Guide to a safe workstation

Workplace discomfort and pain must be addressed early on. Photo / Thinkstock

Every day thousands of employees slide into their chairs, fire up the computers and off they go - tap, tap, point and click, drag.

Businesses run on the movements performed by office workers, but sometimes their bodies protest. Complaints of aching neck and shoulders, lower back pain and headaches may result.

"The causes may be physical - to do with posture, positioning of equipment and so on, but it is important to look at the whole person," says Lorraine Gardener Wood, programme manager ACC Insurance and Prevention Services.

A holistic approach features in the guidelines for using computers published by the ACC and the Department of Labour.

Designed primarily for employers, managers and allied health professionals, the guidelines aim to help prevent and manage problems associated with the use of computers.

Based on University of Auckland research, the guidelines identify and address factors that may contribute and lead to discomfort, pain and injury for computer users.

"This includes factors like the way work is organised, the work environment and the postures workers adopt when using computers, amongst others," Gardner Wood says. "The guidelines explain the importance of identifying and addressing workplace discomfort and pain early, before it becomes a significant problem."

Computer use differs around the world. Trends in Europe such as L-shaped desks and sit/stand workstations have been slower to take off in New Zealand. Sit/stand workstations can be useful for people with back problems. Modern portable computers have also changed people's workstation needs.

The physical characteristics of populations vary and New Zealand workplaces are diverse, so work environments have to be adaptable.

Gardner Wood is an ergonomist and has worked with many people with workplace injuries. She stresses the importance of looking beyond the physical complaint.

"One of the biggest problems I think is completely under-recognised is stress, resulting from how people react to psycho-social factors inside and outside work.

"It could just be unreasonable deadlines, others may be [issues with] managers, feeling unappreciated at work or it could be restructuring."

Other issues may be related to personal circumstances, as in the case of an employee whose child has been diagnosed with a health issue.

"Go for the easy fixes first - the equipment and how you are using it.

"[However] you also have to look at possible underlying factors, how the person is as an individual - their state of being, their general health, their genetic make up etc.

"We are trying to move past that single intervention model, which is something New Zealand has been stuck in for a long time."

The ACC guidelines include a hazard-management process people can follow to help them identify problems associated with computer use and work out ways to eliminate, isolate and/or minimise them. This is a continuous process of monitoring and adjustment.

Four categories of health problems associated with computer use have been identified: physical discomfort, pain or injury; visual discomfort; stress and fatigue.

Factors that may contribute to discomfort, pain and injury are various - work organisation, workplace layout, awkward posture, task invariability, environmental issues and psychosocial issues.

Gardner Wood says there are adjustments a computer workstation user can make to help prevent these issues. The first involves screen height.

"In your normal position you should be looking at the top of your screen; we know our eyes drop when we are working. If you keep the screen up too high the muscles in your eyes will get tired and drop, or your eyes get dry. The simple fix is to lower the screen."

Mouse use can also be a problem. Fingers hover over the buttons and the arm is stretched way out to the side. Right-handed people can change the mouse to the left to avoid stretching and change settings to slow down the click speed.

One of her pet hates is seeing a sign on a chair warning, "do not adjust my chair." "You need to drive your chair - that's the easiest part of a workstation to adjust," she says.

People should perform tasks such as typing further away from their workstation. For more relaxed tasks such as writing and reading, the chair should be lower and closer to the work.

Changing position and moving around are natural for the body. "Ideally you should be working around the mid position of joints because that is the most comfortable - but the big thing is you must alter your position."

The guidelines link to the ACC computer software HabitAtWork, which provides exercises and strategies for preventing and managing discomfort and pain. It also sets out how to set up a comfortable workstation.

The 98-page guidelines could be of interest to employees and the self-employed. They apply to any situation where computers are used.

Gardner Wood says the guidelines would also be useful for students, schools and home computer users.

"That's where it needs to start. The guidelines are about the equipment and computer hardware, and it's hugely about educating and teaching people."

Occupational health physiotherapist Philippa Grimes does workplace assessments of people who have pain, discomfort and injury symptoms. She says the guidelines give practical technical information which covers the uses of devices such as laptops and dual screens, as well as general guidance.

"It incorporates [ACC's] current method of looking at hazards. It also encourages use of specific terminology. There is the equipment side of the equation [and] the side of how work tasks and content is organised.

"The psychosocial side includes the fit of the person to their overall workplace - not just their chair and their desk."

She thinks the guidelines and HabitAtWork software would be useful for people working from home, who may not know how to set up their workstation.

From the point of view of an employer, GP Dr Richard Medlicott considers the document a comprehensive and useful reference.

And he thinks a brief summary and photographs of an ideal workplace setup would be useful for employees.

He says people are more aware of the issues of safe computing than they were 10 years ago. "I find employers are more responsive than they used to be when problems occur, and also do more to prevent those problems occurring in the first place."

Common complaints
* Discomfort or pain in upper body
* Stiffness
* Numbness
* Tingling
* Sore eyes
* Headache
* Tiredness