The Benefits of Good Ergonomics

By Sheppard Sternthal

Feeling a little stiff or sore at the end of the day? Bad ergonomics could be the problem. Think about the way you are working. Human beings were not engineered to sit at a desk working on a computer all day. This is why it's important to ensure we practice good human computer interaction. Luckily, a few simple adjustments can fix those workplace problems without costing a lot of money.

A comfortable desk chair with a supportive back is important to prevent lower back strain. You should adjust the height of the chair so that your feet sit flat on the floor while your knees are bent about 90 degrees. You should be able to sit back in the chair and have the top of the desk meet your elbow.

Your computer monitor should meet you at eye-level, so you do not have to strain your neck. Many of the newer flat panel monitors have stands that can be adjusted for height and angle. If the screen still seems too far away to read properly, try changing the resolution to prevent eye strain.

Finally, and most importantly, is the keyboard and mouse. Many people suffer from tendonitis and carpel tunnel syndrome from using these devices incorrectly. Again, 90 degrees is the magic number, your arms should bend this much at the elbow, so that your forearms can rest comfortably on the desk. You should also adjust the angle of the keyboard and mouse, if possible, so that you do not have to bend your wrists to operate these devices. While standard desktop keyboards often have little feet to slightly raise the top, you can purchase keyboards that have been designed to be comfortable out of the box. These keyboards often have a space down the middle so that your two hands can type comfortably without being so close together.

With the current graphical computing environment, a good ergonomic mouse or trackball is just as important as an ergonomic keyboard, if not more so. At the very least, you should purchase a mouse pad that has a raised cushion for your wrist. Although they can take some getting used to, trackballs are even better for your health because they eliminate a lot of the sliding movement associated with using a mouse.

By following these simple computing ergonomics steps to practice computer safety, you can prevent many workplace problems.

Sheppard Sternthal

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