Laptop Ergonomics Toolbox Talk: Stands, Keyboards and Breaks

Laptops are brilliant for working anywhere, and that's exactly the problem. They get used on kitchen tables, train seats, sofas and site-cabin benches for hours at a time. This laptop ergonomics toolbox talk is for anyone who works from a laptop most days. The aim is for everyone to understand the trade-off a laptop forces on them, and the cheap fix that removes it.

Why does a laptop ergonomics toolbox talk matter?

A desktop lets you place the screen and keyboard separately. A laptop joins them together. If the keyboard is at elbow height, the screen sits well below eye level, so your head tips forward. If you raise the screen, your hands end up too high.

OSHA's guidance on monitors recommends the top line of the screen at or below eye level and the screen at least 20 inches away. A laptop on a desk rarely meets both at once.

In Great Britain, HSE's display screen guidance treats laptops as display screen equipment. For laptop use that goes on for long stretches, HSE's good posture advice is to use a separate keyboard and mouse so the screen can be raised on a riser, or to plug into a separate monitor.

Talking points for your laptop safety talk

• Name the trade-off. On its own, a laptop can't give you a good screen height and a good keyboard height at the same time. Once people know that, the fix makes sense.
• Raise it for long sessions. A laptop stand, or even a stable box or a ream of paper, brings the screen top close to eye level.
• Add a keyboard and mouse. Once the laptop is raised, you need a separate keyboard and mouse at elbow height. Without them, a stand just moves the strain from your neck to your shoulders.
• Use a docking setup where you have one. At a regular desk, plugging into a full-size monitor is better still.
• Keep sofa and lap work short. Working on your lap or slumped on a sofa is fine for a quick email, but not for a half-day report.
• Break more often when you're compromised. On the road or at a hotel desk, stand up and move every half hour or so, and change position often.
• Ask for kit. If you work from a laptop daily, ask about a stand, keyboard and mouse. HSE notes that in Great Britain workers can't be charged for equipment their assessment shows they need.

Example to share with the crew

Picture this: a field engineer writes up job reports on a laptop balanced on the steering wheel or on his knees in the van. After a few months he has a stiff neck most evenings and blames his pillow.

His supervisor sets him up with a folding stand and a compact keyboard. He now writes the long reports at the depot desk and keeps van work to quick updates. The stiffness fades because his head is no longer bent forward for an hour at a time.

Laptop ergonomics checklist

• Daily laptop users have a stand or riser
• A separate keyboard and mouse are used whenever the laptop is raised
• Screen top at or slightly below eye level during long sessions
• A docking station or external monitor is used at regular desks
• Long tasks are not done on laps, sofas or beds
• Laptop users know to take more frequent breaks away from a full setup
• Equipment requests have a clear route and a named contact

Questions to ask the crew

1. How many of us use a laptop without a stand or an external keyboard?
2. Where do you most often end up working on a laptop in an awkward spot?
3. What would make it easier to carry or use a stand and keyboard?

How to close the talk

The one-line summary of today's laptop ergonomics toolbox talk: a laptop on its own is a short-term tool, so for long sessions, raise the screen and add a keyboard and mouse. Use our monitor height calculator to find the right screen height for you. If you need equipment or have neck, shoulder or wrist pain, tell your supervisor or use the normal reporting route. There are more safety topics for toolbox talks in our library.