Of course, high-flying IT specialist journalists have this ergonomic stuff taped. I'm typing this by the pool in Barbados with my personal masseur ensuring my posture is exactly right and massaging my neck immediately the need arises, either on demand or whenever she sees a potential problem arising. And drinking iced tea, brought by a waiter who's been allocated to me and nobody else... Only not.

I'm working from home in the spare room surrounded by paper, gadgets and a frenzied mess following a mad hunt round for stuff to show the accountant on a visit last week - in other words, I am surrounded by as much crap as the next reader. Which is bad news, because although I employ myself and am therefore unlikely to file a complaint, my home office workplace is covered by health and safety regulations just like every other workplace. Technically, I'm breaking the law.

Peter Kurstein, ergonomics expert for office furniture company President, confirms that in his experience neither individuals nor the companies employing them to work from home understand the issues a home worker will face. "There is no control over people's environments. People work more to prove to their manager that they're doing something, but it will cost in efficiency and the companies will eventually face more sick leave."

Sounds gloomy? Well, according to a number of figures about who is more productive, home or office-based workers, it certainly seems a shame to have the ergonomics as a stumbling block. And it's not difficult to eliminate a lot of the problem - manufacturers are falling over themselves to provide equipment that's not only functional but comfortable to use as well.

The first thing to remember is to ignore more or less all of the health and safety legislation anyone can throw at you. As Kurstein points out, most of it is framed around IT that's 10 to 20 years old by now. You want a low-radiation monitor, that's fine. Short of going second-hand or picking something up off a skip you won't find anything else. No, to achieve an ergonomic surrounding you need to look at a number of things:

• The keyboard
  • The monitor
  • The desk
  • The chair
  • The working setting
  • The working practice

The keyboard should be fairly straightforward: most keyboards at the moment are well designed ergonomically. If you have a laptop as your main computer then fine - look out for external keyboards you can use, and also look out for external monitors. Those on the laptops are great for occasional use, for which they have been designed, but since the ideal position for typing is having your hands above the keyboard and the ideal position for the monitor is at arm's length, 10cm below eye level, you get the idea - no laptop can actually do that.

Mostly people understand the need for adjustable chairs, but Kurstein says ideally the desk should be adjustable too. And something that is missed by many home workers is that the chair and desk need adjusting during the day. "Most of my time is spent training people," he says. "Your body needs to be shouting after an hour, 'I need to be doing something else'." An hour at a computer workstation is plenty, after which you can do some exciting filing or something else for a while. Then adjust the chair. "You're about two and a half centimetres shorter by the end of the day compared to when you wake up - you're not the same shape and neither should your workstation be."

Not, of course, that there is any shortage of specialist ergonomic products for people who want some extra comfort. Products from Fellowes, for example, include a gel the company has developed to support wrists both as a wrist rest and incorporated into mouse mats: it also supplies supports for chairs. Logitech, meanwhile, is keen to promote its keyboard and mouse offerings as ergonomic (the wireless variety in particular) and - wait for it - to cut down on the amount of wires on the desk, which adds to a pleasant atmosphere (until the air turns blue as the battery runs out, you don't have a spare and you're on a deadline).

None of this is a substitute for sound working practice in the first place, and everyone who does it regularly stresses the need for a dedicated workplace within the home, rather than the kitchen table or living room sofa.

Never underestimate the hazards in your home, suggests ergonomics consultancy Paramode Consultants. Every year 3m accidents in the home result in a hospital visit. There are 4,000 deaths in the UK due to home accidents and 43% of home accidents involve falls. "It's a dangerous place because it's familiar, we don't pay attention to the obvious hazards, we underestimate the risks, we don't rely on procedures, training or supervision, we commit to 'do it later'," says Paramode MD Graham Bradshaw.

He points to some of the hazards: fatigue due to long hours, physical pain and injuries due to poor ergonomics and stress due to isolation, insecurity and conflicting demands being among them. Kurstein concurs: "In an office we get people managing our jobs for us but at home we have to do it ourselves and we don't necessarily have the skills."

The place to start, says Paramode, is with a risk assessment, as you might carry out at an office. Focus on hazards including three key elements: the environment, which should be quiet enough to work in and have ample storage for your equipment. Watch out for lighting (and position the desk lamp so it doesn't glare off your keyboard); the equipment, which needs to be equal to the job and which needs to be plugged in safely (without wires trailing) and yourself - you need to be comfortable with the environment in which you work. If you're not, it's probably wrong.

None of the basics is difficult. More details can be found on websites including www.homeworkingsolutions.co.uk and from suppliers such as President. And never forget that although home workers are not yet policed for health and safety, that won't help if there's an accident.