Healthy computer work

1. Seating in an ergonomically comfortable office chair is important for your back health. The chair's back should not be set straight upright but angled slightly backwards to 135° in order to reduce strain on the spine and ligaments. The results of research that was conducted at Woodened Hospital in Aberdeen, Scotland was presented to the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) on November 27, 2006 (and reported in Science Daily). It noted that the use of a "positional MRI" demonstrated that a 135° back angle (while feet were resting on the floor) provided less strain and wear and tear on a back's spine, muscles and tendons than either a 90° sitting position or sitting slouched.

Adjust your armrests for a neutral arm position or remove the arm rests if they are not useful. Always use the chair adjustment functions to create a better fit. It is important for your chair height to be set so that feet can rest on the floor. If the chair is higher, you can place your feet on a footrest.

2. Your monitor's height is important for healthy computer work. You should be able to view the screen without having to turn your head or tilt it up or down. There is a general rule that the top of your monitor should be positioned 2" to 3" above your seated eye level. Decide what setting is most comfortable and doesn't require your head to turn or tilt.

There are height adjustable desks and using an ergonomic computer workstation helps set your comfortable sitting position and monitor height. A much easier solution is to place monitors on flexible, counterbalanced LCD monitor arms. Laptop users will benefit with a height adjustable laptop stand which can accommodate to a variety of workers and work postures.

3. Control glare. Keep the screen perpendicular to any strong light source. Use an anti-glare/anti-radiation computer filter.

4. Monitor positioning. Often, monitors are placed too close or too far away from the viewer. In both situations the computer monitor user will eventually suffer from eye strain. Depending on the size of your monitor you should center your monitor at arm's length distance. Here again, LCD monitor arms are extremely helpful in adjusting to the most comfortable and ergonomic positioning.

5. Stable foot placement. As it was mentioned, you should adjust your chair so that your feet rest on the floor or purchase an elevated foot rest. Adjustable footrests like the ones we offer help reduce strain on back and neck muscles.

6. Organize your desk surface. Document stands eliminate desktop chaos and help you work more effectively and in maximum ergonomic comfort. Our brand name Ninka document stands can easily hold large binders or books.

7. Proper arm and hand positioning. Your wrists should be flat and straight in relation to forearms to use keyboard/mouse/input device.

8. Eliminate the strain and twisting caused by reaching. Your arms and elbows should be relaxed and close to your body. Organizing your desk with frequently used items close by prevents you from having to reach and strain. If you are a frequent phone user, consider purchasing an ergonomic phone stand arm that swivels, frees up valuable computer desk space, and prevents you from stretching too far too often.

9. Center your equipment. Keep the monitor and the keyboard centered in front of you.

10. Negative tilt. Use a negative tilt keyboard tray with an upper mouse platform

11. Adjustable mouse platform. Or use a downward tilt-able mouse platform adjacent to keyboard.

I. Match the words with their meanings:

	ergonomics	A	together in the body
	ligaments	B	making suitable or convenient for use
	slouch	C	come into a sloping position
	tendons	D	firm; not likely to move or change
	adjustment	E	study of the environment, conditions and efficiency of workers
	tilt	F	thick cord that joins musles to bone
	glare	G	stand, sit or move in a lazy, tired way
	binder	H	thing that ties or holds things together
	strain	I	stare angrily
	stable	J	condition of being stretched

II. Read the article once and then decide if the following guidelines are true, false or are not mentioned in the text above

1. Use a stable chair with a dynamic chair back that is angled slightly to the rear.

2. Top of monitor screen should be 3-5" above eye level

3. Do not afraid of glaring on screen; the use of an optical glass anti-glare filter is not necessary

4. Sit at arms length from monitor; further if distance is comfortable and screen's readable.

5. Do not rest feet on floor, only on a stable foot rest

6. Do not use a document holder in order to work in maximum comfort

7. Wrists flat and straight in relation to forearms to use keyboard/mouse/input device

8. Keep arms and elbows relaxed in front of you

9. Center monitor and keyboard to the left of you

10. Use a negative tilt keyboard tray with an upper mouse platform or downward tilt-able platform adjacent to keyboard

11. Take frequent short breaks (micro breaks) and stretch.

III. Team work. Work out the main rules for working with computer. The winner is to give clear recommendations for young people working on the computer. The first one is given for you

1. Use a good chair with dynamic chair back that is angled slightly to the rare.