Making Yourself Comfortable

Working from home can be a great idea, as long as it doesn't eventually damage your mental or physical health because you are working in unsuitable conditions. You should have good ventilation and lighting at your workstation, room to lay out your work, freedom of movement, adequate heating, and suitable place to store papers, files, and work tools close at hand. You should also be able to conduct your work in safety and to guarantee the safety of the public who may visit your workplace.

If you have a room or area dedicated to your work, you need to think about the following:

Work Area

• Make sure your work area is big enough. Can you move around it easily? Can you work without tripping over boxes of files on the floor, and can you open the door properly without it banging into your desk?
• Make sure you have a large enough work surface. Computers and computer equipment, for example, take up a lot of room. Do you have desk space to lay papers down and to read or write?
• Do you have enough shelving, filing cabinets, or storage - preferably actually in your work area, so that you can access everything easily? If you work with tools, make sure you have hooks or racks so that you can put the tools away when you have finished with them.
• If your work surfaces are too high or too low, you may develop neck, shoulder, or back problems.
• Similarly, you will need a well-designed, adjustable chair to work from.

General Conditions

Ventilation

If you're working in a room without a window that opens, you should consider a small air conditioner, or - if it is, say, an attic - investigate the possibility of installing a new window.

Light

Working under constant electric light without any natural light has been found to promote headaches and depression. If you don't have natural light, invest in some natural light spectrum bulbs that simulate daylight.

Heating

If a room is cold and damp, it will not only affect you but it will also certainly affect computers, photocopiers, and fax machines, as well as any papers you store. Your computer printer will not feed paper through unless it is completely dry. If you are working in an outbuilding, you will need to insulate it and install some form of heating.

Equipment

• Do you have adequate power points for all your equipment? Plugging everything into extension leads is a potential fire risk and trailing cables can cause accidents. Can cables be hidden away?
• It's vital to have fire safety equipment handy. You'll need to know what type of small fire extinguisher or fire blanket you need for any special pieces of equipment you have.
• You'll probably need a telephone point and extension in your work area. You might want a dedicated land phone number and perhaps a dedicated modem line.
• If your work involves preparing food or providing therapeutic treatment, do you know what you need to do in order to meet hygiene standards?