Questionnaire for the development of teleworking at home in temporary and extraordinary situations

Good ergonomic practices

On March 18, 2020, Royal Decree-Law 8/2020, on urgent and extraordinary measures to deal with the economic and social impact
of COVID-19, has been published. The measures adopted cover many different areas of business activity, including the promotion of
teleworking. To facilitate the implementation of teleworking, the Ministry of Labor has published the Questionnaire for the
development of teleworking at home in temporary and extraordinary situations.

preliminary observation
The questionnaire set out below is not exhaustive and should be understood as an identification of the conditions that, at a
minimum, the teleworking position should have. In any case, for teleworking positions that are outside the scope of this document
(that is, that do not meet the temporary and extraordinary nature conditions), the specific job position must be analyzed in depth
and adapted to the corresponding context.

It is important to underline the need for the collection of information carried out through the questionnaire shown below to be
accompanied by specific training for the worker on the risks and preventive measures applicable in a teleworking position.

Instructions for use of the questionnaire

1. The questionnaire must be completed by the worker, collecting information on the particular conditions present at their home.

2. The questions in the questionnaire refer to the specific conditions of the place where the worker performs the work with the
help of the computer and auxiliary elements (telephone, documents, etc.). Therefore, it does not refer to the general conditions
of the home, but only to those referring to the physical place where the task is carried out.

3. Procedure according to the response of each item:

a) Affirmative answer (YES): the working condition is adequate. No action is necessary.

b) Negative answer (NO): it is recommended that the worker take measures for its adequacy. For this, the questionnaire
includes a last column with ergonomic recommendations to adopt.

4. You must proceed to complete the identification data (Name and surname, company I work for and date of completion of the
questionnaire), mark the answers YES or NO for each item, and finally, return the completed questionnaire to your company.

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Name and surname
Company
ITEM
SCREEN
1 The characters on the screen are well defined and clearly
configured, and have a sufficient dimension
2 The screen allows you to adjust the brightness and contrast
between the characters and the background of the screen
3 The image is stable
4 You can adjust the inclination of the screen (see figure 1)
5 The layout of the position allows adjusting the reading
distance of the screen with respect to the worker's eyes (see
figure 2).
6 The height of the screen is adequate (see figure 3)
7 The screen should not have reflections or reverberations
that may disturb the user
KEYBOARD
9 Sufficient space is available in front of the keyboard for the
worker to support their arms and hands
10 The layout of the keyboard should favor, as much as
possible, the alignment between the forearm-wrist-hand
ITEM
TABLE OR WORK SURFACE
eleven It is low reflective, with sufficient dimensions to allow
flexible placement of the screen, keyboard, documents and
accessory material
ID
Date
EQUIPMENT
YES NO COMMENTS / RECOMMENDATIONS
Most of the programs currently used allow an adjustment of
the size and font that makes the characters easier to read. As
a general rule, a font size of 12 is recommended. A height of 3
mm is recommended for a distance from the screen of 50 cm.
The screen brightness should be adjusted to be similar to the
ambient light level.
Adjust the contrast of the screen, so that the characters are
clearly seen. The most common configuration is: light
background (white) and dark characters (black).
The screen should be flicker free.
The screen should be adjusted
according to the following figure:
The screen must be placed sufficiently
far from the eyes (minimum 40 cm).
Many authors recommend placing the
screen as far away as possible while
the legibility of the characters is not
hindered.
The top of the screen should be at or slightly below eye level.
In the continued use of laptops, it is
recommended to use an external
display. An external keyboard can
also be used and the laptop itself can
be used as a screen. In the latter case,
it is recommended to raise the laptop
on some element so that the screen is
also slightly below eye level.
See point 19
YES NO COMMENTS / RECOMMENDATIONS
It is advisable to leave a free space in front of the keyboard of
at least 10 cm deep so that you can rest your arms on the
table.
It is convenient that the keyboard is independent of the
screen. While using the laptop, it is advisable to use external
peripherals (keyboard and mouse).
To do this you must type with your elbows at
the height of the keyboard. If necessary, a
wrist rest can be used to promote this
alignment.
WORK FURNITURE
YES NO COMMENTS / RECOMMENDATIONS
Keep the work table tidy.
Distribute the different elements on the work table depending
on the frequency of use. It is preferable to save objects that
are not used regularly.
It is recommended to use surfaces with a matt finish, in order
to minimize reflections.
SIGNATURE:
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 12 The table-chair system allows enough space to
accommodate the legs comfortably and to allow the change
of posture
WORK CHAIR
13 The height of the chair is adjustable, the backrest is reclining
and its height is adjustable.
14 The design of the chair facilitates the freedom of movement
of the worker
FOOTREST
fifteen The worker will be able to easily rest their feet on the
ground (if necessary, a footrest or similar can be used)
ITEM
16 It has a space for teleworking that allows adequate
concentration for the task at hand
LIGHTNING
17 In general, there is natural lighting that can be supplemented
with artificial lighting when the former does not guarantee
adequate visibility conditions. In any case, the position has
lighting that allows the task to be carried out comfortably
18 The location of the work station at home will prevent glare
and annoying reflections both on the computer screen and
directly in the worker's eyes. In addition to the location of
the stall, other elements are used (curtains, screens, blinds
and others) to avoid said glare and reflections.
19 The computer screen is placed perpendicular to the windows
to avoid glare and reflections
20 The connections of the computer to the domestic electrical
network avoid an overload of the sockets or an excessive use
of power strips or similar devices
Teleworkers must try to apply all the measures to improve conditions proposed in the questionnaire. For those
conditions that require the provision of additional means, the company must analyze whether it can do so within its
possibilities, assuming the current conditions in the case of not being able to provide additional means during the period
of the exceptional situation.
Clear space must be left under the table to allow movement
of the legs. Whenever possible, it is convenient to place filing
cabinets and drawers outside the perimeter of the table.
YES NO COMMENTS / RECOMMENDATIONS
If you have an adjustable chair, adjust the chair mechanisms
to comfortably rest your arms on the table and ensure full
lumbar support.
Otherwise, use a chair high enough to comfortably rest your
arms on the table. It is preferable that the chair is padded. For
better lumbar support you can use a cushion or similar.
The human body is designed to move. Therefore, even when
we are sitting, it is convenient to change posture, stretch our
legs, bend them, etc., and get up from time to time.
YES NO COMMENTS / RECOMMENDATIONS
The use of a footrest or similar (for example, a box) is
advisable in those cases in which the user cannot rest their
feet on the ground while sitting.
WORKPLACE
Low noise environments should be sought (away from
television and street noise), especially when difficult and
complex tasks must be carried out.
YES NO COMMENTS / RECOMMENDATIONS
Whenever possible, it is advisable to combine artificial
lighting with natural light.
The lighting system must provide a lighting level that allows
both working with the computer and reading and writing
forms (min. 500 lux).
There are free apps that allow you to obtain a first
approximation of the lighting level. To get these apps, search
for the word “luxmeter”.
If it is necessary to increase the lighting, assess the possibility
of using a lamp or similar, directing it on the work table so as
to avoid reflections and glare.
To avoid direct glare to the user and reflections on the
screens:
- Light sources (bulbs, fluorescent...) must be protected or
have diffusers.
- The windows must have curtains or other sun protection
elements.
Find a location so that the window is located laterally. Avoid
standing in front of a window (to avoid glare), or behind it (to
avoid reflections).
Do not overload the outlet. Avoid using adapters or electrical
elements in poor condition.
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