This evolution has been partly driven by legislation: Under the Health and Safety at Work Act, of 1974, employers have a duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees. The Health and Safety Executive advise that ?Computer workstations or equipment can be associated with neck, shoulder, back or arm pains. Upper limb disorders (ULDs) or repetitive strain injury (RSI) can be avoided by following good practice. Such problems can be avoided with good workplace and job design and the way that equipment is used.?

Ergonomic workplace design has also been influenced by an increased recognition that work systems and tools should be developed and employed so that the job fits the person and not the other way around. Ideally workplace furniture should enable the body to move through a range of seating positions. The human body is not designed to be stationary for long periods at a time. It is important to move and to change working position frequently. Increased movement and flexibility can be facilitated with the use of monitor arms which enable greater fluidity between user, desk, chair and computer.

The way we work today is increasingly varied and workflow is often dictated by the technology we use. The creation of flat screen monitor arms came about as a direct result of needs identified by users in the workplace, including:

?Eyes should be the same height as the top of the VDU

?Desk and VDU should be arranged to avoid glare, or bright reflections on the screen

?Ensure there is space underneath the desk to move legs freely

?Frequently change working position

Monitor desk arms were designed and developed [first by Colebrook Bosson Saunders] to meet these needs. The principles employed are that by using a screen or monitor arm a display can be easily adjusted to the correct height for each user. Furthermore easy side-to-side adjustment is possible to avoid screen glare.

Jeremy Myerson, leading thinker and author on workplace design writes in his article designing offices to improve innovation: ?The chief causes of staff sickness are infection, stress and poor ergonomics . . . Check the angles and comfort levels of your computer workstations. Back pain and repetitive strain injury are a major cause of days lost through staff sickness.?

In addition to concerns for health and wellbeing ergonomic workplace design is given greater significance by its quantifiable impact upon efficiency and productivity: In a CABE and BCO report on the impact of office design on business performance, it is concluded that ?differences in productivity as high as 25 per cent have been reported between comfortable and uncomfortable staff.?

Good ergonomic design prevents technology from dominating and puts people first to create a healthier and more efficient working environment.