Office Ergonomics Checklist: Enjoy A Pain-Free Day With These 6 Easy Solutions!

Do you spend hours hunched over your desk, typing away at your computer? If so, it’s time to use this office ergonomics checklist. Ergonomic furniture and working practices are designed to ensure that you can work comfortably for long periods of time without putting unnecessary strain on your body. 

By following a few simple tips, you can make sure that your work environment is helping you take proper care of yourself while still getting the job done. In this article, we’ll provide an office ergonomics checklist with 6 essential tips for staying comfortable and pain-free throughout the day!

What is an Ergonomic Checklist?

An ergonomic checklist is a list of suggestions that can improve your comfort and reduce the risk of injury while working. The goal of an ergonomic office setup is to create a comfortable and safe work environment, reducing any strain or pain caused by incorrect posture, inadequate seating, or repetitive motions.

Checklist for Ergonomics: Office Tips

1. Desk

Your desk setup is crucial for optimal ergonomics, because it is the centerpiece of your workstation. First, make sure that it is at a comfortable height, which is usually such that when you sit and have your arms on your desk to type or write, your elbows are bent at 90 degrees. Then consider the variables that are unique to sitting and standing desks:

Sitting Desk

Your sitting desk needs to have adequate room underneath it for your legs, so that you can stretch them fully from time to time. This space helps you stay in a neutral posture, rather than scrunching your legs up to squeeze into your workspace.

You also need enough room on your desk surface to optimally place your monitor, keyboard, mouse, and other work materials.

Ideally, your sitting desk can also be converted to a standing desk. This has numerous health benefits: by standing, you engage your cerebellum, a part of your brain that controls balance. This keeps your cognition sharp not only throughout the day, but for years to come.

Standing also lengthens the psoas muscle, which helps you avoid back and hip pain from excess sitting.

Standing Desk

It is helpful to be able to stand during your work day, which is why a sit-stand desk that you can adjust in height is helpful. Your standing desk should also be at a height that allows your elbows to be at 90 degrees when your arms are on your desk. This is crucial for keeping you from hunching over your desk. The purpose of a standing desk is to allow you to stand tall, after all!

Some standing desks also have adjustable tilt of the desk surface. If you are going to be mostly using the standing desk for reading, tilting your work surface toward you will help so that you can keep your head and neck in a neutral posture, rather than tilted downward for reading.

But if you are going to be typing or writing, be sure that you position the tilt of your standing desk to 90 degrees, so that you can keep your wrist at 0 degrees (neither flexed nor extended). Using a work surface that allows your wrist to remain in a neutral position is important for preventing wrist pain, including carpal tunnel syndrome.

2. Seating

Your office chair needs to be cushioned, which not only will help you feel comfortable, but will help protect your spine, by dispersing the force of your body weight, rather than sending it back into your joints.

If your seat is too hard, you might get tailbone pain, low back pain, hip pain, or sciatica pain. An effective solution for many people is to use an orthopedic seat cushion, specially designed to disperse your weight and relieve pressure points.

It also helps when your office chair can swivel, since that allows you to freely move about to perform tasks, without twisting your spine.

Crucially, the back of your chair needs to support your back, so that you can keep your trunk in an open, neutral posture, rather than collapsed. There are two key factors to watch out for:

Low back support

If your low back is straight or even curved forward, then it is in an abnormal posture.

If your chair is putting you in this position, you can add a lumbar pillow or lumbar support to your chair. Many people find that this relieves low back pain, and helps them work a full day without being distracted by discomfort!

Headrest

In order to reduce stress on your spine, your head should be over your shoulders. At minimum, a headrest should be present to support the back of your head when you rest against the back of your chair.

But a lot of people are so used to carrying their heads in front of them instead of over their shoulders, that it is uncomfortable for them to hold a neutral head posture.

The result? Many chairs are designed with head rests that push your head forward.

While this accommodates the many, it is actually going against the ergonomic principle of neutral posture, and can be uncomfortable to people who normally have good posture.

So what do you do if you have a chair with an excessively large headrest?

To neutralize the effect, you can add a lumbar support to the chair. That way, your head, shoulders, and hips will all be aligned.

Note that when shopping for a lumbar support to add to your chair, a mesh support will have more give and airflow than a solid one. For many people, this is the most comfortable.

3. Monitor

Your monitor needs to be tilted a few degrees upward, because this will minimize glare. Minimizing glare is important for your ergonomics, because it keeps you from squinting and leaning forward to read what is on your screen.

Your computer screeen also should not be facing a window, because that will also result in glare. If your monitor is next to a window, you can align it so it is rotated slightly away from the window, to prevent screen glare.

You can also use window shades to minimize glare on your computer screen.

Next, the height of your monitor needs to be at your eye level. Keeping your computer screen at the same height as your gaze when you look straight ahead will help you avoid headaches and neck pain from looking down all day.

Finally, the brightness of your monitor needs to be comfortable for you, so that you can read without straining your eyes and leaning forward.

4. Mouse

Your mouse needs to be within comfortable reach for you, so that you do not need to lean forward and reach for it.

You should also be able to use it without experiencing discomfort to your forearm due to a sharp edge on your desk.

Additionally, your wrist should be in a neutral position when it rests on your mouse. This means it should be neither tilted upward nor downward. If it is tilting upward, you can add a rest pad to bring your wrist angle back to zero.

5. Keyboard

Like your mouse, your keyboard needs to be placed at less than an arm’s length distance, so that you do not need to reach for it. You should be able to maintain an elbow angle at a comfortable 90 degrees while you are typing.

Also, when you rest your fingers on your keyboard, notice what position your wrists are in. Are they angled upward, or is there a straight line between the back of your forearm and the top of your wrist?

If your hands are angled upward, then there is strain on your wrists that can lead to pain. To correct this, you can use a keyboard rest pad, which is a simple foam pad designed to protect your wrists:

A keyboard rest pad will also protect your arms from sharp edges that could cause pressure points.

6. Posture

Now that you have set up your workstation for healthy office ergonomics, pay attention to your body posture. Is your head above your shoulders, and your shoulders above your hips? Your head, shoulders and hips should fall in a straight line. Are your feet flat on the floor? Do you feel comfortable, or are you noticing any strain or pressure points anywhere?

Setting a reminder for yourself to check your posture is a way that you can reduce pain, or even prevent it before it begins! Remember to follow these tips and reset your posture throughout the day.

Conclusion

By following the tips, you will be able to set up an ergonomic space that is comfortable and health-promoting. With a good setup, you will be able to reduce strain on your body and avoid aches and pains that can accumulate over time. Your body will thank you!

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