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July 20, 2008

 
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The computer hardware you use is as important as the software. Not all CPUs, monitors and keyboards are created equal. Sometimes using the standard computer components can wreak havoc on your eyes, wrists, back and neck.

KEYBOARDS

  • Keyboards, pointing devices or working surfaces that are too high or too low can lead to bad wrist, arm and shoulder positions. When keyboards are too low you may type with your wrists bent up. When keyboards are too high, you may need to raise your shoulders to elevate your arms. These are bad postures. The split keyboard designs in ergonomically correct keyboards allow you to key without bending the wrists inward.
  • Put the keyboard directly in front of you.
  • Your shoulders should be relaxed and your elbows close to your body. Your wrists should be straight and in line with your forearms.
  • If you work with a keyboard tray, it must be adjustable so that you can adjust the height and tilt. It must provide good leg and foot clearance. It must have adequate space for multiple devices such as a keyboard and a mouse.
  • The kind of keyboard that comes with most desktops may cause you to bend your wrists sideways to reach all the keys. Keyboard tilt, caused by extending the legs on the back of the keyboard, may cause the wrist to bend upward. Smaller keyboards, like those on laptops, may also contribute to these stressful postures. The awkward wrist positions can create "contact stress" to the tendons that must be free to move more when wrists are doing repetitive keying.
  • As a rule of thumb, the horizontal spacing between the centers of two keys on a keyboard should be 0.71-0.75 inches and the vertical spacing should be between 0.71- 0.82 inches.
  • Number keypads should be detachable so that you can move them from the right side to the left side for variation, or if you are left-handed.

MONITORS

  • Sit at a comfortable distance from the monitor so that you can easily read all the text with your head and body in an upright posture and your back is supported by your chair.
  • Place the monitor between 20 and 40 inches from the eye to the front surface of the computer screen.
  • Make sure there is enough desk space to place the monitor in the correct position. You can make more room for the back of the monitor by pulling the desk away from the wall or by buying a flat-panel display, which is not as deep as a traditional monitor. Or you can move back and install an adjustable keyboard tray to create a deeper work surface.
  • The center of the monitor screen should be directly in front of you but not more than 15 to 20 degrees below that.
  • Workers who wear bifocals tend to look at monitors through the bottom lenses. If your monitor is too high, you will need to tilt your head up to look through the lenses. This can cause neck stress and lead to muscle fatigue.
  • Stop looking at the monitor periodically to avoid eyestrain. It is generally accepted that eyes blink fewer times when looking at monitors. When resting, blink your eyes to keep them moist or simply do a noncomputer task for a while.

Source: Occupational Safety & Health Administration


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