You may spend quite a bit of time in a seat these days – in the office, in the tractor or in your truck. Spending large amounts of time seated can strain your body and even result in injury. It is important for your health and wellness to set up an ergonomic workstation in your farm office. Here are some ergonomic tips to help you prevent injury:

1) Seating
Your chair is by far one of the most important changes you can make to create a more ergonomic workspace. Whether you are at your desk or in a vehicle, your chair should have comfortable cushion, armrests, adjustable height and backrest, lumbar support, and if it is a desk chair, it should be able to move with you (swivel and roll).

2) Desktop
Sure you can work on any flat space, but do you really want to risk injury by spending hours without a proper workstation. Make sure your desk is around 30 inches tall - this may need to be higher or lower depending upon your height. Some users have even opted for fully adjustable and standing desks which helps with the aches and pains of staying in one position all day.

3) Keyboard and Mouse
Your keyboard and mouse should stay close together on your desktop. Make sure that the keyboard is directly in front of you so that you maintain the best posture while you work. Focus on a height and placement that allows your elbows to bend close to a 90-degree angle, and avoid bending your wrists to limit strain.

4) Monitors
Adjust your monitor so that it stays at eye level - about three inches from the top of the monitor and an arm’s length away. Most monitors have adjusters included in the stand, but if yours does not, consider an add-on or placing your monitor on a desk monitor stand. It is also important to minimize glare on your screens. In addition to display settings on your devices themselves, there are screen covers and film that you can apply to adjust lighting.

Want to know more? The Department of Labor offers eTools to help businesses determine best practices for ergonomic work spaces.

Share your ergonomic workspace or tips with us in the comments below, via email at [email protected] or on Twitter @nerdsquawk.

The opinions of the author are not necessarily those of Farm Futures or Farm Progress.