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Things to Look For
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Possible Solutions
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Prolonged hunched or elevated shoulder while holding the phone
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- Telephone headset
- Speakerphone
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Elbows splayed out (shoulder abduction)
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- Lower work surface
- Lower chair armrests
- Bring chair armrests in closer
- Awareness and habit training
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Raised or tensed shoulders
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- Habit or tension training
- Lower work surface or keyboard
- Lower chair armrests
- Raise chair, if foot contact with the floor can be maintained
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Twisting the head to the side
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- Bring viewed item closer to centerline of view
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Elbow flexed for long periods using the telephone
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- Telephone headset
- Speakerphone
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Elbow or forearm resting for long periods on hard or sharp worksurface, chair armrests
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- Pad or round surfaces, corners, and armrests
- Replace armrests
- Telephone headset
- Habit training
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Wrists bent to the sides when using side keys
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- Habit training
- Keyboard with more accessible keys or split keyboard design
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Wrists bent back (extended) or forward (flexed) for prolonged periods
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- Habit training
- Palm rest
- Padded or rounded surfaces, corners
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Hands held actively over the keyboard during keying pauses
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- Habit training
- Palm or forearm rest
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Rapid, sustained, or prolonged keying
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- Greater work variety
- Aggressive break schedule
- Reduce overtime
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Forceful keying, key pounding
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- Habit training
- Light-touch keyboard
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Significant amounts of hand stapling, punching, lifting, opening mail, or other forceful
exertions, especially combined with awkward postures
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- Mechanical aids, such as electric stapler or punch
- Reduce size of lifted loads
- Bring heavy loads close to the body, at a medium height
- Substitute sliding (worksurface) or wheeling (floor)
- Sharpen letter openers
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Prolonged mouse use
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- Greater work variety
- Aggressive break schedule
- Alternate hands
- Alternative pointing devices
- Arm support, including small table
- Mouse close to body (extended keyboard tray)
- Learn keystroke substitutes for menus
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Prolonged sitting, especially in only one posture
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- Greater work variety
- Aggressive break schedule
- Chair that supports posture change, through movement, size, or easy adjustability
- Habit training
- Move phone and printer to the other side of the office to force standing, or suggest
standing when on phone
- Check chair fit
- Monitor in-out mechanism
- Sit-stand worksurface
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Lumbar back area not supported
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- Lumbar cushion
- Backrest height and tilt
- Check chair fit, especially backrest/lumbar height
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Feet dangling, not well supported, or a posture which seems to put pressure on the
backs of the thighs
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- Lower chair
- Lower worksurface
- Habit training
- Foot rest (last resort)
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Chair backrest not used for long periods
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- Check chair fit, especially seat pan depth and height
- Check leg room
- Check monitor distance and character height
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Twisted torso
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- Rearrange work
- Provide more knee space
- U-shaped worksurface layout
- Swivel chair
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Frequent or prolonged leaning or reaching
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- Rearrange work
- Mouse pad, palm or forearm rest
- Bring mouse and keyboard closer to body
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Working with one or both arms "reaching" toward a mouse or keyboard
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- Bring keyboard closer to body
- Mouse pad, palm or forearm rest
- Bring mouse closer to keyboard
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Light sources that can be seen by the worker
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- Cover or shield light sources
- Rearrange work arena
- Lower other viewed objects to lower field of view
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Reflected glare on the screen
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- Shield light sources
- Shade screen
- Move monitor so light enter from side angle, not back Do NOT tip monitor down
- Lower light levels
- Move light sources
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Too much contrast between screen and surroundings or document; worker feels relief
when bright areas are shielded
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- Lower ambient light levels
- Turn off, reposition, or dim task lights
- Block offending light sources
- Change screen polarity to black on white
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Very bright ambient lighting (above 500 lux or 50 fc) or shadowed areas caused by
over-illumination
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- Lower ambient light levels to 200-500 lux (20-50 fc) and use task lights
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Monitor closer than approximately 65 cm (25")
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- Push monitor back (enlarge font size)
- Computer glasses
- Bring keyboard forward, possibly with a keyboard tray
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Different viewed objects (screen, documents) at different distances from the eyes
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- Use document stand or otherwise equalize distances to within about 10 cm (4") if
rapid viewing changes are required
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Screen or documents not oriented perpendicular to the line of sight (tipped back
slightly is even better)
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- Change monitor, document stand angle
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Prolonged near focusing throughout the day with few far-focusing opportunities
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- Move monitor back as far as possible
- Habit training
- Rearrange space to provide view
- Introduce glazing
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Monitor image dim, fuzzy, flickery, small, or otherwise difficult to read
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- Upgrade monitor
- Use software to enlarge image
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Use software to enlarge image
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- Improve lighting on documents if documents cannot be changed
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Forward head posture (peering) or squinting
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- Lower monitor
- Tilt monitor back
- Check for monitor image quality problems, character height or monitor distance
- Suggest consultation with vision specialist
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Eyestrain complaints
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- Check all aspects of visual environment
- Suggest consultation with vision specialist
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Neck extended backwards, head tilted back, even slightly
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- Remove CPU from under monitor
- Remove tilt-swivel base from monitor (leave ventilation space)
- Check for bifocals and suggest full-frame "computer glasses" prescription
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Neck severely flexed (downward)
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- Tilt face of monitor back
- Tilt document - do not lay flat on worksurface
- Raise document or monitor to a comfortable height
- Adjust posture
- Check glasses for proper prescription
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