Office Ergonomics

An adjustable, ergonomically designed chair can help you position yourself at the proper height for your workstation, and allow you to more easily maintain a natural and comfortable posture. A well designed and fitted chair will have a back rest that provides you with proper lower back support. The chair should be able to be adjusted to suit your specific body dimensions and the types of tasks that you perform. It is important to know how to adjust your chair for maximum comfort.

Take some time to familiarize yourself with the adjustable features of your chair (e.g. chair height, tilt, arm rests, etc.). For a summary of appropriate chair adjustments, please review the Appropriate Chair Adjustments document.

Chair Height And Tilt

• Adjust the height of your chair so that your feet rest flat on the floor.
• If your keyboard/mouse tray is not height adjustable and you have to raise your chair to comfortably use these devices, a footrest can be used to fully support your feet and eliminate any discomfort due to pressure on the underside of your thighs.
• Your thighs should be parallel to the floor with an angle of approximately 90-110 degrees at the hips. The knee angle should be approximately 90 degrees.

Backrest

• The backrest should provide adequate support for the natural curve of your back, especially in the lower back or lumbar region.
• Some chairs allow you to adjust the backrest height and angle to improve comfort and support.
• An adjustable backrest angle allows you to adopt different postures while still maintaining good lumbar support.
• The lumbar support should be matched up with the small of the back.
• The backrest should be slightly reclined. A recline angle between the backrest and seat pan between 90 and 115 degrees can reduce pressure on the spine.

Seat Pan

• The depth of the seat pan should be such that you can sit with your back fully supported against the chair’s backrest and have about 3 finger-widths clearance between the back of your knees and the front edge of the seat.
• The front edge of the seat should be rounded or downward-curving to reduce the pressure on the underside of your thighs.
• Consider chairs with breathable materials that can dissipate moisture and heat.

Armrests

• The chair’s armrests should not impede natural arm movements while keying or using the mouse and should not interfere with positioning the chair close to the workstation.
• Position the height of the armrests to just below elbow height so your shoulders are not raised/elevated while resting.
• Aim to have your forearms roughly parallel with the floor and straight with the work surface. Your elbow angle should be about 90 degrees.
• Position the armrests as close to your body as possible.
• When resting, avoid leaning your body to one side and supporting your upper body weight on one armrest only.

Stability

• For proper stability and mobility, the chair should have a five-legged base with appropriate casters for the flooring.

It is important to consider the placement of your computer monitor. Improper viewing distances may contribute to visual fatigue or eye strain. If the monitor is placed too high or too low, your neck muscles will have to work harder to hold your head in viewing position, which may result in fatigue and discomfort over time.

Monitor Position

• The viewing distance between your eyes and the computer monitor should be approximately one arm’s length.
• If using one monitor, centre the computer monitor directly in front of you so you do not have to turn your head to one side or the other to view the monitor.
• If working with two monitors, their placement is dependent on the frequency of use. If you use both monitors equally, position yourself equally between both monitors. If one of the two monitors is used only occasionally, it is recommended to place the frequently used monitor directly in front of you, with the other monitor immediately adjacent to the first. Both monitors should be placed at the same viewing distance.

Monitor Height

• Adjust the height of the monitor so that you can look at the monitor with your head and neck in an upright and relaxed position. When looking at the computer monitor, the top line of text should be at approximately eye level.
• If you wear bifocals/trifocals and are viewing the monitor through the bottom half of your glasses, you will need to position the monitor at a lower height than you would otherwise; avoid tilting your neck upwards to look through the bottom section of your glasses.
• If your monitor is not height adjustable, an adjustable monitor stand can be used to support the monitor at the appropriate height.
• In addition to proper monitor positioning, the monitor should also be adjusted to comfortable levels of brightness, contrast, and font.

In an office environment, it is important to consider both the overall lighting level and the position of lights and windows. For computer work, excessively bright lighting can cause visual discomfort, especially when it creates glare on the computer monitor. Inadequate lighting can also result in eye strain particularly when working with paper documents. Compared to computer work, paper-based work often requires a higher lighting level; as such, additional task lighting may be necessary.

Glare

Glare occurs when there is a large difference in light levels within the visual field. Glare can lead to visual fatigue and discomfort as the eyes try to adapt to the differences in light levels. You may also adopt an awkward body position in order to avoid glare.

There are two types of glare: direct glare and indirect (or reflected) glare. Direct glare occurs when a source of bright light, such as a task light or an unshaded window, is directly in your field of view. Indirect/reflected glare occurs when light reflects off nearby surfaces (such as a computer monitor) into your field of view. Both types of glare can be distracting and impair your ability to view the computer monitor.

To optimize the office environment with respect to lighting, the following should be considered:

• Lighting levels should be adequate for the type of tasks performed at the workstation.
• The monitor should be free from glare or reflections from other light sources such as windows and overhead lighting. Avoid placing your monitor directly under an overhead light.
• If task lighting is used, it should be positioned so that it does not shine directly in your eyes and does not cause shadows or glare on the computer monitor or source documents. Place task lights adjacent to monitors instead of behind monitors.
• Position monitors perpendicular to windows. Curtains and blinds can also be used to control light from windows.
• Monitors can be tilted to direct glare downwards.
• Keeping monitors clean and ensuring brightness is adjusted adequately can help to reduce glare.
• Walls, floors, and work surfaces should have low reflectance (matte finish) to reduce reflections.

The way your workstation is organized will impact your body position, posture and overall efficiency. How the task is designed may also affect risk factors associated with musculoskeletal injuries. Task design, or work scheduling, that allows for adequate rest breaks and the opportunity to stretch and change body positions may help to reduce the risk of developing work-related musculoskeletal fatigue and injury due to repetitive and static muscle loading.

Workstation Organization

The following recommendations are made to improve the overall organization of your workstation:

• Place frequently used items such as telephones within easy reach. This will help to minimize long reaches, awkward stretches, and the need to frequently twist or turn your body to reach the required items.
• Keep heavy reference materials such as large binders and manuals near waist level so that you can more easily manage the weight.
• There should be sufficient leg room underneath your desk and/or keyboard tray so that you can move freely; avoid storing boxes or other materials underneath your desk.

Task Design

The following are recommendations related to work scheduling and task design:

• Pace work activities over the entire shift, whenever possible.
• Take regular breaks (e.g. 5 minutes every hour) away from the computer, when computer work is prolonged or intensive. A break does not mean you cannot do any work, but could mean switching to a different task that allows you to change position, move your muscles, or use different muscle groups.
• Rest the eyes with the 20/20/20 rule: after every 20 minutes of working at a computer, look away from the screen and stare at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Consider performing some simple stretches throughout the day to avoid static postures and promote good circulation. For simple, yet effective stretching suggestions, visit the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).

If work tasks involve extensive data entry from source documents, or frequent or prolonged phone conversations, computer accessories such as document holders and hands-free phones or headsets can be used to reduce muscular and visual fatigue.

Document Holders

A document holder should be used if you frequently transcribe information from hard copy to the computer. The document holder should be adjustable and positioned between the monitor and the keyboard, or adjacent to and at the same height as the monitor, to reduce head and neck movements.

Hands-Free Phones And Headsets

A hands-free phone option or a headset can be used when it is necessary to access or input information on the computer and talk on the telephone at the same time. This will prevent awkward head, neck, and back postures caused by holding the phone receiver between your shoulder and head. Consider the use of computer-based telephone applications (such as Cisco Jabber).

With many employees working remotely, it is important to ensure that the home workstation is set up in a way that is safe and effective. For remote working resources, including the remote working policy, please visit the Remote Working Resources section on the People(s) & Culture website. On this page, you will also find the Remote Workspace – Self-Assessment Checklist. This checklist ensures that the home workstation is ready for work, and takes into account many safety considerations of the home workstation, including the ergonomic set-up.