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Office Ergonomics Guide

Highly repetitive motions associated with keyboard use can lead to disabling injuries if the workstation is not appropriately adjusted for the employee. As a result, AFSCME, the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, U Return, Purchasing, and Risk Management & Insurance are working together to reduce the likelihood of such injury among University of Minnesota employees.

Considerable progress has been made in modifying workstations in several departments to provide the appropriate setting for employees who spend much of their work day at the keyboard. The goal of the Department of Environmental Health and Safety is to visit departments to evaluate and help modify their physical work locations. The Department of Risk Management & Insurance has been able to provide some financial assistance to departments to share the cost of acquiring new equipment when it is necessary.

Evaluation of individual workstations by DEHS staff members Neil Carlson, or Greg Casura is an important part of reducing repetitive stress injuries. Equally important is training of employees and their supervisors on the importance of posture, eye focus, frequent rest pauses and exercises in reducing the likelihood of health problems. University staff are available to provide training sessions for employees and are particularly interested in offering training supervisors who have day-to-day responsibility for potentially affected employees.