DESKS

A lot of desks on campus are still older designs with little adjustability and often placed in confining spaces that are not ergonomically efficient, and subsequently may place individuals at a higher risk of injury.

Older desks are usually a fixed-height, designed for writing and not particularly designed for a modern day keyboard and monitor. In addition individuals often have more than one surface to do their work, however usually there is a ‘main’ desk where people spend the majority of their time.

Common Designs and Arrangement Critiques 
DESK 1  - due to the drawers on either side, the desk does not allow the chair to swivel and may impede leg movement. This can be restrictive if there is another adjacent surface where work is located.

DESK 2 —provided there is plenty of leg room to swivel this configuration is good. There is often a ‘dead space’ where the corners meet due to reaching difficulties, and so functional items are not usually placed there.

If there are drawers underneath the desk surface this again may be more restrictive and difficult to move.
Avoid having your monitor screen opposite a window to help reduce reflections and eye strain.



DESK 3 setup is seen frequently on campus and is not a recommended configuration. Even when fitted with a retractable keyboard tray, there usually is not enough space to fully clear the desk edges, restricting use of the mouse and keyboard.

Even if the tray does clear the desk edges the individual tends to be too far away from items needed on the desk surfaces.

It is recommended to moving the keyboard and monitor so it is configured like DESK 2.


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