Ergonomic Tips for Your Office Haven't got time for the pain that accompanies office work? Read on to find out how to make your office ergonomically correct.

Last February, OSHA proposeda workplace ergonomic standard designed to protect workers whosejobs put them at risk for repetitive strain injuries (RSI).According to the agency, work-related musculoskeletal disorders(including carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, herniated disc andlower back pain) cause American workers to lose more than 600,000workdays each year, sapping productivity and forcing employers tospend an ever-increasing amount on worker's compensation claimsand associated health costs.

While intense opposition from business leaders, labor officialsand Congress makes it extremely likely the new ergonomics standardwill be appealed , the proposal has made business owners both largeand small more aware of the link between a healthy,ergonomically-designed workplace and the productivity of theirbusiness.

Even if you don't have any employees, this link isespecially applicable to homebased businesses. Given the tremendousstress and responsibility of running a homebased business on yourown, it's even more important to pay attention to your workenvironment and its effect on your body, says Dora Potter, owner ofRockville Center, New York, ergonomics consulting firm, Ergnomic byDesign, which specializes in computer workstation safety. "Nomatter where you're working or what you're doing, ergonomic[improvements] will very definitely contribute to yourhealth," says Potter. "The positions you work in, theamount of time you spend performing tasks, and the way in which youuse your body in relation to the materials around you is going toimprove your productivity and efficiency because you'll stayhealthy for a longer period of time and be able to work morecomfortably."

How do you know if a poorly designed work environment is hurtingyou? Your body will tell you, with symptoms ranging from headachesand lower back pain to carpal tunnel syndrome (a syndrome where thetissue surrounding a nerve in the forearm swells, causing pain anddifficulty in movement). In an office setting, CTS and otherrelated injuries are generally caused by repetitive motion, such astyping or using a mouse, but sitting in awkward positions-like whenyou cradle a phone between your shoulder and head-for long periodsof time can also play a role, says Potter.

Though you can't completely eliminate typing, using a mouseor answering the phone from your daily routine as a business owner,changing various aspects of your workspace to meet ergonomicstandards will certainly reduce the chances of contracting theseinjuries.

A former staff writer for Entrepreneur magazine, G.David Doran's articles have appeared in Japan Inc.,Pool and Spa News and No-Fi magazine.

Simple Adjustments To Make In Your Office

Desk. Setting your PC on anantique roll top desk may look classy, but ergonomic workspaces arereally more about function than form, says Potter. "Most desksaren't really made for keyboarding," she says,"because their height forces you to work 'uphill,'keeping your forearms raised and bending your wrists at a severeright angle to get at the keyboard. You really don't want to bebending your wrists when you type for long periods oftime."

If purchasing a new desk is out of the question, Potter suggestsraising your seat and using a footrest so your wrists are at astraight angle, or bringing the keyboard down to comfortable levelby attaching a sliding keyboard tray to the desk. Another ergonomicalternative is to move your keyboard to a typewriter stand with apullout or folding leaf. "If you set that up in front of astandard desk," says Potter, "you'll have a goodheight for your keyboard as well as keeps your monitor at eyelevel."

Keyboard. All keyboards arenot created equal, especially when it comes to ergonomic design,says Jon Biggs, director of marketing for computer input devicedesigner Kinesis Corp."The design of the typical flat 104-key keyboard-the kind thatcomes with most PCs these days-really doesn't take into accountthe physical needs of the average user," says Biggs. "Ifyou're going to be typing for extended periods, you really wanta board that conforms to the physiology of a human hand as well asto your body instead of one that forces you into awkward andpainful positions."

There are a wide variety of adjustable keyboards on the markettoday, including "tent-structured" boards that reducewrist flexion, expandable boards that can be adjusted for theuser's shoulder width, and contoured boards that minimize wristextension. The most expensive boards, which can cost as much as$300, incorporate all these features.

Chair. Again, function is farmore important than form when choosing an ergonomic chair for yourhome office. They may not be pretty, but a basic ergonomic chairwill give you both upper and lower back support as well as theability to adjust its height.

Potter tells clients who use their computer mouse for longperiods to look for chairs with height-adjustable armrests. Restingyour elbow on it will keep the strain off your shoulders and allowyour hand to be at a right angle to the mouse, which should bepositioned next to the keyboard.

Skimping on a new ergonomic chair (which can cost anywhere from$400 to $1000) isn't advisable, says Potter, but in a pinch,you can improve the back support of your old chair with add-oncushions. Says Potter, "Just be careful you don't getsomething so large that it literally ends up shoving you off theseat."

Monitor. Eyestrain may notbe as painful or debilitating as CTS, but it can reduce yourefficiency just the same. If your monitor screen is obscured bysunlight, you can either spend $10 to $50 on a glare screen, or youcan simply move the monitor, says Potter.

"Your monitor should be at a right angle to the window, notdirectly in front because your eyes will have to struggle to adjustbetween the light from the window and the light coming from themonitor," advises Potter. "You also don't want itdirectly [behind] you because the light will wash out the monitorimage, forcing you to squint and making your eyes work harder. Ireally try to discourage people from tilting the monitor down toavoid glare, which forces your head and neck into a very awkwardposition. You want to be sure the top of the monitor is alignedwith your eyesight when you're sitting down at about anarm's length away from the screen."

Potter believes that eye muscles need to have exercise andchange the same way arm and back muscles do. She suggests thatheavy computer users take their eyes off the screen and look awayat a great distance at least once an hour to allow their eyemuscles to flex and relax.

Reflections from room lighting can also contribute to eyestrain.Potter's solution is "uplighting," that is, replacingstandard ceiling-mounted lights with fixtures that focus lightupwards. If this isn't possible, you can always purchase andinstall inexpensive light shields or hoods on your monitors.

Listening To Your Body

When it comes to ergonomics, having the right mindset is just asimportant as having the right office furniture, says Dora Potter."You need to pay attention to what your body is telling youand not neglect your physical needs. Once your body begins to hurt,you aren't going to be able to work for normal amounts of time.You're going to have to take time to recover from the aches andpains. You end up having to take a day or two off from your normalschedule because you've overused and overextended your body,and that's not very efficient."

Potter suggests working no more than five hours at a stretcheach day, and taking plenty of 10 minute breaks during the workdayto stretch or walk around the office. "The more breaks youtake during intense activity, the more you protect your body fromstress and injury. I think people don't really understand thatyou can't just sit at PC for five to six hours at a stretchwithout getting up and moving around." Potter also suggeststhat you break up activities, like standing up while on thetelephone, using a headset and walking around your office, ormouse-clicking with your nondominant hand.

Products and Resources

Check out these products to help you stock your office withergonomically correct furniture and accessories:

• The Obusforme Multi-position Chair ($650-$700) from ComfortHouse promotes good ergonomic posture with an adjustable back thatconforms to the natural contours of your spine and a contoured seatthat evenly distributes your body weight and minimizes pressureunder your thighs to promote proper circulation. Available in avariety of configurations, the highback model also offers aremovable/adjustable headrest. For more information, call (800)359-7701 or visit www.comforthouse.com.

• Constantly straining to reach objects on or around your desk?Keep everything within arms reach with the InterActive WrapAroundDesk from Office Organix. Designed for intensive computer use, theWrapAround (the basic model costs $645) integrates a height- andtilt-adjustable keyboard tray into the workstation, which comeswith two raised wing shelves perfect for printers or otherperipherals. Constructed from maple laminate, pear laminate orcherry veneer, the Wrap Around is a modular system that can grow asyour office does. Visit the Office Organix Web site for moreinformation.

• The MS102 Monitor Stand from the 3M Corp. is an inexpensive wayto raise your monitor to a comfortable viewing height, It easilyadjusts in increments of 1½-inches by adding or removingdrawer sections. Stable and sturdily designed, the MS102 can handlemonitors weighing up to 80 pounds, and provides desktop storageunderneath the monitor. The price is $34.99, and additional drawerscost $12.99 each. Visit 3M's Web site for more information.

• The Kinesis ergonomic keyboard can be adjusted to accommodate awide range of user preferences, including keyboard length andlateral tilt position. Comfortably padded wrist supports and quiettactile keys alleviate typing stress, while the board's narrowfootprint leaves plenty of desktop space for a mouse or theKinesis's optional numeric keypad. The keyboard costs $149 andis available from www.kinesis-ergo.com.

• Designed from the ground up for intensive mouse users, the AnirVertical mouse from Animax International looks very much like apilot's joystick. And just like a joystick, the Anir encouragesa natural vertical hand position with the thumb pointing upwards,taking the strain off wrists and forearms. Users rest the back oftheir hand at the base of the mouse and use the thumb on the switchon the top of the stick for easy right and left clicks of the mousebutton. The Anir is available for both PC and Mac systems, andrequires no drivers or other programs to install. The two-buttonmodel costs $49.95, and the three-button model costs $69.90. Visitthe Animax Website for more information.

Web Site Resources

• Safety Stretch Program An online illustratedmanual of stretches for stressed-out office workers

• Individual Footprint for Total Workstation Comfort isa short quiz offering guidelines for analyzing your workenvironment to see if it meets ergonomic standards.

• Ergonomics tips and links from the EnvironmentalHealth and Safety Department of East Carolina University

• Workstation Ergonomics Checklist from the NationalInstitute for Occupational Safety and Health