The following checklist is designed to be used as a tool in the evaluation of either your home or office computer workstation. Making changes to your workstation so that all "No" answers are changed to "Yes" answers may reduce your risk for developing a repetitive strain injury.
|
Yes |
No | |
| Chair/Seated Posture | ||
| Does the chair support your spine in a neutral posture (ears, shoulders and hips in alignment)? | ||
| Is there at least two or three inches of space between the seat edge and the back of your knee? | ||
| Have you adjusted the chair so the lumbar support is positioned within your lumbar curve? | ||
| Are your thighs parallel to the floor? | ||
| Are your knees bent near a 90* angle or slightly higher than the hips? | ||
| If you use the armrests, are they adjusted to the height of the keyboard and in alignment with your shoulders? | ||
| Are your feet supported flat on the floor or on a footrest? | ||
| Monitor | ||
| Is the monitor centered directly in front of you? You do not have to turn your head to the right or left to view? | ||
| Is the monitor approximately an arms length (out-stretched) away from you (16"-30")? | ||
| Is the top of the computer screen at or slightly below eye level? | ||
| If you wear bi-focals or tri-focals, are you able to view the screen without tilting your head up or down? | ||
| Are you able to see your screen without viewing yourself, people, or other workstations? | ||
| Is there minimal to no glare on your screen? | ||
| Do you frequently clean your monitor screen and glare guard of dust and fingerprints? | ||
| Keyboard | ||
| Is the keyboard positioned near elbow height (make sure your chair is adjusted properly)? | ||
| Are your forearms parallel to the floor with your elbows bent near a 90* angle? | ||
| Are you able to key with your shoulders in a relaxed and level position? | ||
| Do you key without twisting your wrists inward or outward? | ||
| Do you key with your wrists slightly above (~1/2")the wrist rest or desktop? | ||
| Do you key with your wrists in-line with your forearms (no twisting, bending upward ,or bending downward)? | ||
| Mouse/Trackball/Touch Pad | ||
| Is the pointing device next to and near the same height as the keyboard. | ||
| Is your wrist in-line with your forearm when using the pointing device (no twisting, bending upward, or bending downward)? | ||
| Documents | ||
| Are you able to view documents without rotating your neck more than 45* angle? | ||
| Are you able to view documents without bending your neck up or downward more than a 15* angle? | ||
| Is your document holder either positioned between your monitor and keyboard or next to your monitor? | ||
| Is the document holder in-line with your eyes (between keyboard and monitor) or at the same distance as your monitor? | ||
| Telephone | ||
| If you use the telephone frequently, do you have a headset? | ||
| Is the telephone within a comfortable reach (no twisting or leaning forward to use)? | ||
| Writing | ||
| Is there a 90* angle between your forearms and upper arms? | ||
| Are you able to write without elevating your shoulders? | ||
| Are you able to write without leaning forward? | ||
| Are you able to transition between writing and keying without twisting? | ||
| Miscellaneous | ||
| Is there at least 2" of space between the bottom of your work surface and the top of your thighs? | ||
| Are you able to work without resting any body part on a hard or square surface? | ||
| Is there sufficient room on your work surface to support all your work materials. | ||
| Are you able to access work materials without twisting or over-reaching (< 10")? | ||
| The underside of your desk is free from boxes, obstacles and other clutter? | ||
| Work Habits | ||
| To reduce fatigue, do you take micro-breaks throughout the day? | ||
| Do you change your body positions frequently? | ||
| Do you take periodic visual breaks each hour? | ||
| Are you able to work regular hours with minimal overtime? | ||
| Life Style Habits | ||
| Are you a non-smoker? | ||
| Do you exercise regularly (3-4 times per week for at least 30 minutes)? | ||
| Does your exercise routine include stretching, strengthening, and aerobic activities? |