Best position to use laptop
Have friends, family or co-workers this could help? Spread the word. Read the 15 ergonomic laptop tips and guidelines to help prevent injury and increase productivity. As a result of Covid-19, millions of employees around the world are now working from home. Many of these employees have never done this before. These employees received little to no notice and most people were sent home with only a laptop in hand. This is alarming because statistically, prior to Covid-19, only 7% of U.S. workers had the option to regularly work at home. Therefore, most people at home do not have desks, chairs, external keyboards or any knowledge of how to effectively work at home with a laptop. Show
Using Your Laptop Properly at Home is Very ImportantMany experts suggest that COVID-19 could lead to a permanent shift with employees working from home. As a result, it is important that employees learn important ergonomic laptop tips on how to properly work at home to prevent discomfort, injury and Workers Comp claims.
Why Is Working on a Laptop at Home an Ergonomic Risk?Laptops were not designed to be the primary computer for all-day use. Laptops were intended for mobility for meetings and travel. That is to say that when used at work they are typically paired with docking stations that enable large monitors to project the data. Now in contrast, millions of people are working at home from a laptop which leads to significant health risks with prolonged laptop use. Health Impact of Neck Flexion from Laptop Use: Working from a laptop computer can cause back, neck and shoulder pains, headache, eyestrain, and many types of overuse injuries of the arms and hands. The good news is, that you can use your laptop while working at home in a safe and effective fashion. Watch this Excellent Video of Laptop Tips Showing How You Can Retrofit Your Laptop for Comfort and to Prevent Injury Top 15 Risks of Working on a Laptop and Helpful Tips to Solve ThemKnowledge is power. Not only will these laptop tips and guidelines provide the helpful information you need to retrofit your workspace to be comfortable, but you will be more productive. Each laptop guideline includes information of the type of ergonomic equipment you could purchase. It also includes information on how to help solve the problem with inexpensive and cheap ergonomic retrofit solutions you can use around your home without spending a penny. RISK #1: Working on a laptop and looking down at the monitor creates neck flexion, which can lead to pain and discomfort.
2. Secondly, ensure that your eyes are looking at the top of the screen and the screen should be no more than an arms length away. 3. Lastly, if you plan to work at home on a permanent basis, invest in an external monitor that provides the adjust ability you need. A good cost effective home monitor is ESI Eppa single monitor arm. A separate monitor is better for your eyes and helps productivity. However, if you dont have one, raising your laptop monitor will do wonders for prevent discomfort of your neck, shoulders and back. 4. Purchase laptop riser kits that include a laptop riser, an external keyboard, keyboard and wrist rest. RISK #2: Typing on the laptop keyboard for prolonged periods of time leads to wrist and hand discomfort and pain.
RISK #3: Do not lean wrists against the desk edge as this creates contact stress on your wrists and can lead to many types of wrist and hand injuries.
Options to consider:
RISK #4: Working on a laptop while laying on the sofa is not recommended. This creates neck flexion and awkward postures can lead to neck, back and shoulder pain.
Options to Consider: 1. Purchase a height adjustable desk and program the presets to have the correct sitting and standing height. Investing in a desk workstation at home is a good idea regardless of how long COVID-19 lasts. Most people could use a desk in there home regardless to pay bills, send e-mails, write letters, do projects at night or work on the weekends. The good news is a height adjustable desk for a family can be used for multiple people of different sizes. Options available with quick ship come in a 30x 60 height adjustable desk in multiple colors or a 24x 48 height adjustable desk in different colors. 2. A cheap ergonomic home tip, would be to retrofit what you have at home to create a specific working area. With creativity, you can convert your kitchen table, a small display table, a fold-up table or even your sofa table. RISK #5: Working on your bed creates neck flexion, twisting and awkward postures that can quickly lead to discomfort.EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO:
Options to Consider When Having a Desk in Your Bedroom: 1. First of all, dont work with blue light electronics in your bedroom. This affects sleep. On the other hand, if you do have a desk in your bedroom, make sure that you invest in a keyboard that you can turn off and/or turn down the blue light so it doesnt affect your sleep. For example, the Sleep Well Laptop kit includes a keyboard that you can turn off the light, or change the blue light to a different color. Blue light has been shown to disrupt sleep. If you must work in your bedroom, you want a keyboard you can turn the lights off. Also when you are working before bedtime, you can switch the lights to white or red which helps reduce the blue light emitted that disrupts sleep. Read more on the affect of blue light on sleep 2. Alternatively, you can get creative by adding a small desk in your bedroom. Make sure that the height you place it at will enable you to sit at the desk with your arms at a 90 degree angle and both feet on the floor. ERGO TIPS FOR PLACING A LAPTOP ON A WALL MOUNTED DESK RISK #6: Working at a bar stool without back support.
Options to Consider: 2. Secondly, if you have bar stools with a back, add an extra cushion and support under your feet so both feet can be firmly planted. 3. Certainly make sure that both feet are firmly planted on the ground, and use a foot rest or a box. It is important to note that you dont want to have dangling feet. RISK #7: Working on the floor while typing on a laptop creates neck deviation, and puts your hands and wrists in an awkward postures while typing. This will quickly lead to discomfort.
RISK #8: Working in a space that isnt dedicated for work, while trying to pet your animal.
2. Also consider placing the dog bed on top of something to elevate it. Then when you pet your dog you wont have to lean down each time. RISK #9: Working while holding your kids
2. If you have a baby, make sure there are many stimulating things for the baby to do and your baby can see you. 4. Baby slings or harnesses can keep your baby warm and close to you while you work, while you can make sure your body is positioned properly. 5. Use a cordless, wireless headset while talking on the phone enabling hands free positioning and mobility. 6. Work when the baby or children are taking their naps. Read more: 33 tips working at home with a newborn 7. If you have young kids who make noise, consider investing in noise canceling headphones like the Sony WH-1000x series. RISK #10: Working with Laptop on Your Lap
RISK #11: Looking Down at Documents or Books While Typing
RISK #12: Perching, and leaning forward in your chair when working on a laptop is typical of driven busy people, but it is not healthy for your body.
RISK #13: While working on a laptop or a full-size monitor, slouching creates tremendous pressure and strain on your body.
RISK #14: Leaning forward in chair with an Ostrich neck creates tremendous strain on your neck and shoulders.
Options to Consider:
RISK #15: Feet Tucked Behind While Working Creates Awkward Postures and Can Lead to Discomfort
Additional Ergonomic Laptop Resources: Ergonomics tips from UC Santa Cruz Be safe, happy, and healthy. We hope these ergonomic laptop guidelines and suggestions are helpful. If you are interested in an ergonomic assessment in San Diego, Orange County or Los Angeles, please call 619-546-0872. We would love to help your team feel great, be productive and prevent the risk of injury.Request a Call Back for Consultation and Ergonomic Assessment Services (619-546-0872)
About the authorAnnie BerzanskiCEO at Pacific Ergonomics | 619-546-0872 101 | | Website | + posts Annie Berzanski is proud and honored to be the CEO of Pacific Ergonomics, a full-service San Diego ergonomic company with consulting and ergonomic product solutions. Her team helps employees and employers thrive. Annie leads a customer service obsessed team with certified ergonomists and Account managers who help employees increase productivity and feel great working. At the same time, Pacific Ergonomics helps companies decrease and prevent costly Workers Comp claims from work-related Musculoskeletal Skeletal Disorders (MSDs.) Annie is a certified office and industrial ergonomist. She is passionate about helping her customers create customized solutions that have a bottom line impact, make employees healthier and decrease risk of injury.
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