How A Work Desk Assessment Can Impact Your Health

What Is A Desk Assessment

A desk assessment, more commonly known as display screen equipment (DSE) or a workplace assessment can have a huge effect on your wellbeing. Many people who work at a desk have complaints relating to lower back pain, neck pain and discomfort in their wrists. A desk assessment can relieve this pain by making their working day much more bearable. A desk assessment considers your ergonomic setup and organisation of work tasks to provide practical recommendations to improve comfort.

Negative Health Effects Of Bad Posture

If you spend all your working day sitting at a desk and you have never received a desk assessment, chances are there is something affecting your posture in your workplace. This could be due to a table too low, or a chair that is too high. This can lead to many health problems, not just pain and discomfort at the time. These include:

Poor Circulation
Negative Mood
Increased Stress
Fatigue
Poor digestion
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Less Motivation
Repetitive Strain Injury

If you are suffering from any of these, it may be time to consider asking your employer for a desk assessment.

Tips For Improving A Bad Posture

Slouching at your desk is a big posture no-no. Even before a desk assessment, there are your tips to use if you find yourself slouching over your desk. Try sitting all the way back in your chair and place a small rolled up towel or lumbar cushion behind your mid-back to provide support and maintain the spine’s natural curve. Bend your knees at a right angle and keep them at the same height, or a bit higher than your hips. Keep your feet flat on the floor.

Slouching, in general, adds stress to the spine, which in turn adds stress to all other joints, bones and muscles to keep your back in place. Slouching also pushes all your internal organs together making them work harder. A good way to improve posture is to stand up tall. You will look and feel better. Pretend you’re standing against a wall to measure your height.

Slouching over your desk can cause back and neck pain but a desk assessment could prevent this

Useful Tips If A Proper Desk Assessment Cannot Be Carried Out

In an ideal world, everyone would have a desk setup that’s tailor-made to suit them following a desk assessment, however, in reality, this is not the case. Here are some useful tips to help you avoid any unnecessary pains and strains:

Don’t rest your wrists or forearms on the desk when typing or using the mouse
Your lower back should be supported by your chair so that you can lean back comfortably
Your feet should be flat on the floor and the top of the monitor should be at approximately eye level about an arm’s length away
Don’t slump forward or lean on your desk
Keep your keyboard and mouse close so you don’t have to reach – this strains the wrist