Fellowes, a company known for paper shredders, is promoting some of their ergonomic non-shredding products. Their approach was interesting. I was contacted and asked if 1. I’d like to try out some of their items, 2. if I’d like some free stuff to give away, and 3. if I’d be interested in interviewing their certified ergonomic consultant.
I was particularly intrigued with the chance to ask a professional ergonomist some questions. This post contains Keven Butler’s answers. Kevin is a Board Certified Professional Ergonomist and works as a consultant for Fellowes, Inc.
Make sure read through to the bottom for our first ergonomic giveaway courtesy of Fellowes.
1. What is the most common ergonomic issue you see in the way people setup their office?
Although many companies are beginning to provide essential ergonomic equipment, such as keyboard trays or document holders, these tools are often not used properly. An investment needs to be made to properly train employees on how to best use these products. For example, not only is a keyboard tray a space saver on the desk, it helps to keep the shoulders and elbows in a relaxed and neutral position throughout the day, preventing painful injuries. For more tips to improve the workspace, visit www.fellowes.com/ergonomics.
2. What advice would you give to someone who travels a lot with a laptop and doesn’t have a fixed office environment?
Road warriors that spend hours in front of a laptop need to pay close attention to their daily habits and make corrections as necessary to ensure their bodies stay safe. Awkward positions and movements can cause dangerous and painful conditions over time, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis.
While typing on the laptop, workers should keep their wrists straight and in a neutral position and take mini breaks every 20 minutes or so to give the eyes a rest. In addition, using external input devices, such as a keyboard or mouse, help to keep the body aligned. When using a laptop in a hotel room or satellite office, implementing a laptop workstation, such as the product in the Fellowes Professional Series, also helps to keep the body comfortable.
3. Is there anything special you should do when working with a large monitor?
Although large monitors make it difficult to maintain proper positioning for eye safety, the screen should be approximately an arm’s length away from the body and the top of the monitor should be at or slightly below eye level.
4. What advice do you have for people who spend a lot of time using PDA’s, cell phones or Blackberries?
The increased popularity of Blackberries and smart phones has brought a heightened concern with ergonomic ailments. My recommendation is to limit device use to answer essential, quick emails and reserve longer responses for when one is in front of a computer.
5. What type of office chair do you use personally?
As a Certified Ergonomist, I feel that I have a responsibility to try a number of different chairs and I rotate my office chair often. However, the proper alignment of the body is more important than the type of the chair used. Thighs should be parallel to the floor, shoulders should be relaxed and in a neutral position and elbows should be even to keyboard height. The use of a foot rocker or back support, such as the products offered in the Fellowes Professional Series, can help to ensure the body remains aligned throughout the day. The entire product line can be found on Staples.com.
While I was disappointed I wasn’t able to find out what type of chair Kevin uses, his advice has already made me much more comfortable at my desk. In particular I’ve found it makes a big difference with my large monitor if I can try to keep the top of the screen below eye level.
And now the giveaway…
We have a Fellowes back support that attaches to a normal office chair and helps reduce back strain AND a mousepad/palm support package. The winner of this giveaway gets to choose one of those two items. I have been using one of their palm supports for a few weeks now and it seems to make a big difference for my wrists.
To enter the contest you just have to reply with a comment about your ergonomic woes or ergonomic solutions. So leave a comment telling about what seems to work or what doesn’t seem to work for you. This is your chance to complain or praise your employer’s office equipment and share any tips for ways you’ve made things work a bit better for you.
We will randomly choose a winner in the near future so take a few minutes to enter. Watch for several more giveaways over the next few weeks.
The problem many times lies with basic furniture. For instance, to implement the advice on monitor (top at eye level) and chair (arms at keyboard height) are impossible to find. You almost have to have custom made furniture to make it happen.
In addition, as you age, the eye requirements become even more difficult to overcome ergonomically.
I found that I was getting backache after a day in the cube. I then realised I was always leaning forward towards the laptop as the desk was pretty low. I realised that I was able to raise the desk part of the cube (as it slots into the cube walls) a couple of inches which has really helped with the back ache as I now don’t lean towards the desk.
I have noticed that I can’t sit in the same manner on a day to day basis. If I sit up too often my back starts hurting, yet if I lean my chair back to often while working the back of my neck tends to hurt. So I mostly just adjust throughout a typical day as not to stay in the same position for too long. A chair that has the proper lean angle and support is essential for me. Not so much my keyboard because I am a pecker for the most part. A surprisingly efficient pecker at that.
-doozieUp
http://doozieUp.com
Simply putting a thick book (unabridged thick) under my monitor has helped by neck a lot.
My keyboard tray used to be wide enough to only accommodate my keyboard. My mouse rested on my wooden desktop about four inched higher than my keyboard. This caused great discomfort in my shoulder and upper back on my right side — I am right-handed. I think the problem was that my shoulders were not square/even/parallel with the floor.
With some simple modifications I created a wider keyboard tray so that my mouse is on the same level as my keyboard and received great benefit, however I still sometimes have some shoulder discomfort.
I currently use a chair with no armrest and I think that may be the problem. Any ideas?
I just recently updated my office setup. I have a dual monitor setup and have always had issues with neck strain from having to look down at the monitors.
After a good deal of searching, I found a monitor stand (from Fellows btw) that was large enough to fit both monitors. This stand raises my monitors 6 inches. That height increase has been very helpful in decreasing my neck pain.
Additionally, this added height allowed me to place a document holder directly in front of the monitors.
All in all, fun stuff. I still have some issues and am debating changing-out my chair as it does not have as much support as I would like it to have.
In response to Vernon, I would have to say that the lack of armrests may be causing a portion of your issues. Arm rests, when properly adjusted provides your elbows with a comfortable resting position. Also, your keyboard tray may be too low, my experience with keyboard trays is that they are often placed too low and that can cause a good deal of discomfort.
Just my two-cents.
I recently purchased some new office furniture and am having trouble keeping my feet on the floor while sitting at a height that is appropriate for typing & moving the mouse.
For awhile I was using a briefcase as a footrest, but now I’m considering a keyboard tray. I’ve also considered lowering my desk (I keep the keyboard/mouse on the desk), which would move the keyboard & mouse to a more appropriate height — though I would then likely need to adjust my monitor height.
The problem for me is that I do a lot of dead-tree reading at my desk and also a lot of keyboarding. If I get the chair up high enough to have my elbows in proper position, I feel like a 56 year old “Edith Ann” because my feet are left to dangle in mid-air.
I -DO- have a useful kludge to offer … lay the Fellows #21100 Booklift (a plastic ‘L’-shaped thingy) on its back ( ____| )beneath a laptop keyboard with the top near you and the base beneath the monitor. This provides lift for the monitor, tilt for the keyboard and considerable additional ventilation beneath the motherboard. Win-Win-Win.
That said, I still wish that the monitor on my Toshiba Satellite would detach from the keyboard. I’d buy another mounting arrangement of some sort.
My next chair (I just bought this one a couple months ago) will have a footrest on it even if I have to have one custom welded up to fit. Computer desks still have a long ways to go … probably because they are seldom ‘single-purpose’ desks. Chairs don’t fit desks, desks put the keyboard tray, monitor, writing surface at the wrong height … yadda yadda.
I just paid nearly a grand for some wood-grained paper over termite puke; I wonder what a proper desk would have cost.
gold touch split keyboards solved 75% of my arm pain. it was wonderful!!!
i haven’t been able to find the right mouse yet, but I use a Y-mouse, which lets me use both left and right simultaneously, which helps cut down overuse on one side.
right now i’m having trouble with the bone at the base of my hand, on the pinkie side, between the palm and the wrist. any ideas on what to do about that? someone suggested making sure it doesn’t touch the keyboard tray when i’m mousing, but that’s really hard.
Sometimes I feel that most desk and chair designs have not yet caught up to the new realities of how people integrate work with their electronic resources. Take for instance the office chairs with arm rests; I know I cannot be the only one that fights with the arm rest vs. keyboard tray issue because they are at the same height when ergonomically properly adjusted.
The ergonomic tip that works for me is from our companies ergonomic expert. If you mouse a lot and don’t have a keyboard and mouse tray, take your mouse off the desktop and mouse on a clipboard or lapdesk in your lap. This is the right height for mousing and relieves pain in the shoulder and elbow. I also do this with my keyboard if I am typing a lot. I don’t like keyboard trays mounted under the desk because I constantly bang my knees into them. I use this tip at home and at work. It’s easy to try and inexpensive too.
I’ve always found it curious that the position of the number pad is such that to use the mouse you have to reach past it. Hmph. I do find that the biggest issue is desk height/usability with multi-level components (monitor vs keyboard). In a perfect world everything would be on articulated arms, much like on the Nebuchadnezzar in the Matrix. Ah yes, the solution to everyone’s problems.
For the longest time, I had my monitor too high. Finally I lowered it so the top was at eye level. It’s made a world of difference.
I still need a solution for my mouse. It’s positioning, etc makes me sore.
I started a new job about 4 months ago. It took me about a month and a half to get my own desk, since the office was expanding and we were in a space crunch.
Now I’ve got my own desk, but I’ve got a problem. I’m short. Most office products are not meant for people 5’0″. First, my chair was giving me problems. I was so short that the seat of my (very well-designed) office chair was longer than the length of my thighs. The edge of the seat hit the backs of my knees when I leaned back, giving me leg pain, or if I sat forward, my back wasn’t supported.
Eventually, I got a new chair. It’s nice and small, like me. The problem now is that the chair doesn’t raise very high. I type with my keyboard on my lap, but there’s no place for my mouse below desk-level. Whenever I reach for my mouse, I need to lift my arm higher than I should which is beginning to give me shoulder problems. I’ve requested an under-the-desk mouse tray, and I’ve been told it’s “in the works.” I just hope the works arrive before the doctor’s bills!
Three factors have made a huge difference in my work life. At one point, my ability to do most things, including walk, was impaired by pain from repetitive stress injuries.
I’m short and I have had to have a lot of modular/cube office desks and tables lowered for me over the years, although sometimes the adjustment mechanism is hard to find. I designed a custom desk for my home office at home, and the “return” is just the right height for me to use the computer. An adjustable footrest and height-adjustable chair are also very helpful for short folk like me.
In the past, I have had a lot of pain centered in my rhomboid muscle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhomboid_muscle
The solution for that turned out to be a “mouse table” that attaches to the arm of my chair. Lifting my arm and reaching forward to use the mouse had caused an injury.
I also wanted to point out that, if you have issues that are not resolved by optimizing your work environment ergonomically, physical therapy works seeming miracles. Therapeutic massage (not the “fluff & buff” kind), and some types of (safe) chiropractic can play a role too.
I would love to work in an ergonomically correct fashion, however, when the office dictates the set-up, there is little one can do. We have great chairs in our workroom, and not quite as good a product at our public desks. All of our workroom desks have keyboard trays, but one can not move the tray out of the way or high enough to work. The short people in the office, cannot reach the floor and anyone of any height, is stuck with their knees locking the keyboard tray in place. The keyboard tray has pads of some sort of sticky rubber or plastic – fine for the keyboard, but awful for the mouse, which becomes unmoveable.
Now what is the point of all my whining? I have bad knees, therefore I must keep my chair a bit higher than one would expect in order to facilitate getting up from the chair. This means I cannot use the keyboard tray. However, even with the chair lower, the keyboard tray is too low. I crawled under the desk and found a way to force the tray off to the side so I could sit at the desk properly. Now, I have my keyboard and mouse on the desk – but the IT department (we have full IT lockdown, even on the hardware) will not provide a cord that allows the keyboard to sit in a stable position. It lies on top of the cord making typing an interesting event as you try to stableize the keyboard while typing. Now, my friend, who is quite short and has a foot stool in order to have her feet stable, also finds that the mouse and keyboard are too low, so something is drastically wrong. She wants a longer cord for her mouse but was told “no.”
I push the monitor down to its lowest level in order to have my monitor in the ideal position, I wish I could adjust the rest of the equipment.
Now, after all this complaining about my work area, I will move on to complaining about the public area we share. We take turns there. Now we range from 4′ 10” to 5′ 10. One person in the dept is under 5’5″ and needs the chair so low that anyone who follows is likely to “blow out” his knees if he does not remember to raise the chair. The monitors are in a corner to the left on one desk and the right on the other. One is supposed to be facing forward in case someone comes to the desk. When the monitor is on my right I can manage just fine, when it is on my left, I am in constant pain. But we have to trade places for fairness.
One person finds the work area so constrictive that she has trained herself to mouse left handed.
The chairs at these desks are adjustable, but not as fully as the chairs in the office. If you crank up the lumbar support, as soon as you lean back it collapses down to the original “no support.”
Where is this all taking me? The fact that all of this was put together by a so-called, specially hired, ergonomic expert. He did it without looking at a single employee. Wonderful, huh? And that’s what we have to live with.
My biggest ergonomic issues stem from the fact that my ergonomic situation – and hence my woes – are largely unique. I’m bedridden with a disability that makes my body over-sensitive to any stress from bad positioning or repetition, plus the whole “bedridden” part means there’s virtually no ergonomic off the shelf solutions which are suited to my situation. That makes any solutions stupidly expensive, and also usually I just have to use a lot of trial and error to find a solution which will work.
I bet a lot of other people with disabilities have similar issues with off the shelf ergonomic solutions though – it’s all very well to get all your employees chairs that are more ergonomically suited to your company desks but what about the employee in a wheelchair? Screen positioning ergonomics are different for those with low vision who have to lean very close to the screen so the standard office monitor mounts may be profoundly inappropriate. The list of similar problems is as long as one’s imagination…
I would also like a solution for someone that is bedridden but I am not finding anything specific for “us”
I have 2 major ergonomic issues. During the day I’m at the office staring at the computer screen all day and typing countless things. At night, much of my time is spent painting (office girl by day, fine artist by night!). When I paint my body is forced to get in all kinds of odd positions from squatting on my knees for 2 hours straight to sitting on a hard floor for several hours (all depending on the size of the artwork, it’s rarely possible for me to sit in a ergonomic position). My right hand will often cramp up the next day after a long night of gripping a paintbrush, then coming into the office and typing on the keyboard all day. I have a lot of tension in my shoulders, lower back, arms, and hands (esp. my right hand as I am right handed).
I would love to be the winner of either of these items! They look fantastic :)
A stability ball chair.. it’s awesome, great for balance and many other posture corrections :)
I work in an environment where computers, desks, and chairs are shared. Normally every day I get to work, I have to readjust the monitor position (3 flatpanel) and chair (Herman Miller Aeron), as some of my coworkers use some very non-ergonomic work setups!
One of my biggest issues is with keyboard trays. I understand the benefit of using them, I just can’t tolerate the ones I’ve used. They either don’t stay in position, feel cheap, or I feel like I don’t have enough room using them, so I just compensate by setting my chair a little bit higher and set my keyboard/mouse on the desk. I just realized that maybe I’ll have to double-check my thigh positioning at home, as my chair may be too high! Whoops!
I did a good job at work, but found when I worked at home on my tiny laptop in bed and on the floor and all over the place, I started to hurt! So, I invested in better ergo stuff at home. But I still like working sitting cross-legged on the floor! ;-)
To reduce shoulder strain, in our home office I swapped out the mice in favor of trackballs. This eliminates some of the shoulder movement and awkward positioning. I wish I could do the same at work, but alas… there never seems to be budget for such things.
Great read! Would love to try out some new ergonomics, I have trouble as it as working as a digital illustrator and sitting in a chair all day. I have irritated facet syndrome, which makes for a terrible combination!
While ergonomics is important, how can many small businesses and free agents afford the necessary investment?
My wife has had more ergonomic issues than me. She was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel 10+ years ago, but never received any follow-up treatment because the wrist pain subsided. Since the diagnosis we’ve been through ergonomic keyboards ranging from $40 to $300. If the absense of pain is any indication…the ergonomic keyboards made a difference.
Personally, I get by just fine with a standard keyboard and mouse. Although, I just started using wrist rests at work, and I love ’em.
I have trouble with my right wrist, I suspect it is carpal tunnel issues, but never diagnosed. I have tried wrist rests and that seems to help at times. I think I also tend to put too much weight on my elbows when I lean them on the arm rest and I need to get away from that habit.
I appreciate all the comments and would like to know which types of ergonomic keyboards (split, etc.) help people the most. I think an ergonomic mouse might help also.
Thank you for bringing this information to the forefront… I think many companies could benefit from providing the right ‘tools’ for our work environments. I think insurance companies would benefit too, since we could all make less trips to the doc for our aches and pains. As much time as we spend at work, the investment would pay off!
Thanks for the great interview and information.
My problem is lower back issues, related to an autoimmune disease. I’d try anything that might work,,,
I use the number pad on my keyboard a lot in my job. Between that and the mouse, I was having trouble with my right arm.
I switched my mouse to the left side. It took a day to get used to it but now I am very comfortable mousing on the left.
I don’t use my right hand as much anymore and I don’t have to take it off the numbers to mouse. I’m more effecient and more comfortable.
Just moved into a new office in my home after having my furniture in storage for a year. That office-supply-store $100 chair is not cutting it. I’m noticing I’m slouching rather than getting any back support. Also, it doesn’t raise high enough to work comfortably at the keyboard. Got to get me one of those $500 models…
There is a lot of snake oil around ergonomic issues. I am convinced that if the placebo effect does not apply to the worker then it definitely applies to management. These ‘solutions’ should work because somebody came in a gave an expert opinion; does not mean they’re right just that they paid too much.
Hello! I typically have a lot of books open that I reference for work. To be able to twist and roll I purchased a floor protector. It wan’t because I cared about the carpet, but so that the wheels would roll. Now I can get around with a bit more ease.
Thanks for keeping up the information!
Best wishes!
Matt
Ergonomic creativity:
I am a road warrior and am allowed to have a home office for when I am not travelling. My desk at home is not a computer desk and is not suitable for a keyboard tray so that was challenge number one. I am also large (6’3”) and have never been really comfortable in a desk chair when using a keyboard tray as it always seemed to be too low – challenge number two.
My solution was to use my current regular desk with the center drawer removed and the keyboard and mouse on the desktop. I then use risers for my laptop and external large screen to raise them to a comfortable viewing level. With these adjustments, I can also have my chair at a height that is very comfortable for my build.
I once worked with a gentleman getting his doctorate in human factors engineering and he often ‘preached’ the benefits so I have been aware of this for many years. I have been applying those lessons for more than 20 years with much success. The one item I would add to your suggestions is one I got from my eye doctor. He convinced me to get computer glasses (I require bifocals) and these use a shorter focal length than regular glasses thus making viewing with bifocals extremely good.
Thank you also to those who have added comments. There was a brief mention of the foot issue – I have had my legs cramp because I (wrongly) bend my foot back and hook my toes over the chair crossbars. This reduces the circulation in my lower legs, and allows the Achilles to shorten as if I were wearing high heels. A foot rest – in particular, a rocking one – is very useful to keep your feet moving and your circulation up. Yes, I know I should get up and walk very 20 minutes… when I am focused, time flies. My other hint is to get a wireless headset for conference calls… I walk or pace during them, and keep my blood flowing.
I think it’s telling that Kevin rotates chairs often. That’s probably doing his back more good than the best chair on the market would. Working at home, I can (and do) choose to sit in a variety of locations. Changing chairs helps reduce stress for me as does getting a different view and even different weather (when I sit in my backyard).
I have a laptop with a built-in mouse now, but I used to switch my mouse back and forth from right side to left to give each hand equal mouse time, or mouse rest. I’m not ambidextrous, but I found it pretty easy to adapt to using the mouse with my non-dominant hand.
One of the hardest things I face is working when on the road. I do a lot of my work in office canteens or with my laptop perched on my knee and it does give me problems.
At home I have a keyboard and raised monitor to alleviate the laptop woes, as well as a very nice chair.
My employer has counter height desks and that makes for some wrenching ergo issues. It’s a real challenge to takes a conscious effort to avoid really causing some damage. Luckily the work I do at home is a much better situation, though far from perfect.
Hi, my doctor told me my rhomboid muscles are inflamed. So much so that when I go to work & sit at my computer desk all day, I can barely take it! My back is sweating because it hurts so much & my stomach gets upset from the discomfort. It really effects my mental outlook dealing with this month after month. Do you think your product is designed to maybe help me??? It’s the mid-back area. Thank you.