Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, roughly 1 in 6 U.S. workers, some 26 million people, worked either partly or fully from home. Now that number has grown significantly, as states are requiring non-essential employees to stay home. If you’re one of these people, you may be noticing new aches and pains that you did not experience at the office. That’s because even though it isn’t mandated, many companies follow an ANSI-HFS standard in the design of their computer workstations, furnishing the office with the ergonomic furniture and accessories.
Most residential settings, however, simply don’t have the space to accommodate today’s ergonomic office furniture, nor do most people invest in it, especially if they do the bulk of their work in the office. So if you are working from your home, it’s likely that you are either using your computer on a regular table or a kitchen countertop, or you are in a lounge chair or on your bed. Wherever you’ve camped out for the day, chances are you aren’t in a healthy posture.
So, what can you do? Spend as much time as you can working in a neutral posture–a comfortable body position where no body part is awkwardly bent or twisted–and periodically move around to promote circulation. For computer work this means paying attention to the following 10 tips:
1. View your computer screen with a straight neck.
2. Put your screen sideways to a bright window.
3. View any paper documents with a straight neck.
4. Put your keyboard and mouse or touchpad at a comfortable height in front of you.
5. Don’t use a soft, squishy wrist rest.
6. Alternate between typing/mousing and using voice input.
7. Sit back in your chair.
8. When sitting, rest your feet flat on either the floor or a foot support.
9. Limit the time you work on your bed.
10. Avoid prolonged standing for computer work.
I – Word Understanding
ANSI-HFS – American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Human Factors Standards
Ergonomic – designed for efficiency and comfort in the working environment
II – Have Your Say
1, How do you feel about working from home? Would it be favorable to you if working from home becomes a normal mode for work?
2, What are the challenges you have experienced or you imagine you would experience in working from home?
3, How is your posture especially while working? What are things you do to keep a healthy posture?
4, Do you have body aches that you think are caused by work?
778 Getting Back Pain While Working From Home? An Ergonomics Expert Offers Advice
