Workstation Setup for Field Offices

Talking points

1. Project managers and safety professionals spend significant time in field office trailers. Poor workstation setup causes neck pain, back pain, eye strain, and headaches.
2. Position your monitor at arm's length with the top of the screen at or slightly below eye level. Laptops should be elevated on a stand with an external keyboard and mouse.
3. Your chair should support your lower back, with feet flat on the floor and thighs roughly parallel to the ground. If the chair is not adjustable, use a cushion for lumbar support.
4. Take a break from the screen every 20-30 minutes. Stand up, walk, and look at something distant to reduce eye strain (the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds).
5. Lighting in trailers is often poor — either too dim or too bright with glare on screens. Adjust your position relative to windows and add task lighting as needed.

Ask the crew

Folks who work in the trailer — is your workstation set up ergonomically, or are you dealing with neck and back pain from a bad setup?

Standards this talk is built on

• Section 5(a)(1)

A toolbox talk is a short safety briefing. It supports the training a standard requires; it does not replace it.

Sign-in sheet

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