Line up the computer desks and slip some office chairs under them, and most people figure they've set up their office. In truth, they've set themselves up to face potentially expensive claims of trauma from repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel, rotator cuff, and back and neck strain. Office injury usually results from doing two things wrong: staying in the same position too long or making the same repetitive motion too often. The cure for both conditions is to buy the right office furniture and arrange it correctly.

Keep it Adjustable

Famous author Ernest Hemingway claimed that he always wrote standing up, with his paperwork on top of the bar or his old refrigerator. Old Ernest may have had a good idea, because variety is the spice of life in the workplace. All workers should be encouraged to change their position repeatedly throughout the day. Office chairs should have adjustable height, rotating five-wheel bases, tilting seats, and adjustable back rests, and the workers should know how to use all of these features. Footstools, seat cushions, back cushions, forearm rests, and wrist pads should be available and frequently used in order to vary the worker's position throughout the day. A typical typist's chair doesn't have armrests, because constant leaning on the armrest can lead to rotator cuff injuries.

People seldom think of computer desks as being adjustable, but the best ones are. Standard desk height is 30 inches, but that's too tall for most people. A height of 27 or 28 inches is better to keep the elbows and hips at a proper right angle, although a tall person may require a couple of extra inches in height. The keyboard should be positioned for a natural and comfortable reach with room for a wrist pad, and the computer monitor should display the first line of type between eye level and 15 degrees below eye level. Every desk worker should know his optimum position, even as he works hard to vary it throughout the day.

Don't Let Your Reach Exceed Your Grasp

To avoid stressful repetitive motions, pay careful attention to where the desks are arranged in relationship to often-used accessories in the office. If someone constantly has to reach for a file cabinet, paper cutter, copy machine, or some other office tool, then that tool should be as close at hand as his keyboard, even if it means using nonstandard furniture or unique stacking techniques. All employees should stretch and do simple exercises during the day, but a repetitive reach for the printer will eventually lead to back problems. A good rule of thumb is: if you use that gizmo more than twice an hour, either keep it close at hand or put it in another room.

The modern cubicle is designed to be a cockpit, with every switch and gauge within easy reach and easy sight. As long as that concept is followed, it's easy to arrange computer desks and office chairs to reduce repetitive stress.