John Lloyd, PhD CPE - A Checklist for the Evaluation of Ergonomic Stress at Computer Workstations

John D. Lloyd, PhD, CPE
Board Certified Ergonomist

32824 Michigan Avenue
San Antonio, Florida 33576

Tel: 813-624-8986

A Checklist for the Evaluation of Ergonomic Stress at Computer Workstations

The following checklist tool is intended for use in the evaluation of existing and proposed computer workstation designs for the purpose of identifying ergonomic hazards. This questionnaire may either be completed by an ergonomics representative, or by the individual computer operators, the results of which may contribute toward a Corporate Ergonomics Program.

Prepared by: _________________________	Dept./Task ID: _______________________
Date: _______________________________	0perator's Name: _____________________

Monitor		YES	NO
1	Is the computer arranged to minimize light reflections on the screen?	___	___
2	Is the topmost line of the screen slightly below eye level?	___	___
3	Can the screen position be tilted?	___	___
4	Is the screen color, brightness and contrast satisfactory to the operator?	___	___
5	Is the illumination level at the VDT station between 45 and 70 foot candles (500 and 700 lux)?	___	___
6	Are all characters on the screen clear and free of flicker?	___	___
Office Seating		YES	NO
7	Does the seat and backrest of the chair support a comfortable posture while permitting occasional variation in the sitting position?	___	___
8	Is the seat height adjustable so that the entire sole of the foot rests on the floor or footrest, and the back of the knee slightly higher than the seat of the chair?	___	___
9	Is the seat backrest height adjustable?	___	___
10	Is the angle of the seat backrest adjustable?	___	___
11	Are all seat or workstation adjustments easy to make with a single lever?	___	___
12	Is the function of each seat or workstation control obvious to the operator?	___	___

Worksurface		YES	NO
15	Is the height of the surface on which the keyboard rests adjustable, allowing the operator’s forearms, with fingers resting on the keyboard, to be nearly horizontal or inclined slightly upward?	___	___
16	Is the workstation adjusted so that the wrist is in a straight line, i.e. not bent up or down, or side to side?	___	___
18	Is the work surface large enough to hold all needed reference material?	___	___
17	Is the document holder positioned at the same height and at the same distance from the viewer as the screen?	___	___
Lower Extremity		YES	NO
13	Is there adequate room under the work table to permit leg movement and use of a footrest where necessary?	___	___
14	Is a footrest provided, if required by the operator?	___	___
Miscellaneous		YES	NO
19	Can paper be easily and conveniently loaded into printers without the need for lifting heavy boxes in awkward postures?	___	___
20	Do task schedules allow the operator to perform duties not requiring use of the computer for at least 15 minutes during each 2 hour period?	___	___
	Score (count all "No" answers)		___

Comments: ________________________________________________________________
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Evaluation: When a group of workstations are evaluated by the same evaluator, higher scores should indicate which workstations are more likely to cause ergonomic stress. It is not necessary for each workstation to achieve a perfect score on checklist. Common sense should be used to determine whether modifications to workstations are necessary, reasonable and feasible.

Please contact Dr. Lloyd for additional information