The Daily Vanguard

Ergonomics Considerations of Computers Usages in Workplace

Back pain is a common affliction and it can affect many of us. However, it is possible for u to overcome and avoid back pain. As an example, we could maintain proper posture in our daily activities. In this case, we should maintain proper posture at home and workplace. It is a bad thing to sit for house in the office chairs. This is a key reason why many people suffer from backache. People who already have existing backache can have worsened conditions. When we use office chairs, it is important to make sure that we have the right kind of back support. Chair should be adjusted to match our body requirements. In this case, we should make sure that discomfort can be reduced significantly.

When we are working, the height of the office chair should be adjusted so that our arms can be parallel to our spine. Our elbow should rest at our desk at approximately 90-degree angle. We should have proper lower back support, so we will be able to stay comfortable n our office chair. This should help us to prevent backache. Cushioning is needed to support our lower back and it is important to make sure that we don’t slouch forward; something that we normally do when we feel tired over time. Slouching forward can cause backache. This will add extra stress on lumbar discs and the whole spinal structure.

When working, computer monitors should be placed farther away. So when our head face forward, our eyes will gaze at the center of the display. This should help to reduce back strain. It is also important to adjust the armrest of our office chair. In this case, elbows should rest comfortably on the armrest, so our shoulders are supported and slightly raised. Proper posture should facilitate excellent spinal health.

Other than using desktop computers with its large screen, many people in the workplace also use laptops. Due to its smaller dimension, we tend to use laptops with different postures. Laptops are praised for their portability and compact designs; but they violate multiple basic ergonomics rules, when it comes to computer usages. However, we can minimize some of their bad effects by setting up laptops in optimal positions. The display and keyboard should be at proper height. Unfortunately, due to its design; when the keyboard is at the proper position, the screen will be too low, but if the screen is at proper position, the keyboard will be too high. No matter what we choose, we will either have poor head/neck posture; or poor wrist/hand posture. For this reason, we shouldn’t use laptops at long period of time. But, if we only have laptops; we should use them at shorter sessions and we should have more light exercise to keep muscles in our neck, head, wrist and hand flexible. Another option is to attach the laptop to a bigger, external display to improve the overall ergonomics. This will lead to better productivity and reduced illnesses.