Does Ergonomic Furniture Prevent Repetitive Strain Injuries?

Carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain injuries can be painful and debilitating. Ergonomic furniture and tools can help.

Thankfully for your budget, creating an ergonomic workplace is more a matter of selecting the right ergonomic accessories — generally referred to as tools — than buying expensive furniture. If you're building an office space from scratch, it's wise to equip all workstations with a minimum of ergonomic tools. These include an adjustable-height work surface, a supportive and highly adjustable chair, and personal task lights. Leading makers of office furniture like Steelcase and Herman Miller all carry ergonomic lines. Niche manufactures like ISE and WorkRite specialize in smaller workstation accessories.

Ergonomic computer accessories should be supplied according the individual needs of each employee. Keyboard and monitor usage cause most chronic repetitive injuries. There are a number of products — such as keyboard pads, document holders, keyboard shelves, footrests, wristrests, and auxiliary task lighting — all designed to reduce the strain to various body parts that computer work causes. Specialized chairs with extended arms and increased adjustability also address these problems. Other simple ways to address ergonomic concerns include adjusting the height of the work surface, increasing legroom, and repositioning the computer monitor and telephone.

Corporate America has figured out that strong education and training on how to avoid on-the-job repetitive stress injuries is as effective in preventing musculoskeletal problems as expensive office furniture. Be sure to respond to employee complaints immediately and modify their workstation accordingly. It shouldn't cost more than about $500 to adjust, accessorize, or completely revamp a workstation to accommodate a problem. On the other hand, a workers' compensation case involving carpal tunnel syndrome costs a business $20,000 in medical costs and lost work time, on average.

One note on self-proclaimed ergonomics consultants or ergonomists: Carefully check their credentials — many have no more specialized training than you do.