Knowledge Center: Computer workstations

Whether in a classroom or at home, students have come to rely heavily on computers to complete their assignments and keep up with their studies. That dependence grew even greater in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic as remote and hybrid instruction methods required many hours in front of a computer screen. As students work their way through elementary and secondary school and onto higher education, the hours perched in front of those screens will accumulate.

So it’s important for the workstations where students will be spending those hours are safe and comfortable. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a checklist to help set up ergonomic workstations properly.

“To understand the best way to set up a computer workstation, it is helpful to understand the concept of neutral body positioning,” the OSHA guide says. “This is a comfortable working posture in which your joints are naturally aligned. Working with the body in a neutral position reduces stress and strain on the muscles, tendons, and skeletal system and reduces your risk of developing a musculoskeletal disorder.”

To maintain neutral body postures at a workstation, OSHA says that

• Hands, wrists, and forearms should be straight, in-line and roughly parallel to the floor.
• Head should be level, forward facing, and balanced.
• Shoulders should be relaxed and upper arms should hang normally at the side of the body.
• Elbows should stay in close to the body and are bent between 90 and 120 degrees.
• Feet should be fully supported by the floor or a footrest may be used if the desk height is not adjustable.
• The back should be fully supported with appropriate lumbar support when sitting vertical or leaning back slightly.
• Thighs and hips should be supported and generally parallel to the floor.
• Knees should be about the same height as the hips with the feet slightly forward.

Workplace components

Choosing the proper components of a workstation will help a user perform more efficiently and work comfortably.

Those include:

• Chairs. “A chair that is well-designed and appropriately adjusted is an essential element of a safe and productive computer workstation,” OSHA says. “A good chair provides necessary support to the back, legs, buttocks, and arms, while reducing exposures to awkward postures, contact stress, and forceful exertions.” Seat height should be adjustable and allow for proper alignment with the work surface.
• Desks. “A well-designed and appropriately adjusted desk will provide adequate clearance for your legs, allow proper placement of computer components and accessories, and minimize awkward postures and exertions,” the guide says.
• Monitors. “Choosing a suitable monitor and placing it in an appropriate position helps reduce exposure to forceful exertions, awkward postures, and overhead glare,” the guide says. “This helps prevent possible health effects such as excessive fatigue, eye strain, and neck and back pain.” The monitor should be adjusted so that the top of the screen is at or below eye level so users can read it without bending their head or neck.
• Keyboards. “Proper selection and arrangement of the computer keyboard helps reduce exposure to awkward postures, repetition, and contact stress.” The keyboard platform should be adjusted so that the hands are positioned over the keyboard with elbows near the torso at an angle of 90 to 100 degrees.
• Pointer/mouse. “Selection and placement of a pointer/mouse is an important factor in creating a safe computer workstation.”
• Wrist/palm supports: “Wrist or palm rests can also increase your comfort. Proper use has been shown to reduce muscle activity and to facilitate neutral wrist angles.”

Laptop computers are regularly used away from a workstation or outside a classroom. Users of those devices should change their posture frequently to improve neck and wrist posture, and time spent on a laptop should be minimized.

Users also should pay attention to lighting a workstation. “Appropriately placing lighting and selecting the right level of illumination can enhance your ability to see monitor images,” OSHA says. “For example, if lighting is excessive or causes glare on the monitor screen, you may develop eyestrain or headaches, and may have to work in awkward postures to view the screen.

OSHA also cautions that people should not work in the same posture for prolonged periods. Users should:

• Make small adjustments to their chairs or backrests.
• Stretch their fingers, hands, arms, and torso.
• Stand up and walk around for a few minutes periodically.
• Perform some tasks while standing: computing, reading, phone calls, or meetings.