Positioning Yourself At Your Desk
First, make sure your workstation is set up correctly. Here’s a checklist.
1. Your chair and keyboard should be set so that the thighs and
forearms are parallel to the floor.
2. The keyboard height should ensure that the wrists are straight
and level.
3. The keyboard should be close enough that you don’t have to
stretch forward to reach the keys.
4. The mouse should be close to the keyboard where you don’t have
to reach to use it.
Now check your body position.
1. Keep your hip, knee, and ankle joints open slightly (90 degrees
or more).
2. Keep your head aligned with your spine.
3. Keep your upper arms close to your sides, hanging straight
down.
4. When typing, your wrists should be relaxed, not be bent up,
down, or to the sides.
RESOURCES
Repetitive Strain Injury: A Computer User’s Guide. Pascarelli, Emil
M.D., John Wiley and Sons, 1994.
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety website:
www.ccohs.ca/oshaanswers/ergonomics/sitting/sitting_position.html