Most employees spend the majority of the day sitting in their workstation, being comfortable should be important. When it comes to proper positioning, sitting correctly and making sure the equipment is at the right height, is most important. Improper positioning can lead to serious problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome or tendinitis. These can make typing, holding paperwork and even using the telephone difficult and sometimes impossible.

When suffering from the effects of one of the problems caused by improper ergonomics, a worker cannot usually even perform the most standard of office tasks. Many new ergonomic office equipment and furniture features are available and new advancements and discoveries are constantly being created to help with positioning in the best possible position.

Carpal tunnel is usually associated with workers who spend a large portion of their day in front of the computer typing and is thought to be caused by improper wrist positioning and inability to relax the arm while using it to type. The mouse can also be placed at an improper height, forcing the user to have difficulties keeping the arm at the relaxed position. Tendinitis is also caused by improper wrist positioning and can be avoided with ergonomic equipment and proper positioning once installed.

The chair is really the most important ergonomic device in the workstation as the user spends most of their workday sitting in the seat and putting stress on the muscles and spine. It is found through study that the proper sitting position is not truly an upright position but slightly reclined. In order to keep the proper postion, a chair with a tilt mechanism, preferably one that can lock into several positions is needed.

If not seated properly in your office chair, it can cause back and lower lumbar problems eventually and can be easily avoided if educated on ergonomics. Carpal tunnel, tendinitis and back pain can be avoided as easily as paying attention to proper workstation and body positioning and letting ergonomics take the credit. Educating employees and ourselves in ergonomic techniques is the first step to preventing such work related injuries and avoiding problems.