Are you using
your laptop
unsafely?
Ergonomic Tips for Laptop Users
UC Berkeley's
Ergonomics Program
for Faculty and Staff
ERGONOMICS@WORK
Laptop computers are lightweight, portable and convenient, allowing us to
keep in touch with the home, office and school from almost anywhere.
Unfortunately, the laptop’s compact design, with attached screen and keyboard,
forces laptop users into awkward postures. When the screen is at the right height,
the keyboard position is too high; and when the
keyboard is at the right height, the screen is too low.
Laptops pose less risk when used for short periods
of time, but nowadays, many people use laptops as
their main computer. This creates an ongoing trade-
off between poor neck/head posture and poor
hand/wrist posture.
This brochure provides tips on how you can set up
your laptop to achieve optimal postures as well as
how to transport your laptop with less wear and tear
on your body.
A comfortable workstation setup promotes neutral postures with
the neck aligned with the spine (neutral - not bent or thrust
forward), back relaxed but supported, shoulders relaxed (not
hunched or rounded), elbows close
to the body and bent at an angle
between 90 and 120 degrees, and
wrists and hands straight (not bent
or turned). If you use a laptop
frequently, optimize your home or
office laptop workstation to
promote such an ergonomic
posture.
Setting up your laptop for frequent use
Maintain a neutral neck posture
by placing the top of the screen
at about eye level or slightly
lower if using bifocal glasses.
Use a laptop stand or place your
laptop on a stable support
surface, such as monitor risers,
reams of paper, or phone books
so that the screen height can be adjusted.
Attach a regular size, external keyboard and pointing device to the
laptop, and place them on an adjustable keyboard tray or desk.
They should be positioned at or slightly below elbow height.
Use a docking station whenever possible to more closely
resemble a standard desktop workstation where input devices
can be attached.
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