Your chair:

• You must ensure that the chair is working correctly and that you are familiar with how the chair works.

• The chair height should be adjusted so that: (A) the forearms are parallel or slightly sloping down, to the keyboard; (B) the shoulders are relaxed and; (C) the knees are slightly lower than the hips.

• At the correct height your feet should be in contact with the floor (D) If not then a footrest should be used. (E)

• Preferably the seat should tilt forwards to rotate the top of the pelvis so that the spine is in its natural ‘S’ shape. Try a chair with a rocking action to help vary and change postures.

• The small of the back (Lumbar) should be supported (F) to help preserve the natural curve of the spine. This may be affected by the depth of your seat, which should allow you to sit right back into the chair without putting pressure on the back of your calves. (G)

• Sit back in an upright posture, slightly relaxed into the backrest with the head over the shoulders and in line with the buttocks. Try not to sit blt upright or perch on the edge of your chair as this will encourage you to slouch.
  
  
   

Your Workstation

• Your screen should be placed directly in front of you to prevent you from twisting to see the screen. Your screen should be approximately arms length away (H) from you and you should have a natural and relaxed eye level at the top of the screen (I). Touch typists may prefer to have the screen raised higher than a copy typist as they do not have to ‘drop’ the head to see the keyboard.

• Laptop users will benefit from a laptop stand (J) to raise the height of the screen to the appropriate height. A separate keyboard and mouse would be needed with this configuration.

• Place all things that you must operate with your hands, such as the keyboard and mouse, directly in front of you (K) and with the elbows at 90° by your side. This will reduce the need to overreach, causing the body to move away from the back support and encouraging you to slouch.

• If you have to look at documents when you type, consider using a document holder (L) so that you don’t have to look down to the documents and then up to the screen which can cause neck strain. This is best placed directly in front of the monitor to avoid twisting the neck. Consider an Inline Copyholder or Flexdesk.

• If you regularly need to write or read documents away from the computer, consider using a writing/reading slope (M) to allow you to sit back in your chair and prevent leaning forwards over the desk.

• If you regularly use a telephone whilst typing, try using a headset to allow you to type freely with both hands.

• Make sure the space under your desk is free from clutter and that your legs are free to move from side to side.

• You should avoid static postures by changing tasks and taking regular breaks away from the workstation.