Office Ergonomics

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Topic Overview

What is ergonomics?

Ergonomics is the study of how your body interacts with your environment when you perform a task or activity. Ergonomics often involves arranging your environment—including equipment, tools, lighting, and how you do a task—to fit you and the activity you are doing. Office ergonomics focuses on arranging your work environment to fit your needs while you do your job.

When your workstation is set up properly, you may be less likely to have problems such as headaches or eyestrain, possibly reduce neck and back pain, and perhaps prevent conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome that can be related to repetitive activities. Whether or not your workstation is causing physical problems, a workstation that is properly set up can increase your productivity and quality of work life.

What is the purpose of office ergonomics?

Injury and illness are common in the workplace and costly to both you and your employer. Not only do they reduce your quality of life, but they also reduce your ability to be efficient and productive.¹ In one study, over half of employees who used computers for at least 15 hours a week reported musculoskeletal problems in the first year of a new job.²

Most job-related injuries are caused by falls, repetitive movements, awkward postures, reaching, bending over, lifting heavy objects, applying pressure or force, or working with vibrating tools. Office ergonomics can help you be more comfortable at work while reducing stress and injury caused by awkward positions and repetitive tasks.

Office ergonomics focuses on your workstation arrangement—the placement of equipment such as your desk, computer monitor, chair, computer keyboard, mouse, and telephone. An ergonomic evaluation examines:

• Your workstation setup relative to your posture, length of time in a position or doing a particular task, types of movements, or repetition of movements.
• Your job surroundings, including the work surface, lighting, noise level, temperature, and humidity.
• Your job tools, including any device used to perform your job duties, such as a computer mouse or scanning machines.

What kinds of injuries occur in the office?

Most problems that occur in the office are caused by physical stress, such as prolonged awkward positions, repetitive motions, and overuse. These injuries can cause stress and strain on muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, blood vessels, or spinal discs. Symptoms include fatigue and hand, wrist, arm, shoulder, neck, or back pain. You may also be at risk for conditions such as tendinopathy and bursitis, which are caused by overuse and repetitive motions. Ultimately, physical stress decreases your overall well-being, may cause chronic health problems, and uses up your sick time.

You may be at greater risk for workplace injuries if you have other health conditions, such as arthritis or mental or emotional stress.

How can I prevent injuries?

To prevent work-related injuries, it is important to position the work so that you can sit comfortably and minimize stress on any specific area of your body, vary your positions and tasks, and match tools to your size and preferences. It's also important to apply the same ideas about positioning your work and your body to activities you do at home or at play.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated:	June 13, 2007
Author:	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, David A. Fleckenstein, MPT - Physical Therapy
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC