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The computer workstation culture had been born as more and more workers perform their duties at a keyboard in front of a screen. The addition of an ergonomic workstation can reduce the likelihood of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS (News - Alert)), back, neck and shoulder pain, eyestrain and even headaches. These days, specifically in the call center, work station furniture ergonomics has become necessary in order to keep call center agents’ bodies comfortable for the work day and for life.

According to insurancenewsnet.com, back in the late 1980s, CTS began to capture the attention of insurers when treatment costs for repetitive stress injuries due to non-ergonomic office furniture drastically increased.

Ira Zunin, a medical director of Manakai o Malama Integrative Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global Advisory Services Inc. said, “At the time, I was working for a computer components manufacturer and charged with product development. Treatment costs for carpal tunnel syndrome were so high in the municipalities of San Francisco and Los Angeles that city councils began to enact legislation to ensure that their employees had access to ergonomic workstations.”

Working harder or longer doesn't always mean that more will get done or that what gets done will be of superior quality. Zunin explained that attention to the needs of the human body and its natural movements results in lower health care costs and higher productivity. The key, he says, is to begin each session at the computer with the intention of caring for the body. Kunin provides some guidelines to follow at work to optimize your body position.

First of all, seat height is very important. Your feet should be just resting flat on the ground, not dangling. Your thighs should slope downward only slightly. Also, adjust the depth of your seat as there should be space for three fingers between the back of the calf and the front of the seat to avoid cutting off circulation. Make sure your chair offers the appropriate lumbar support, which means a padded but firm support at the base of the spine.

Moreover, the goal is to be wrist-neutral, which often requires a one-half to one-inch lift at the base of the palm resting on your keyboard. Your computer monitor should be low so that the eyes can gaze comfortably downward. The natural angle for our eyes is 22.5 degrees. Also, you should have an anti-glare screen in order to avoid squinting which strains your eyes. Always have the height of your chair adjusted to be just above the natural position of the elbows when at rest, so your arms rest comfortably. Finally, you have the option of using a headrest if you’d like.

Interior Concepts, an ergonomic call center furniture provider has an array of ergonomic workstation options to choose from. Interior Concepts manufactures educational furniture, call center furniture, and administrative office furniture. With a lifetime warranty, the company maximizes workspace and investment in furniture that can be modified by the inch.

Interior Concepts will also be exhibiting its ergonomic office furniture at the 13th Annual Call Center Week in Las Vegas, Nev. taking place from June 4-8. To learn more about ergonomic furniture that will keep your body healthy and ultimately lower your health care costs, register to see Interior Concepts at Call Center Week here.