Keyboarding Ergonomics - Health and Safety

It is very important to provide the proper environment and pay attention to positioning the keyboard and your hands when using your computer. Just as we teach young children to use protective sports gear in order to prevent lifelong injuries, we should be instilling them with health tips that will help in the prevention of vision problems, back injuries, and repetitive injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Posture

Make sure that your computer is situated so that users can keep their back straight and square with the computer. (HINT: If you can put your hands comfortably on the home row keys and your arms are at the same angle away from the body, you are probably okay.) Arms should be relaxed. A chair that adjusts in height will be helpful for young children. Keyboarders should NOT be looking up at the monitor, but preferably straight ahead or slightly downward. The chair height should be such that the feet can be flat on the floor.

3-M Office Ergonomic Guidelines on Posture - specific details and drawings

Summary of key points of good keyboarding posture:

Feet flat on floor or foot rest, one foot placed slightly ahead of the other

Thighs parallel to the floor

Lower back against chair back or lumbar support

Neck and head straight

Eyes able to see over screen, looking down at a slight angle

Middle of torso centered on H-key

Upper arms hanging loosely from relaxed shoulders

Elbows at 90-degree angle, close but not tight to body

Wrists relaxed and in line with the forearms and parallel to the keyboard

Fingers relaxed and curved over home row keys

Light touch on keys and mouse

Adjustments for smaller students

Adjustments may be necessary to equipment and computer set up to accommodate size of student:

Adjust chair seat so that arms hang loosely and naturally from shoulders and elbows are at a 90-degree angle. A book or cushion may have to be used if the chair is not high enough for small children.

Feet should be flat on the floor. A telephone book or carton may be used as a foot support for small children.

The spine should rest against the back of the chair to support the lower back. A cushion or rolled-up towel can be used against the chair back.

Elbows and knees should be bent at 90-degree angles. Chairs should be moved closer or further back from the desk to position properly.

Relaxation

Again, this can't be emphasized enough. Hands should be relaxed and you should envision the nerves in the fingers going all the way to the spine. If you are using a laptop, your hands will most likely have to rest on the edge of the keyboard; however, if you are using a desktop keyboard, only the fingers will rest on the keyboard. Keyboard musicians will tell us that keeping the fingers curved and relaxed is essential.

Take Breaks

Get out of your chair and move around at least every 30 minutes. You can also give yourself a break from typing by varying your tasks and your position. Make a phone call and stand up or organize your work. Many employers now require workers that do repetitive tasks like typing to stop every 30 minutes and engage in group exercises and stretches to prevent repetitive stress injuries.

Protect your eyes

You only have two of them!! Eyes have muscles and they benefit from breaks, good lighting, and exercise. While some computer games can be played in relatively low light, typing in text that must be read requires good lighting. Most right-handed people prefer to keep text on the left and many lefties prefer the opposite. Ask your eye doctor about any vision concerns you might have - you may need to make special accommodations. Take breaks and rest your eyes (rub the palms of your hands together until you feel heat build up and put a palm over each eye and enjoy a minute of rest). You can exercise your eyes by holding your head straight and looking up, down, right, and left only by moving your eyes.

Warning Signals of Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI)

Intermittent pain such as tingling or numbness in the hands or wrists
Cold hands
Burning or itching eyes
Headaches
Burning or aching in neck or upper back
Shooting or stabbing pains

Stress Relievers to prevent RSI's

Brief, but frequent, stretch and relaxation breaks are necessary to avoid stress and the resultant eye and back strain and wrist injuries.

Take an Online Quiz

Online Quiz on Keyboarding Technique - I

Online Quiz on Keyboarding Technique - II

Additional Resources on Computer Ergonomics and Health and Safety

Computer Ergonomics for Elementary Schools Website

Microsoft's Healthy Computing Guide

3-M Office Ergonomics Guidelines Computer Work Guidelines, Sitting and Standing Positions, Posture Guidelines, and Keyboard Support Surface Tilt

Kid's Health - Computer-Related Repetitive Stress Injuries - Guidelines on making the family computer workplace ergonomic