Screens (laptop, monitor, tablet, smartphone and TV) are used by many people throughout the day, both at work and in their private lives. People who work a lot behind a screen can develop complaints of the arms, neck and shoulders (CANS). A good workplace design and working posture are important factors to prevent complaints.

The risks of screenwork are sometimes underestimated. In this toolbox, we'll cover what to look out for.

• Overloading neck, shoulders, wrists or lower back;
• Difficulty concentrating;
• Eye complaints (eye strain);
• Increasing stress or negative work atmosphere;
• Health risks associated with prolonged sitting (cholesterol, obesity, higher cardiovascular risk).

To prevent the risks above, you can take the following measures:

1. To prevent complaints caused by long-term screenwork, variety is the most important thing. So change your working posture regularly.
2. Make sure you create the most comfortable workspace possible if you work with a screen for more than two hours.
3. When using a laptop, a separate keyboard, a mouse and possibly a separate screen are recommended.
4. Every 20 minutes that you look at a screen, look away at an object at a distance of at least 6 meters for at least 20 seconds.

When setting up your workplace, start by setting up your chair. Is your desk or table not adjustable? Then start with the desk as a starting point. However, if your legs get trapped between the worktop and the chair or if your lower and upper leg make a greater angle than 90 degrees, it is advised to choose another desk (possibly with a footrest).TIP: Ask your prevention officer for advice on setting up your workplace!

1. CHAIR:
    Make sure you form a 90-degree angle with your lower leg and upper leg. Your thighs should be comfortably supported by the chair. Make sure that the lower part of your back is supported by the curvature of the backrest.
2. DISPLAY:
   Adjust the top edge of the screen to eye level or slightly lower so that you look at the screen with a slightly downward gaze. A slightly downward glance is less tiring for the eyes.
3. WORKTOP:
    Try to match chair and worktop height so that your arms are in a relaxed position (relaxed shoulders). This is best done with your elbows up, or just slightly above worktop height.
4. MOUSE AND KEYBOARD: Keep your elbows close to your body when using the mouse. If you keep your elbow far in front of the body while working with a mouse, the mouse will be too far away. A narrow keyboard gives room to keep the mouse closer to your body.

To prevent body complaints and aches and pains, you can do exercises. There are exercises to relax in between, but also exercises to make different movements. This allows you to change the static load on your muscles during screen work.

• Identify incipient symptoms and take action!

Ga met elkaar in gesprek over het volgende:

1. Hoeveel uur per dag zit jij achter je beeldscherm?
2. Weet jij wie de preventiemedewerker is? En hij deze jou kan helpen?
3. Lukt het jou om je werkplek goed en comfortabel in te richten?
4. Heb je extra middelen nodig?
5. Spreek je collega's wel eens aan en geef je ze tips wanneer je ziet dat ze een verkeerde werkhouding hebben?
6. Hoe zit het eigenlijk met de thuiswerkplek? Kan jij daar goed zitten?
7. Weet je waar je heen kan met vragen en klachten?

CLICK HERE for the Unica poster about screenwork

BBYS (Better Behind Your Screens)
Checklist BBYS (BAS) is a method to determine whether, and if so, what risks are present in your work with a screen. The checklist is easy to apply and consists mostly of yes-no questions. The method is intended for employees who (on average) work more than 2 hours a day in front of a screen.

Podcast: Screenwork and the RI&E – TNO Physical strain
TNO researcher Heleen de Kraker is a guest in the podcast of the RI&E Support Centre. She talks about the risks of screenwork and how to tackle them with the RI&E.​​​​​​​