Ergonomics in VDT’s

Albert L. Asprec, M.D., M.O.H.

Ergonomics
It is a technique that brings
together several disciplines to solve
problems at work
Lets talk about that, the
most widely used tool in
industry today . . .
the computer
Video Display Terminal
The Ergonomics in VDT:

Placement of input devices

Placement of output devices

Furniture and posture

Work habits
Typical Workstation – monitor on table
Typical Workstation – monitor on CPU
Typical Workstation – Laptop
Typical Workstation – Production Area
Photocopier
Server
Cashier
Occupational Health Injuries:
Eye - strain (brightness), stress (sup. rectus)
Neck - muscle strain (SCM)
Back - (disc) bulging, ruptured, degenerated
Hand - Tenosynovitis (tendon sheaths),
CTS (median nerve), trigger finger
Leg - Muscle strain, varicose veins
The Legs
Varicose veins
Varicose veins
Seat
compression
Seat compression
1. Get the right chair
Ergonomic chair
Sometimes a
lowered chair
results in a high
keyboard
Raise the
seat to
reach the
keyboard
comfortably,
then provide
a footrest
Simply
lower the
keyboard
Which is what
some do
unconsciously
2. Adjust the seat height
The Back
The Spine is
“S” shaped
If the spine is
straight, weight
of the torso is
transmitted to
lower back
Weight of
upper body
should be
supported by
properly
adjusted
backrest
Little back support
Good back support
3. Adjust the backrest
The Neck Muscles
Exposed conjunctiva
4. Adjust the monitor height
Put the copy
holder at
same level
as monitor
The Arm
Forearm pinch
Unsupported arms
Use the armrest
5. Use the armrest
The Hand
Fold the stand of the keyboard
Use a wrist pad
6. Keep the wrist straight
Linear keyboard
Ergonomic keyboard
7. Choose your keyboard
Mouse Trackball
8. Select a good pointing device
Put pointing device & keyboard on the same plane
Put pointing device & keyboard on the same plane
9. Adjust your illumination
Light fixtures
parallel to line
of sight
Overhead fluorescent light parallel to line of sight
Windows
parallel to
line of
sight
Window parallel to line of sight
Overhead fluorescent light perpendicular to line of sight
10. Take Rest breaks
•At least five minutes every hour
•Take it away from your workstation
Ten tips on applying ergonomics to your VDT workstation
1. Get the right chair
2. Adjust the seat height
3. Adjust the backrest
4. Adjust the monitor height
5. Use the armrest
6. Choose the keyboard
7. Keep the wrist straight
8. Select a good pointing device
9. Adjust your illumination
10. Take rest breaks
Ergonomics …
Adapting the job to the worker
Not just the worker to the job