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3 Working in Comfort
• Back - While sitting at your work surface, make sure your back is supported
by the chair's backrest in an erect position or angled slightly backwards.
• Arms - Make sure your arms and elbows are relaxed and loose, with your
upper arm perpendicular to the floor or slightly forward. Keep your
forearms and hands approximately parallel with the floor with elbows bent
between 70 and 115 degrees. Keep your elbows close to your sides (less
than 20 degrees away from your body).
• Legs - Your thighs should be horizontal or angled slightly downward. Your
lower legs should be near a right angle to your thighs. Make sure there is
sufficient room under the work surface for your legs.
• Feet - If after adjusting your chair you cannot rest your feet comfortably on
the floor, use a footrest, preferably one that can be adjusted in height and
angle.
Overall
• Look away from the screen from time-to-time to help reduce eyestrain.
Focus on distant objects briefly, and blink periodically to lubricate your
eyes. You also should have your eyes checked on a regular basis and ensure
your eyeglass prescription is suitable for working on a monitor screen.
• Remember to occasionally shift position and move your body. Keeping your
body in one position for long periods is unnatural and stressful. When
prolonged work is required, take frequent short breaks. As a rule of thumb,
a five or ten minute break every hour is a good idea. Short frequent breaks
are more beneficial than longer less frequent breaks. Data show that people
who work for long periods of time without a break may be more prone to
injury.
• Changing tasks frequently will help prevent muscle stiffness. Examples:
alternating between keyboarding, reading, writing, filing, and moving
around in your work environment, helps you maintain a relaxed posture.
Occasionally stretch the muscles in your hands, arms, shoulders, neck and
back. You should stretch at least as often as you take brief task breaks—at
least once every hour.
• Discomfort may be alleviated by using alternative ergonomic designs and
accessories such as ergonomically personalized chairs, palm rests,
keyboard trays, alternative input devices, prescription eyeglasses, anti-
glare screens, and more. Seek additional information from the sources
available to you, including your employer, doctor, local office supply store,
and the Information Sources listed in the online version of Working in
Comfort, preloaded on the hard disk of your HP computing equipment.
drac-usr.bk : wic-chap.fb4 Page 21 Friday, April 30, 1999 3:48 PM