Ergonomics
Ninety per cent of all adults suffer from back or neck pain at some point in their lives. One of the major causes of these aches and pains is bad posture – especially when at work. The way you sit can affect the whole of your body. Here is a guide to good workplace ergonomics.
- Sitting
Your feet should be flat on the floor, and your knees should be slightly lower than the hips. Your thighs should be fully supported by the correct seat pan depth (see picture above) and your spine should be supported in an upright position, but not rigid. Your upper arms should be by your sides, your elbows should be supported on arm rests, and bent at right angles in preperation for work at the desk. Your chin should be tucked in – poking the chin out encourages a slouched posture.
- Desk
Your desk should be the correct height to enable the ideal sitting position – see above. A desk that is too low will cause you to slouch, no matter how good your chair is. A desk that is too high will put extra strain on your spine and arms. Electronically height-adjustable desks are ideal, as many adjust from an ideal sitting height to fully standing. N.B. Despite all the ergonomic features offered by the Corrigo chair, we would never recommend sitting in it all day, standing intermittantly is an ideal way of alleviating spinal strain.
- Mouse
You should use your mouse with your arm bent at a right angle to your body – see above, and pivot from the shoulder whilst on a supported elbow, not the wrist. Your mouse should be big enough to support your whole palm in an open, relaxed position – this means sizing a mouse to your own hand size.
Keyboard
Most keyboards are too wide. Ideally, you should use a narrower keyboard without the numerical keys on the right, so that the mouse can be positioned in line with your elbow.
This is an example of a narrower keyboard that offers no numerical pad and therefore occupies less space on your desk.
- Telephone
‘Cradling’ a phone betwen your chin and shoulder causes neck and 
shoulder problems, so a cordless headset is ideal. Cordless headsets also allow you to take a break from sitting. Your phone should be near enough so that dialling does not force you to stretch your arm out.
The better, more convenient headsets are light in weight and wrap around the ear rather having to go
- Document holders and writing boards
A document holder and writing board will help you to remain in an upright position while reading and writing.
- Computer screen
A flat screen on a monitor arm is ideal, so that you can adjust the height according to your correct sitting posture – see above. The screen should be directly in front of you.
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