Safety Quiz for Office Workers

 

Although office workers face few life-threatening injuries, they can suffer from work-related repetitive strain disorders and other ergonomic injuries. The following quiz can help you spot ergonomic problems before they lead to injury.

1. I have to look up to see my computer screen when seated.

2. I can read text on my screen without leaning my head, neck or trunk backward or forward.

3. I see glare on my computer screen.

4. My mouse or trackball fits my hand well and is easy to operate.

5. I need to stretch my arms to reach my keyboard and/or input device (mouse or trackball).

6. My elbows are bent, forearms parallel to the floor, when I type or use the mouse.

7. My wrists rest on a rounded, padded wrist rest OR I can type comfortably, keeping my wrists straight, without a wrist rest.

8. Any documents I need to look at while typing are resting flat on my desk.

9. I use a headset when I need to use the telephone and computer at the same time.

10. I can sit close to the keyboard, with feet flat on the floor, while working at my computer.

If your employees answered "yes" or "not applicable" to Questions 2, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10, and "no or "not applicable" to Questions 1, 3, 5 and 8, congratulations! You have a very ergonomics-friendly workplace and your office workers will likely experience few problems with work-related musculoskeletal disorders or eyestrain. Any "no" answers on Questions 2, 4, 6, 7, 9 or 10 indicate problems. Most can be corrected easily.