Why are laptops bad to sit at?
I first joined WorkCover in
the mid 1990's and since that time worked in many offices, witnessing a
great acceptance of biomechanics and ergonomic principals in the design
of furniture and the training of staff in its use.
Nearly every induction
manual for major corporations gives reference to 'sitting correctly at
the desk.'
However laptops create a
brand new problem in themselves.
Sitting at a 'normal' computer
Traditional computers sat
the 'screen on top of the box'. Even without ergonomic or
biomechanics training, commonsense normally prevailed so that your 'eyes
were level to the centre of the screen'.
Then, came a trend for
putting 'the box' underneath the desk, so that the screen sat on
the desk itself. It wasn't long before we saw operators stuffing
the telephone directory under the screen to 'bump it up' again to get
the centre of the screen roughly level with their eyes.
How bad is sitting at a laptop -
really?
The quick answer, is VERY
bad. Most people's eyes are about 30-40 inches above
their chair. Which means the centre of the screen
should be at the same height.
But, with laptops, the
screen might only be 8 inches above the level of the chair, or
worse, we see a lot of students balance the laptop on their knees,
now we are up to some 40
inches below recommended levels.
If you have a look at the
picture in an article by the
Click here
That means, to sit at a
laptop a person HAS to collapse and shrink their posture to 'fit the
machinery'. This is very bad, and could create devastating
long term health affects for millions of people, and certainly a
worrying time for insurance companies.
The 'double whammy' with laptops!
The first problem is
clear, the screen is dangerously below recommended height levels,
but chances are, if the laptop keyboard is sitting on the desk, it
is probably too high. Most ergonomic desks have a separate
'shelf' for the keyboard that is a little lower than the rest of the
desk, but very rarely the laptop is placed there (and the screen
would be even lower creating terrible posture in the spine).
'Father time' And, makes it worse
The 'time factor' is where
it starts to really become of grave concern to ergonomics specialists
right through to your company's WorkCover or insurance group.
Most office staff, and
students now spend a great part of their day sitting at their computer.
And, of course, the longer the posture continues, the worse the problems
become.
Could I recommend a laptop?
Again, the short answer is
no! If the laptop is being used for a one off purpose such as
getting a paper finished on a plane, then it's probably OK.
But, constant use on a daily
basis is asking staff, in fact requiring of them that they sit in a
posture that is absolutely not recommended by the WorkCover Authority
If you screen is lower than
your eyes, then you will 'slouch'. If the screen is higher than
your eyes, then you will be either stiff, constantly stretching to 'sit
up straight', or worse, raise your chin in a 'cricked neck'.
Now is the time for
employers to start education programs, and ensure staff are supplied
with suitable equipment. The laptop is not a suitable piece of
equipment for long term or long hours of computer use.
Allowing employees to use laptops
for extended periods of time, sitting in a truly bad posture, when there is such
a wealth of information warning against it, really could be argued as negligent.
And, as we have seen over and over again in WorkCover cases, ignorance/lack of
education & warnings will not hold up as a defence.
"Lowering
your height to 'fit the equipment' could create long-term health
affects for millions of people. Certainly a worrying time for
employers & insurance groups"
