Workstation Set-Up Quick Guide
Workstation and Chair Set-up checklist
Here is a simple workstation set up guide which can be used to ensure people are set up correctly. We have compiled this through our many years of assessment of workstations.
Working posture: Sit ‘straight on’ to your workstation, head upright, shoulders relaxed, upper arms by your side, elbows at right angles just above desk height, forearms parallel to the floor, a 90 degree plus angle between your trunk and thighs (open angle) with thighs sloping
slightly downwards and knees slightly lower than pelvis, feet flat on the floor or a foot rest.
| Item | Information | X | |
| 1 | Seat Height | · Elbows just above desk top with shoulders relaxed
· 90 degree plus angle between trunk and thigh · Feet flat on the floor, shorter users may require a footrest if desk is not adjustable |
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| 2 | Seat Depth | · Buttocks right at the back of the seat
· Gap of three fingers from the edge of the seat to the back of the knees |
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| 3 | Backrest Height | · Small of the back adequately supported by lumbar support in the backrest | |
| 4 | Armrests | · With shoulders relaxed and elbows at right angles, armrests should touch underside of forearms
· Rotate, slide or adjust height of armrests to ensure they don’t clash with the desk |
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| 5 | Chair Tilt Tension | · Adjust tension to suit your bodyweight, when feet are off the floor you should be able to ‘float’ in the chair | |
| 6 | Chair Tilt Lock | · Keep chair unlocked most of the time to encourage healthy movement
· Lock chair in upright position for short periods when required |
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| 7 | Height Adjustable Desk | · Stand upright, shoulder relaxed and elbows at right angles
· Set the desk height so that it just touches the underside of your forearms when elbow are at right angles · Sit for 40 minutes and stand for 20 minutes every hour, this will give you the maximum benefit through postural change |
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| 8 | Keyboard | · Wrists in neutral, horizontal position with elbows at right angles
· Keyboard directly in front of you at a distance to allow you to maintain relaxed shoulders · Space in front of keyboard to rest your wrists on |
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| 9 | Mouse | · Mouse close to the side of the keyboard
· When manoeuvring mouse keep wrist straight with the heel of your hand supported by the desk · Remove hand from mouse when not using it · Use keyboard shortcuts whenever possible · If using mouse intensively then move keyboard to the side and place mouse in line with shoulders at forearm length with elbows at right angles |
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| 10 | Screen | · Approx arm’s length away from you
· Top of screen should be in horizontal line of sight · Screen should be directly in front of you unless you refer to other documents more often (copying from text, in case of touch typists) · Control glare and reflections at source by the use of blinds
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| 11 | Documents | · Should be placed to the side of the screen or between the screen and keyboard by using a document holder | |
| 12 | Equipment location | · Most frequently used items should be placed close by
· If right handed place mouse on your right and phone on your left and vice versa · If using the phone very often a headset should be utilised |
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| 13 | Breaks | · Take shorter frequent breaks rather than a single long one
· Take advantage of natural breaks away from your desk (i.e. filing, printing, making drinks) |
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| 14 | Healthy Movement | · Introduce healthy movement when at your desk (i.e. moving feet and legs, stretching)
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| 15 | Vision | · Rest eyes away from monitor by looking at distant objects
· Ensure you are aware of eye test arrangements
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| 16 | Reporting problems | · Report any discomfort to your line manager or occupational health department as soon as possible
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