Ergonomic Evaluation of Home Workspaces During the Coronavirus Pandemic

St-Onge, S.; Black, N. L.

This study describes a methodology used to measure the working conditions experienced by people who normally work in an office, but who have worked from their home because of the Covid-19 pandemic. An online survey and two photographs showing the participant in their principal work location were used. Photo instructions supplied requested a sagittal view and a second perpendicular view of the participant in their usual working posture to allow full analysis applying the Rapid Office Strain Assessment using Kinovea software. Despite the ease of an on-line questionnaire, subsequent reception of photos has been problematic, and recruitment efforts via emails have had limited success. While the current participant population is limited (15), the methodology has been proved operational. This methodology can include participants from various employers to provide a general understanding of how working at home conditions compare with those previously experienced in-office. Photos are not always sent with the questionnaire which precludes ROSA use, but allows other complementary analyses. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.