPISTS may prefer the screen to one side and the document holder directly in front.
NO
If the monitor is set too low, this encourages the operator to tilt the head downwards. As a result, the whole body tends to lean forward, moving away from the support of the chair back and encouraging slouching.
YES
HUNT AND PECK" TYPISTS who need to look at the keyboard will probably position the monitor slightly lower than touch typists to minimise "nodding" between the two. The document holder should be placed between the monitor and keyboard to avoid twisting.
NO
If the monitor is set too low, this encourages the operator to tilt the head downwards. As a result, the whole body tends to lean forward, moving away from the support of the chair back and encouraging slouching.
