Comfort and Safety Checklist

Remember to occasionally shift position and move your body. Keeping your body in one position for long periods is unnatural and stressful. When prolonged work is required, take frequent short breaks. As a rule of thumb, a five or ten minute break every hour is a good idea. Short frequent breaks are more beneficial than longer less frequent breaks. Data show that people who work for long periods of time without a break may be more prone to ergonomic injury.

Changing tasks frequently will help prevent muscle stiffness. Examples: alternating between keyboarding, reading, writing, filing, and moving around in your work environment, helps you maintain a relaxed posture. Occasionally stretch the muscles in your hands, arms, shoulders, neck and back. You should stretch at least as often as you take brief task breaks—at least once every hour.

Discomfort may be alleviated by using alternative ergonomic designs and accessories such as ergonomically personalized chairs, palm rests, keyboard trays, alternative input devices, prescription eyeglasses, anti- glare screens, and more. Seek additional information from the sources available to you, including your employer, doctor, local office supply store, and the Information Sources listed in the online version of Working in Comfort, preloaded on the hard disk of your HP computing equipment or available on the HP web site: www.hp.com/ergo.

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