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au/topics/physical/ergonomics/workstation

Safety, Health and Wellbeing

Computer workstation ergonomics

The information on this page should help you to set up FURTHER

a workstation correctly. INFORMATION

All recommendations are based upon Australian Standard AS 3590 -

Screen-based workstations, Part 2

To a large extent the above standard still applies, but there have
been significant advances in the field of ergonomics since 1990, as
per the graphic here.

Consideration should be given to the:

Workstation setup RELATED LINKS
accessories required to operate properly
layout of equipment on the desk Comcare Office Wise
location of furniture in the room. Healthy Computing.

RELATED DOCUMENTS
1. Keyboards
Workstation setup
2. Chairs [PDF, 664.2 KB]
Updated 28 Feb 2012
3. Phones

4. Monitors Good seating posture

[DOC, 41.0 KB]
Updated 23 Sep 2011
5. Document holder

6. Desks
For further information, please
7. Lighting contact UWA's Manager of
Injury Management and
8. Using a mouse Wellbeing on (+61 8) 6488
2784.
9. Keyboard equipment and radiation

10. Posture while typing

Keyboards
Place the keyboard in a position that allows the forearms to be close to the horizontal and the wrists to be
straight. That is, with the hand in line with the forearm. If this causes the elbows to be held far out from the
side of the body then re-check the work surface height.

Some people prefer to have their wrists supported on a wrist rest or the desk. Be careful not to have the
wrist extended or bent in an up position.

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Chairs
Adjust the seat tilt so that you are comfortable when you are working on the keyboard. Usually, this will be
close to horizontal but some people prefer the seat tilted slightly forwards.

Your knees should be bent at a comfortable angle and greater than 90º flexion. If this places an

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uncomfortable strain on the leg muscles, or if the feet do not reach the floor, then a footrest should be used.
The footrest height must allow your knees to be bent at 90º; the height of the footrest may need to be
adjustable.

Adjust the backrest so that it supports the lower back when you are sitting upright. A range of chairs is
available.

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Phones
Avoid cradling the phone between your head and shoulder when answering calls. If you need to use your
computer at the same time, use a headset or the phone's hands-free/speaker-phone capabilities if the
environment is suitable.

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Monitors
Set the eye-to-screen distance at the distance that permits you to most easily focus on the screen. Usually
this will be within an arm's length.

Set the height of the monitor so that the top of the screen is below eye level and the bottom of the screen
can be read without a marked inclination of the head. Usually this means that the centre of the screen will
need to be near shoulder height. Your eyes should be level with the tool bar.

People who wear bifocal or multi-focal lenses will need to get a balance between where they see out of
their lenses and avoid too much neck flexing. The height of the monitor can be adjusted using a monitoor
riser.

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Document holder
Place the document holder close to the monitor screen in the position that causes the least twisting or
inclination of the head.

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Desks

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Adjust the height of the work surface and/or the height of the chair so that the work surface allows your
elbows to be bent at 90º, forearms parallel with the floor, wrist straight, shoulders relaxed.

Place all controls and task materials within a comfortable reach of both hands so that there is no
unnecessary twisting of any part of the body. Most people prefer the document holder to be between the
keyboard and the monitor. There are many different types of document holders available.

Sit-stand desks

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Lighting, glare and reflection

Lighting
Place the monitor to the side of the light source/s, not directly underneath. Try to site desks between rows
of lights. If the lighting is fluorescent strip lighting, the sides of the desks should be parallel with the lights.
Try not to put the screen near a window. If it is unavoidable ensure that neither the screen nor the operator
faces the window.

If the monitor is well away from windows, there are no other sources of bright light and prolonged desk-work
is the norm, use a low level of service light of 300 lux. If there are strongly contrasting light levels, then a
moderate level of lighting of 400-500 lux may be desirable.

Glare and reflection

It is important to detect the presence of glare and reflection. To determine whether there is glare from
overhead lights, sit down and hold an object such as a book above the eyes at eyebrow level and establish
whether the screen image becomes clearer in the absence of overhead glare.

To detect whether there are reflections from the desk surface, hold the book above the surface and assess
the change in reflected glare from the screen.

You can eliminate or reduce the influence of these reflections in a number of ways:

Tilt the screen (top part forwards) so that the reflections are directed below eye level.
Purchase an LCD screen.
Cover the screen with a light diffusing surface or anti-glare screen.
Negative contrast screen (dark characters on light background) will reduce the influence of these
reflections.

If you experience eye discomfort when using a bright screen you should make the following adjustments:
Turn the screen brightness down to a comfortable level.
Look away into the distance in order to rest the eyes for a short while every 10 minutes or so.
Change the text and background colours. We recommend black characters on white or yellow
background, or yellow on black, white on black, white on blue and green on white. Avoid red and green
and yellow on white.

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Using a mouse
A well-designed mouse should not cause undue pressure on the wrist and forearm muscles. A large bulky
mouse may keep the wrist continuously bent at an uncomfortable angle.

Pressure can be reduced by releasing the mouse at frequent intervals and by selecting a slim-line, low-
profile mouse. Keep the mouse as close as possible to the keyboard, elbow bent and close to the body.

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Keyboard equipment and radiation

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Computer screens emit visible light that allows the characters on the screen to be seen. Weak
electromagnetic fields and very low levels of other radiation that are not visible to the human eye can be
detected by sensitive instruments. Similar emissions are produced by television receivers.

The levels of most radiations and electromagnetic fields emitted from computers are much less than those
from natural sources, such as the sun or even the human body, and are well below levels considered to be
harmful by responsible expert bodies such as the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA).

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Posture while typing

Good posture is essential for all computer users. You should adopt a natural and relaxed position, providing
opportunity for movement, from which you can assume a number of alternative positions.

There is no single, rigidly defined position.

Typing technique
Typing is a physical activity, and using a keyboard requires skill, hence the need to learn correct typing
technique. Unskilled ('hunt and peck') typists are particularly at risk of "occupational overuse injury"
because they:

often use only one or two fingers which may overload the finger tendons
are constantly looking from keyboard to screen to keyboard, which may strain neck muscles
often adopt a tense posture (wrists bent back and fingers 'poised to strike').

The University acknowledges the importance of learning correct typing technique. Departments should
ensure that untrained staff receive appropriate training.

Speed of keying
The efficiency and speed of modern computers makes it possible for a skilled operator to type extremely
quickly. This capability, reinforced by workload pressures, means the potential exists for operators to key at
speeds which may cause or contribute to occupational overuse syndrome.

The role of the repetitive movement in injury is not fully understood, but is believed to interfere with the
lubrication capacity of tendons, and the ability of muscles to receive sufficient oxygen supplies.

Ten thousand to 12,000 keystrokes per hour is considered an acceptable standard.

Length of time on the keyboard

The maintenance of a fixed posture for long periods is tiring and increases the likelihood of muscular aches
and pains. In addition, long periods of repetitive movement and sustained visual attention can also give rise
to fatigue-related complaints.

It is recommended that operators take regular postural/stretching breaks to reduce intense periods of
repetitive movement.

Employees newly engaged in keyboard work, and staff returning from an absence of two or more weeks,
need a period of adjustment. The adjustment may be achieved through reduced work rates, or provision of
alternative duties with a gradual reintroduction to keyboard work.

Jobs should be designed and organised so that either:

computer-related tasks can be interspersed with non computer related, or

computer based tasks can be rotated amongst several staff (task/job sharing).

It is not the change of task per se, but the change to using different movements and postures
that is important. The whole purpose of task variety is to give the overloaded structures a
necessary break.

Supervisors should ensure that workload controls are exercised using the following strategies:

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planning ahead to avoid peaks, and rushed jobs

delegating fairly to all staff not just the best workers
considering the total workload of the individual (often comes from a number of sources)
clearly defining each operator's workload
implementing systems of prioritisation such as work request forms and waiting lists
using relief staff
applying strict tests to the use of 'urgent' labels
discouraging 'endless' drafts
discouraging the use of typed internal minutes and memoranda
encouraging authors to have realistic expectations
teaching authors keyboard skills
teaching operators how to be assertive, and how to prioritise
supporting operators when authors impose unrealistic expectations
refusing illegible drafts.

Posture and environment

Change your posture at frequent intervals to minimise fatigue. Avoid awkward postures at the extremes of
the joint range, especially the wrists.

Take frequent short rest breaks rather than infrequent longer ones. Avoid sharp increases in work rate.
Changes should be gradual enough to ensure that the workload does not result in excessive fatigue.

After prolonged absences from work the overall duration of periods of keyboard work should be increased
gradually if conditions permit.

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