UC Santa Cruz - Environmental Health & Safety - Safety

Ergonomics

Every employee at UCSC should at all times be an active participant in preventing injuries to themselves and others. Employees and supervisors need to be aware of the potential for injury and capable of altering their surroundings or processes to prevent injury and avoid unnecessary risk. These actions and behaviors are common elements of a sustained safety culture and are essential components of an effective ergonomics program. Supervisors and employees need to know the simple basics of good workstation ergonomics and then put these principles into practice on a daily basis. Good ergonomic practices related to computer workstations are easy to understand, implement and monitor. If you use a computer workstation for more than 4 hours a day or 20 hours a week, EH&S recommends you work with your supervisor to take the following steps to ensure you are in compliance with the California Department of Occupational Safety & Health ergonomics rule, adhering to the provisions of UC labor contracts and are meeting the requirements of your departmental Injury and Illness Prevention Program. Most importantly you should follow these guidelines to ensure you meet the goal of remaining injury-free at your workstation.

If you are:

A) A new employee, someone who has moved to a new workstation, or someone who has general questions or concerns about the ergonomics of your computer set up:

Download the UCSC self-assessment guidelines and review the first two pages.
Make the suggested changes to your workstation to achieve the best posture.
Review the checklist on the third page with your supervisor to identify any remaining needs.
If you believe you need new or different equipment to solve a problem, discuss your situation with your supervisor or office manager and work together to find a workable solution.
If you are unsure whether you need new equipment or need information about what types of ergonomic equipment, including chairs, are available to solve your problems, contact Stephanie, 9-5430 at EH&S. A small selection of alternative keyboards and pointing devices are available for loan.
On a daily basis, ensure your equipment is properly adjusted and your posture remains appropriate. As much as possible make a habit of frequently changing your work processes (i.e. stand up, look away from your screen, do a couple of stretches), to avoid overstressing your body.
If you are unable to complete the self-assessment guidelines checklist or do not understand how to apply the information to yourself and your workstation, contact Stephanie, 9-5430 to schedule a site-visit.

B) Experiencing discomfort, aches, numbness, tingling, pain or other symptoms which are believed to be caused by or associated with your workstation set up proceed as follows:

If you have not yet filed an injury report you should inform your supervisor of your situation and call Kitty (9-1448) for an evaluation. DO THIS RIGHT AWAY because it is important to try some type of intervention to prevent an injury from occurring.
If you have already filed an injury report and are being treated for an ergonomic injury, speak to your occupational physician and request an ergonomic evaluation through the medical provider.
If you believe you should have a medical evaluation for your symptoms, please inform your supervisor and request assistance with the injury reporting process.

C) A manager who supervises employees with the CX designation, or who are members of the CUE bargaining unit:

You are required to attend a session of the EH&S provided training on Basic Ergonomics for Supervisors. This will prepare you to comfortably go over the self-assessment checklist with your employees.
Whenever you bring a new employee into your group, you need to provide them with a copy of the self-assessment guidelines and go over the checklist with them to determine what ergonomic needs should be met. If you have questions on how to correct a problem identified by the checklist or the employee, contact Stephanie, 9-5430 at EH&S.

D) A manager or supervisor intending to refurbish an office or upgrade existing furniture:

For furniture design and office layout assistance, contact Janine Faylor of PBI at 688-8221 or jfaylor@salinas.net. This is a service provided by PBI and there is a fee. PBI is the local provider for furniture under the systemwide Steelcase contract.
To try out a variety of chairs, contact Stephanie for an appointment in our showroom. These are not available for loan at the present time.

Special Resources

Self-Assessment Guidelines for Computer Workstation Set Up and Completion Checklist

Need help paying for ergonomic equipment? Check out our Matching Funds Program

Stretch-break software to help you ensure you get the right proportion of micro-rest periods during your working day. This is free for UCSC employees to use on their work computers, but you must have administrative access to your computer to install it. ITS is not currently providing dedicated support for this software or its installation.

RSIGuard introduction and manual for computer users

Download the Mac or PC version of RSIGuard

RSIGuard technical information for IT types

Office Ergonomics

Cal/OSHA Ergonomics Standard

Ergonomic resources page at UC San Diego

Ergonomic resource page at UCLA

Cal/OSHA publication on computer ergonomics

Computer Workstation Design

Computer Workstation setup checklist

Computer and Desk Stretches

Keyboard and mouse use