Printed from BusinessInsurance.com

Ergonomics study finds fault with work-from-home settings

Posted On: Jul. 29, 2020 12:22 PM CST

Ergonomics

Most home office workstations are set up incorrectly, according to a study by the University of Cincinnati.

Researchers conducted ergonomic assessments that included photographs of the work setups of 843 university faculty and staff who were working from home after COVID-19 shut down the university, according to the study published in the July issue of the academic journal Ergonomics in Design.

The researchers found that 41% of chairs were too low and 2% too high; 53% of workers had armrests on their chairs, but 32% did not use them, and for 18% of workers the armrests were improperly adjusted.

In addition, 69% of people were found to not lean on the back support of their chairs and 73% used chairs without lumbar support. That meant many individuals did not have proper support of their lower back, maintaining the lumbar curvature, the study found.

The position of a computer screen was often too low or off to the side, with 75% using laptop computers on their desks that are deemed “too low relative to the workers' eye height,” the study found.

External monitors were also set up too low for 52% of participants and too high for 4%. Another common issue with monitors was uncentered primary screens, which meant 31% of workers had to twist to view the monitor, according to the study.

Workers compensation experts recently expressed concern over potential claim activity among telecommuters during the pandemic.  

  

More insurance and workers compensation news on the coronavirus crisis here.