Ergonomics Office safety Worker health and wellness Injury prevention Musculoskeletal disorders
Office worker ergonomics

Office worker ergonomics

Safety+Health shares – in pictures – how the National Safety Council conducts ergonomics assessments of workers’ desks and chairs to help prevent MSDs.

Officer worker ergonomics

A full assessment

This pictorial focuses on the chair and desk of an office workstation. A full ergonomics assessment also takes into account the following:

  • Lighting
  • Office temperature and humidity
  • Noise
  • Space for the worker to change position

Workers should be encouraged to report any workstation-related headaches, pain or discomfort to a supervisor.

Additional resources

Anything to add?

How does your office conduct ergonomics audits? Tell us about it by adding a comment below.

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Andy Hemken, CSP
March 7, 2014
Very nice article. One of the things that ergonomist forget regards computer software. screen organization, settings, etc. Another would be the different types of procedures. There may be five or six different types of work being conducted, which affect the layout of the office equipment and furnishings. Keep up the good work.

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dan mulera
March 18, 2014
We just finished our first whole office audit. We have 50 people in cubes. 10% needed new chairs, 20% needed different chairs, and 23% needed footrests because the desk tops are not adjustable. I was pleasantly surprised at the morale boost caused by the attention to their working conditions. We had only one inconsiderate "princess".

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Charles
March 21, 2014
Any advice for some body like me that has a manager that thinks this is a waste of money? What do I say to convince him that aches and pains from office work can cost the company more down the road than the price of a few pieces of furniture and and a couple ergo doodads?

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Chris
April 3, 2014
Charles, use the blurb at the beginning of this article about the 11-16 days of recovery resulting from these issues. Employers face a huge amount of risk around these things and often they forget that life happens. People need the proper equipment and the repercussions are peoples lives and future well-being.

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Dale
January 14, 2015
I completely disagree with the type of mouse purported to be "ergonomics". The shoulders and wrist often get hurt with prolonged mouse work. Now you are asking the person to complete all this work with just the Thumb! This is asking for De Quervains or associated injuries to muscles moving the thumb. Poor ergonomics in my opinion. Rather go for a vertical mouse that stops forearm pronation. Roller ball mouse isolates all the work to the thumb whilst the forearm remains in a poor posture.

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Audrey Cosby
May 12, 2015
Great Info!

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adr
April 30, 2016
we practically do not have to sit in pharmacy, but stand. Please make a pictorial on the position in front of the computer while standing. I am straining my back continuously by bending down to use the mouse which is low on the counter, even I put some books under the monitor to bring it at eye level.

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Gerardocalders
June 14, 2017
Very good

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Gerry caldera
June 15, 2017
Good to know thx!