Minimum distance from the eyes to the monitor: optimal values ​​​​to the screen according to SanPiN

The specific nature of work in many organizations involves continuous work of personnel on computer equipment throughout the entire working day or part of it.

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In this regard, the head of the enterprise and the heads of the relevant structural divisions are required to properly organize workplaces in accordance with all legal requirements relating to work activities using computerized systems.

Occupational safety when working at a computer

In many organizations, according to the specifics of work activity, work on a PC is provided. Moreover, this work takes almost 8 hours. Based on this, the management of the enterprise needs to ensure that the workplace is organized according to established standards.

Requirements to be followed:

1. Standard instructions based on the requirements of regulatory acts.
2. Sanitary norms and rules.
3. Labor legislation.
4. Order of the Ministry of Health on conducting medical examinations.
5. Federal Law No. 426.

To properly organize compliance with OT requirements, you should adhere to the following nuances:

• maintain the level of illumination in accordance with the standards;
• organize your workplace correctly;
• provide breaks in work according to the regulations.

The management of the organization is obliged to comply with all legal requirements in order to avoid problems with the health of employees.

Workspace and order in it

Don't clutter your workplace with unnecessary things. There should be only those things that you use in your work. The less there is on the table, the more involved you are in the work process. This image clearly shows what not to do.

If you do not need to print something often, you can place the printer on another table. This will give you an additional opportunity to warm up once again.

Do not consume food or drinks at the computer. So the way you eat food does not contribute to its absorption. In addition, such experiments pose a danger to your equipment (in particular, sugary drinks for laptops).

You must remember that you need to clean your workspace regularly and in a timely manner. Don’t forget to also use wipes designed for computer equipment.

Who is contraindicated from working on a computer?

There are some contraindications for working with a PC:

1. For people with hypertension, you should not look at the screen for a long time, as your blood pressure may increase.
2. If a person is diagnosed with high myopia, this can cause vision deterioration.
3. If you have diseases such as glaucoma or high intraocular pressure, sitting at a PC for a long time is not allowed.
4. Retinal damage is also a contraindication when working with a computer.

Useful health tips

Whenever you work at a computer, remember that your chair can be comfortable and pleasant as much as you like, but working for many hours in a row in a sitting position has a bad effect on your well-being and productivity.

You get tired quickly and experience back pain. To prevent this from happening, do not forget about rest. Sometimes, when you are doing a warm-up or just walking, your thoughts are much more active than when working hard at the computer.

For this reason, you should always remember and follow the following recommendations from doctors:

• When you work a lot in a sitting position, you cannot do without rest. Take breaks every 1.5 – 2 hours of your work. This can be difficult in the office. In this case, it is worth doing at least a short warm-up in a chair. Also often change your work positions, stretch, stretch your legs and back.
• Be mindful of your eyes when working at the computer. When you look at a screen, you blink much less, which causes dry and tired eyes. Try to blink more often, take your eyes off the monitor, and close them for a few minutes. It will be good if you also do gymnastics for your eyes: press a little with your fingers on your eyelids, try to rotate your pupils clockwise and counterclockwise, tap and press a little with your fingers at your temples and on your head. This will relieve tension from your eyes, and it will be easier for you to continue working.
• To make your eyesight less strained, use stands for working with paper documents. If you need to read a lot of materials that do not need to be constantly corrected, it would be better to print them out and use them in paper form. This will put less strain on your eyes and make it easier to perceive the text.
• Sedentary work is very harmful not only to your eyes, but also to your neck. It may become numb and painful. To avoid this, you should warm it up more often: make turns in different directions, as well as various shoulder lifts. It will also be useful to warm up your back - you can also do various turns of the body and back. This will make it much more comfortable for you to work and bear stress.
• After you have finished working, you should not start your rest by watching TV, watching movies on the computer or doing other things using your gadgets. You need to rest your eyes and body after work. The ideal solution would be to take a walk in the fresh air or sit in silence with your eyes closed. Physical activity is also a good alternative. This will help relieve fatigue, fill you with energy and good mood.

Standards and norms

SanPin sets standards for workplace area.

Table 1. Standards for workplace area depending on the type of computer monitor

Monitor type	Workplace area per 1 employee
CRT monitor	At least 6 sq. m
LCD monitor	At least 4.5 sq. m

List of basic rules when working with a PC:

1. The location of the windows should be north or northeast. This is an advisory requirement, so the employer can apply it based on opportunity.
2. If sunlight does not enter the room, then artificial lighting is necessary. The main regulations are set out in the rules.
3. When arranging computer monitors in a single row, LB lamps must be installed in one continuous or broken line.
4. If PCs are placed around the perimeter, then the light should fall directly above the desktop.

Other legal requirements:

• according to standards, the illumination of the PM should be in the range of 300-500 lux;
• the video monitor should be illuminated by no more than 30 lux;
• Windows and lighting fixtures should be washed at least twice a year;
• the distance between PMs must be maintained at least 2 meters;
• the distance between monitors should be more than 1 m 20 cm.

If you plan to work at the computer for a long time, the requirements will be as follows:

1. Between workstations it is necessary to install partitions with a minimum height of 1.5 meters.
2. Work table 0.8-1.4 m wide.
3. The depth of the table is 0.8-1.4 m.
4. The height of the computer desk is 7.25 cm.
5. A distance of 0.6-0.7 cm should be maintained from the eyes to the monitor.
6. From the edge of the table to the keyboard -0.1-0.3 m.
7. The seat of the chair must correspond to the angle of rotation, tilt and backrest height of the worker.
8. The footrest is 0.3 m wide, -0.4 m deep, and the angle of inclination should not exceed 20 degrees.

Room requirements for a home computer

In organizations, all of the above can be checked by Rospotrebnadzor. The home environment is outside its scope, even if the person works from home. Therefore, responsibility for the health of family members falls on the owner of the house.

According to TOI instructions R-45-084-01, the normal table height for an adult is 72.5 cm. If children and teenagers work at a PC, it is worth considering the possibility of adjusting the table top. The same goes for the chair.

It is advisable to comply with the conditions that are created in organizations. And one more tip - do not place monitors opposite each other in order to save space.

What additional standards are provided?

The standards are determined from SanPin, but among other things, each regulatory act provides for:

1. Every day, wet cleaning should be done in the room where the PC is installed.
2. After an hour of operation, the room should be ventilated. In the absence of natural ventilation, forced ventilation is provided.
3. Air conditioning must be installed in offices.
4. The temperature regime must be observed in accordance with GOST requirements.

Sanitary regulations also prescribe the following parameters:

• temperature 19-21 degrees;
• humidity percentage 55-62;
• 0.1 m/s and no more air movement speed in the room.

Compliance with hygiene criteria is necessary for every organization.

PART ONE. Trap #1: functional corner

In the age of portable computers, it doesn’t cost anything to go to work on the seashore, in a cafe, in the basement of your house (so that no one will distract you) or to a disco (so that you will be distracted and inspired). But…

BUT! It is important to understand one thing. We can climb into Papa Carlo’s closet with our laptop and feel free in it, working productively and easily; Or we can go out with a computer to the shore of the endless ocean, and after three hours of work we get vertebral clamps, thrombosis and hand tunnel syndrome.

All this is because there is one cliché in our heads, instilled in us since childhood, when at school we were seated at a green, slanted desk, persistently correcting our slightly bent backs. The cliché is called “functionality”. Someone very caring wrote a whole set of rules about how the most functional place should be arranged where a person of mental work creates. And this place was called a “functional corner”, which became a trap for our body and consciousness...

Here is a typical diagram of such a corner in which a person is placed, like inclusion in a piece of amber. This remarkable design takes into account everything: the distance of the head from the monitor screen, the position of the arms, legs, hips, neck, and the accessibility of each module - in such a system, all modules (printer, scanner, etc.) are usually located at arm's length. In extreme cases, briskly shuffling your legs, you can ride out on a chair with wheels from under the tabletop pinching your knees and roll one and a half meters to the side, towards the printer.

So, everything is taken into account by the mighty hurricane, except for one fact. Indian yogis have been working for generations on an incredibly difficult task: maintaining the vital functions and activity of the body while being completely immobile. And only outstanding practitioners achieve this.

For us, non-yogis, such miracles did not and do not shine. Moreover, in all centuries of human history people have been punished precisely by deprivation of freedom of movement. Immobility was the most severe torture, from which people went crazy!

This is probably why the “functional corner” shown in the picture above reminded me sorely in my ankles of another “functional corner” invented by the church in the 11th century.

This equally intricate design is called the “Torture Corner.” Please note - the subject has the same posture, the same horror in his wide-open eyes, the same stiffness in his arms and legs. Only instead of a modern monitor, the attention is paid to a real, live instructor. Assistants standing behind the subjects vigilantly monitor the bend angle of their elbows, legs and other parts of the body. This is done because chairs, alas, are not yet entirely perfect: armrests have not yet been invented. But by the end of the sixteenth century, the Inquisition would correct this shortcoming.

The bare wood will be covered with leather upholstery (model on the right); there will be armrests and even a headrest! Under the “fifth point” there is a soft basin for emptying the stomach and bladder. The “leg” of the chair does not yet change its length, but the chair is able to rotate around its axis! The chair does not know how to move, so that the subject does not escape from the arms of the Inquisition, but on the whole the torture chair of the 16th century was a success.

The current torture chair of the 20th century (the model on the left) benefits only from its simplicity and the presence of a stand equipped with wheels - to twist the legs and move from one module to another without lifting the butt from the seat.

I want to make it clear in advance that I am not at all against office chairs. I am against us “playing by their rules”, merging into this or that ergonomic form, instead of existing in this form according to the unique laws of our own body. On the other hand, my experience has shown that work productivity does not at all depend on the ergonomics of the chair (chair).

But let’s return to the “functional corner” system, the functionality and compactness of which is beyond doubt. Everything is thought out so that during the working day we never tear our butt off the seat. Only now you will have to go to the toilet on your own two feet: in a modern torture chair, unlike its older brother, there is no soft basin provided. An obvious flaw. But overall the situation is clear. This is what the system looks like in real life.

• The table is cut out in the form of a corner (that’s why it’s a corner) and rests against the corner.
• The keyboard hides, popping out only when needed.
• With a slight movement of your hand you can freely reach the discs (CD on the left, DVD on the right); if you jump on a springy chair, you can grab a sheet of paper coming out of the printer; and for complete immobility of the body, a remote control is provided (otherwise, how can you turn on the printer! Don’t get up on your feet!

God and his Mom look at all this splendor from above, illuminating the functional corner with their radiant gazes (which is probably why there is no table lamp) and sprinkling the table planchette with tears of sorrow for humanity as a whole and for Man in particular.

Breaks while working at the computer

For organizations and enterprises, sanitary standards regulate the observance of work breaks.

When working without such alternations, the following is required:

1. The duration of work is allowed 10-15 minutes.
2. Breaks must be set after every hour.

Such breaks should include:

• in total working hours and not deducted from the shift duration;
• The work time increases if you work on a PC at night.

The duration of the breaks is as follows:

1. If the established working day is 8 hours, then the amount of time for breaks is 50 minutes. up to 1.5 hours.
2. If the working time is 12 hours, then 80-140 minutes.

Regulated breaks are prescribed by experts in special assessment cards for working conditions.

Lighting requirements for workstations with computers

They are contained in Section VI of the Resolution, which consists of 15 parts. We especially note the following:

1. Natural light should fall on the table from the left. To do this, the PC should be placed sideways to the window.
2. Artificial lighting should be uniform, preferably combined.
3. The location of all devices must be glare-free.
4. The optimal brightness ratio between work surfaces is 3:1-5:1, and between them and walls - 10:1.
5. The maximum permissible brightness ripple factor is 5%.

Fulfillment of other conditions requires the involvement of a lighting specialist.

Other criteria

What are the requirements for noise in PC rooms? The same as without them. The presence of a PC does not affect the standards in any way. If they are disturbed by individual devices (for example, a printer), it is better to move it to the utility room.

To maintain a suitable microclimate, you need to wet clean the office with computer equipment at least once a day. It needs to be ventilated every hour. Ventilation should be provided in accordance with standard sanitary standards.

What should an employee do if their rights are violated?

If workplaces are not organized and basic requirements are not met, then these circumstances can lead to negative consequences for both the employee and the company’s management.

List of possible unfavorable situations:

1. Health problems: heart pathologies, visual impairment, problems with veins and much more.
2. The management of the enterprise bears administrative or criminal liability, depending on the severity of the incident.
3. When conducting an inspection, Rospotrebnadzor may issue an order and impose a penalty.

To avoid undesirable consequences, it is necessary to comply with the requirements of regulations and rules.

Monitor

The monitor is an important part of the workplace; there are several requirements for it:

• you need to regularly clean the monitor screen using special products, and it will be perfectly clean;
• The monitor can only be placed directly in front of the user, maintaining a distance to the eyes of 40-80 cm.
• To relieve tension in the spinal muscles in the neck area, place the center of the monitor screen directly opposite the eyes or slightly lower.

The user must keep his head straight.

Basic mistakes in organizing work

When organizing PM, mistakes often become:

1. Failure to provide high-quality lighting, that is, failure to meet regulatory requirements.
2. There are no partitions between tables and employees look at each other's foreheads or backs.
3. There are no breaks in work or the time between them is quite long.
4. The RMs are incorrectly equipped; there is no adjustable chair, no footrest, no protective screen or glasses.
5. The tables are arranged incorrectly.

If the standards are not followed, the consequences for employees may be of the following nature:

• problems with normal sleep;
• rachiocampsis;
• disruption of vascular function;
• pathological changes in the brain;
• a person quickly gets tired, fatigue, lethargy and apathy appear;
• stress and depression strike quickly;
• physical inactivity develops;
• labor productivity decreases.

Orthopedic and ergonomic chairs ERGOHUMAN

Orthopedic office chairs fully comply with the concept of dynamic sitting, which makes it easier to maintain good physical shape, this is especially true for people leading a sedentary lifestyle.

The use of orthopedic chairs allows one to stabilize the spine and maintain the spinal column in a physiologically correct position, especially when the muscle tone of the long back muscles is weakened. Clinical studies have proven that using a split-back computer chair reduces pressure on the spine by up to 50%.

Due to the uniform support of the back muscles, curvature of the spine and concentration of tension in the lower back, neck and sacral region are almost completely eliminated, which has a positive effect on metabolism, blood circulation and the nervous system. Computer chairs are the best prevention, and in special cases, an indispensable treatment for scoliosis, osteochondrosis, osteoporosis and osteochondropathy.

Orthopedic computer office chairs are highly rated by consumers and recommended by leading physiotherapists, osteopaths and doctors working in the corporate health insurance sector around the world.

Room decoration

Materials with diffusion reflection should be used for finishing. That is, the light should not be reflected specularly, but scattered. In this case, the reflection coefficient for the ceiling is from 0.7 to 0.8, for walls from 0.5 to 06, for the floor from 0.3 to 0.5.

Today, many will agree that the location of PCs in offices according to all norms and rules is not always as possible as we would like and, most importantly, as necessary. This may be due to the small size of office space or apartment. That is why, when placing computers, you must adhere to a number of rules, which are also recommended by IT companies that organize computer services for offices .