Page 26 - IT Essentials And Data Recovery For Online Businesses

Furniture choices were discussed in an earlier section. The most important

selections here will be the chair and the desk upon which your computer monitor
will rest. In Home.work, Fay Sweet makes some recommendations for the home
office that could very well apply to the office of any small business:

 Make sure the monitor is at least an arm’s length – about 2 feet – from your
face and positioned directly in front of you.

 While people disagree as to the proper angle of the monitor, most experts

agree that a monitor should be no higher than eye level, and preferable
below. Most flat-screen LCD monitors have stands that cause the screen
itself to tilt away, so the top of the monitor is farther from your eyes than the

bottom.

 The keyboard should be directly in front of you, and in such a position that

allows your forearms to be bent upwards slightly. A soft wrist support is no
bad thing, either (refer to Figure 3).

Peripherals and Office Supplies

Peripherals are such things as your printer, extra drives, and speakers – anything

that is attached to your computer. Where these will be placed depends a great deal
on how often you need to access or use them. If you’re not printing, faxing and/or
copying documents more than two or three times a day, it might not be a bad idea

to locate your printer in another part of the room. That way, you’ll be forced to get

up out of your seat and stretch periodically, yet it won’t interfere with your work
flow. Otherwise, equipment such as printers, scanners should be within easy reach,
preferably on an auxiliary table or stand set up perpendicularly to your chair – and

ideally, next to your dominant hand.