One of the most exciting, and admittedly most challenging and even stressful, parts of a new job is getting a new work space.  Granted most of us aren't given the luxury of a corner office, or even an office with a door.  But regardless of what space we have to work with, it's important to set it up as ergonomically as possible so we can decrease possible strain and injuries, while increasing productivity.  There are some basic work station set-up principles that are always true.  That said, here is a list you can check out as you set up your space or as you re-work the space you already have.  Next time, we'll look at an example of a small office and what this worker has done well and what he could improve!

Ergonomic Work Station Set-Up Principles

How comfortable are you at your workstation? Is it easy to spend eight hours at your desk, or do you ache at the end of the day? Ergonomics is about making your office more comfortable and productive. Here are some tips and tools that can improve your comfort and increase your productivity:

Adjust your chair. Ergonomic typing posture is focused on minimizing the movement and work required on your muscles. Good posture prevents strained muscles and a sore back. And a good ergonomic chair is the best foundation for maintaining good posture for long periods of time. Make your feet rest firmly on the ground, and ensure that your lower back has sufficient support. If needed, you can add portable lumbar support. Finally, make sure your arm rests out of the way to allow free arm movement while you type.

Upgrade to an ergonomic keyboard. Ergonomic keyboards are specifically designed to support good hand position, making your typing more comfortable and efficient. When looking at a new keyboard, try several different designs to fine one that fits, and give yourself a few weeks to determine if it is really the best keyboard for you.

Move your keyboard. Add an adjustable keyboard tray to your desk to provide fast, easy adjustment of your keyboard. While typing, your keyboard should be only an inch or two above your lap, just below the height of your elbows. When adjusted correctly, your shoulders, arms and hands should feel relaxed and you should be able to easily reach the top keys without stretching or reaching. 

Try a document holder. Looking back and forth between your screen and a document creates pain in your neck and shoulders. It also can strain your eyes to continually refocus, resulting in headaches. A document holder can help relieve all this pain and can actually increase your productivity. Place the document holder immediately next to your monitor and at approximately the same distance from your eyes.

Try these tips to improve your work space ergonomics. Adjusting your ergonomic chair and adding ergonomic tools, such as a keyboard tray, can help improve your comfort and increase you productivity.

Shoulder pain and injury is frequently caused by repetitive motion and poor posture. Too often, computer users unconsciously sit in awkward positions instead of maintaining a neutral sitting position. This quickly leads to soreness and pain.

Here are some tips for finding relief and improving your posture for pain free typing.

1. Rest and Stretch: Give your muscles a break. Stand up and walk around at least every hour. During your break, stretch the sore muscle area to relieve any building tension. Here are some effective shoulder stretches recommended by National Institute of Health.
2. Restore Proper Sitting Posture: A good ergonomic chair can and should serve as the basis for good posture.  You should adjust it to fit you specifically. First, evaluate the back rest. Does the shape of the chair properly support the curvature of your lower back? A rolled towel or additional lumbar support can encourage proper posture and relieve muscle strain. Next, adjust the chair height to ensure that your feet rest flat on the floor. Finally, the armrests should be placed low enough that you can relax both arms and shoulders freely at your side during computer use.
3. Re-position the Computer Screen: You should never have to bend your neck or move your body to view your computer monitor. Instead, it should be centered directly in front of you, raised to eye level, and about an arm’s length from your body. An easy-to-install monitor shelf can quickly add height for better viewing. Also, if you frequently type from a document or notebook, try adding a document holder  immediately next to your monitor to improve your neck position.
4. Adjust Your Work Space: A significant contributor to shoulder pain is the improper height and placement of your keyboard and mouse. An adjustable tray allows the freedom to quickly reposition your keyboard and mouse. The best keyboard placement is one or two inches above your legs, just below your elbow height. A slight angle away from your body will help you relax your hands as well. Your computer mouse should be tight against the keyboard, at the same height and angle, so that you never have to reach outward for your mouse.
5. Upgrade Your keyboard. Ergonomic keyboards are specially designed to encourage good hand and wrist posture, relaxing your arms and shoulders and making your typing more comfortable and efficient. You may benefit from the mini keyboard or a left-handed keyboard that do not have a number pad on the right side, allowing you to bring the mouse in even closer, thus decreasing muscle strain. When looking for a new keyboard, try several different designs to find one that fits your hands as well as your typing style.

Poor posture can impact your comfort and productivity at work. Upgrade to good, ergonomic chair for better support. Try an adjustable keyboard tray to  help arrange your workspace for better posture. These quick tips can help relieve pain and improve your comfort at work.

Do you sit, uncomfortably, at your desk all day? Even if you are fine in the morning, most office workers find themselves sore and tired by the end of the day. Here are some tips to help you create a more comfortable, productive workstation.

• Move your keyboard. Add an adjustable keyboard tray to your desk to provide fast, easy adjustment of your keyboard. Good hand and arm posture while typing is vital to your comfort and productivity and can protect your wrists from pain and injury. For best posture, your keyboard should be one to two inches above your lap, just below the height of your elbows. When adjusted correctly, your  shoulders, arms and hands should feel relaxed and you should be able to easily reach the top keys without stretching or reaching. 
• Adjust your monitor height. Sore shoulders and neck muscles, and frequent work-induced headaches are too often the result of poorly placed computer screens. If you ever look up or down, or even to the side, to properly view your screen, you are in need of a monitor adjustment. Your computer screen should be  directly in front of you, at eye level.  A monitor riser is easy to install and will provide the additional height for a more comfortable view.
• Use a document holder. A document holder can relieve neck and shoulder pain, ease eye strain, and even increase your productivity. You no longer have to continuously look back and forth from your monitor, losing your place, slowing down your typing, overworking your neck and straining your eyes. Place the document holder as close as you can to your monitor, and make sure it is approximately the same distance from your eyes.
• Put on a phone headset. It is often frustrating to sit holding a phone receiver, but cradling the handset between your shoulder and ear in to free your hands will quickly stain your shoulder and neck muscles. Try using a headset for your phone to free your hands and make your phone calls more comfortable.

These adjustment may seem simple, but they can be extremely important to improve your workstation. It is painless to add a  document holder or a keyboard tray, but these small changes can give you a more comfortable, pain-free work environment.

I can always tell if I have spent too much time at my computer by the headaches I experience at the end of the day. Computer headaches can often be traced to muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. Although headaches are triggered for many reasons, there are a few typical office “fixes” that can help with work-induced headaches. Here are some of the tips that have helped me.

Tips to reduce neck and shoulder tension and to prevent work-induced headaches:

• Move Your Computer Screen:  This is all about neck position and eye strain. If you hold your neck awkwardly while looking at your computer, you will quickly strain your neck and your eyes, or both, normally resulting in a headache.  For better placement, follow these easy rules:  1) Make sure your monitor is directly in front of you, centered on your body. 2) When sitting back in your chair, your screen should be about an arms-length away; find a good distance that allows your eyes to read easily. 3) Lastly, your monitor should sit up at eye level; a monitor or desk riser can add the necessary height. You should never have to look up or down at your screen. 
• Use a document holder:  Looking back and forth from your notepad or book up to your computer screen can strain the muscles in your neck and shoulders. And constanly refocusing your eyes from your document to your monitor will overwork your eyes. A document holder moves your notes to a better location. Place your document holder as close to your monitor as possible, at about the same distance away from your eyes.
• Correct your posture: Good, ergonomic posture is all about minimizing the work your muscles are doing while sitting at your computer; basically, your muslces are in their most relaxed position possible. Here are a few quick rules to think about: 1) Make sure your chair is properly adjusted and that you have enough lumbar support for your lower back. 2) Move your keyboard is in the proper place about two inches from your lap, slightly sloped away from your body. Try an adjustable keyboard tray to adjust your keyboard quickly and easily. 3) If you find you are tensing your shoulders, move your armrests out of the way while typing.
• Take frequent breaks: Stop and stretch your muscles; move around to get your blood flowing again. Even if you don’t have time for a break, try standing up while you return phone calls or thinking through a problem. Even just a minute or two can help prevent muscle strain.

Headaches can be frustrating and even debilitating, with a significant impact on productivity and concentration.Try adding helpful tools, such as an adjustable keyboard tray or a document holder to help reduce the strain of the muscles in your neck and shoulders. These changes may seem small, but a few improvements to your posture and habits can make a big impact on your life.