Avoiding injury in the workplace
HEALTH MATTERS: Ergonomics -- Avoiding injury in workplace
Basic movements, such as closing and opening the fists, stretching from side- to-side, and bending the fingers, will help keep muscles and joints in good health.
Thursday, February 14, 2008 12:49 PM EST
By Jim McCracken, P.T. Princeton HealthCare System
Each year, thousands of Americans miss work due to sprains and strains caused by repeating the same motion over and over again.
Whether reaching for the computer mouse, typing on a keyboard or sitting in a chair too long, repetitive actions can lead to small injuries that too often lead to larger injuries. Put another way: Cumulative micro- trauma leads to macro-trauma. And macro- trauma leads to days away from work.
However, repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, neck pain and shoulder pain can often be avoided with a few simple steps to improve the ergonomic conditions of the workspace.
In fact, if an office is set up properly, it can be a win-win for the employee and the employer. When employees feel better and avoid injury, employers pay less in worker’s compensation and have better productivity rates.
Let’s start with the computer, as more and more workers are using computers to do their jobs. Neck injuries often occur when a computer monitor is too high or too low. Either the employee is constantly looking up or constantly looking down. A good rule of thumb is to make sure the first line of print is at about eye level.
Second, for employees who read a lot of documents, a document holder is a must in avoiding neck injuries. A holder helps workers keep their gaze ahead and avoid the need to repeatedly turn their heads and neck to look down. Reading and writing desks also are helpful in avoiding neck strain.
When it comes to typing, it is important to remember that a wrist rest is just that — a rest. Too often people plant their wrists on the rest, which does little good as wrists should be straight and actually floating in the air. The keyboard position should allow the forearms to be parallel to floor and the elbows to be keyboard height. Additionally, the mouse should be right next to the keyboard to eliminate the need to reach.
In order to ensure the keyboard is at elbow height, it may be necessary to raise the chair. In this case, employees need to make sure their feet aren’t dangling. Many people, however, will slide forward in their chairs, which leaves their back unsupported. A better approach would be using a footrest to prop up the feet. Footrests come in varying heights depending on how tall a person is. Those with grips tend to work a little better than those with a more slippery surface. Ultimately, when sitting in a chair, the knees should be even with the hips and the elbows should be even with the keyboard.
Choosing a chair can be tricky, though. If the seat pan depth is too short, an employee’s legs are hanging of the edge and not receiving enough support, putting a greater burden on the leg muscles. One or two inches between the edge of the chair and the back of the knees is recommended. That way most of the leg is supported while not cutting off circulation in the back of the knee.
Whether a seat back rocks or is firm is a matter of personal preference. An optimal angle for the seat back is between 90 and 110 degrees. This prevents someone from leaning too far forward, which can aggravate the discs in the lower back, or from leaning too far backward, which causes the head to jut forward and hurts the neck.
But no matter how comfortable the chair, sitting for hours on end is no good for the muscles and joints. Joints and muscles derive their nutrition from moving around. This is why it is so important to take a short, one-to-three minute break every 20 to 30 minutes. To an employer, this may sound like a lot, but studies have shown that there is little or no change in productivity when workers give themselves a brief rest.
Basic movements, such as closing and opening the fists, stretching from side-to- side, and bending the fingers, will help keep muscles and joints in good health. Drinking lots of water and staying hydrated also helps maintain healthy joints.
Taking a short break also provides the eyes with a reprieve from staring at the computer screen. When someone is always looking at a set distance, the eyes lose their ability to focus. To help prevent this, it is recommended that people take time throughout the day to focus on something in the distance. Light levels also impact the eyes. A lot of offices have too much light. An ideal light level is 250 to 500 lux.
For people who spend much of their time on the phone, it is imperative that they use a headset or earpiece to avoid neck injuries. Cradling the phone between the head and shoulder is just asking for neck problems. Today’s headsets have evolved from bulky, inconvenient contraptions to sophisticated tools that allow a person to move about without disconnecting the caller.
And for writers, there is no better pen than a gel ink pen with a wider non-slip grip at the end. These types of pens require less pressure to hold and write.
By paying attention to ergonomics, people can avoid injury and stay out of pain. These simple steps — from proper keyboard positioning to using the right pen — help keep an employee healthy and make for a better work environment all around.
Basic movements, such as closing and opening the fists, stretching from side- to-side, and bending the fingers, will help keep muscles and joints in good health.
Thursday, February 14, 2008 12:49 PM EST
By Jim McCracken, P.T. Princeton HealthCare System
Each year, thousands of Americans miss work due to sprains and strains caused by repeating the same motion over and over again.
Whether reaching for the computer mouse, typing on a keyboard or sitting in a chair too long, repetitive actions can lead to small injuries that too often lead to larger injuries. Put another way: Cumulative micro- trauma leads to macro-trauma. And macro- trauma leads to days away from work.
However, repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, neck pain and shoulder pain can often be avoided with a few simple steps to improve the ergonomic conditions of the workspace.
In fact, if an office is set up properly, it can be a win-win for the employee and the employer. When employees feel better and avoid injury, employers pay less in worker’s compensation and have better productivity rates.
Let’s start with the computer, as more and more workers are using computers to do their jobs. Neck injuries often occur when a computer monitor is too high or too low. Either the employee is constantly looking up or constantly looking down. A good rule of thumb is to make sure the first line of print is at about eye level.
Second, for employees who read a lot of documents, a document holder is a must in avoiding neck injuries. A holder helps workers keep their gaze ahead and avoid the need to repeatedly turn their heads and neck to look down. Reading and writing desks also are helpful in avoiding neck strain.
When it comes to typing, it is important to remember that a wrist rest is just that — a rest. Too often people plant their wrists on the rest, which does little good as wrists should be straight and actually floating in the air. The keyboard position should allow the forearms to be parallel to floor and the elbows to be keyboard height. Additionally, the mouse should be right next to the keyboard to eliminate the need to reach.
In order to ensure the keyboard is at elbow height, it may be necessary to raise the chair. In this case, employees need to make sure their feet aren’t dangling. Many people, however, will slide forward in their chairs, which leaves their back unsupported. A better approach would be using a footrest to prop up the feet. Footrests come in varying heights depending on how tall a person is. Those with grips tend to work a little better than those with a more slippery surface. Ultimately, when sitting in a chair, the knees should be even with the hips and the elbows should be even with the keyboard.
Choosing a chair can be tricky, though. If the seat pan depth is too short, an employee’s legs are hanging of the edge and not receiving enough support, putting a greater burden on the leg muscles. One or two inches between the edge of the chair and the back of the knees is recommended. That way most of the leg is supported while not cutting off circulation in the back of the knee.
Whether a seat back rocks or is firm is a matter of personal preference. An optimal angle for the seat back is between 90 and 110 degrees. This prevents someone from leaning too far forward, which can aggravate the discs in the lower back, or from leaning too far backward, which causes the head to jut forward and hurts the neck.
But no matter how comfortable the chair, sitting for hours on end is no good for the muscles and joints. Joints and muscles derive their nutrition from moving around. This is why it is so important to take a short, one-to-three minute break every 20 to 30 minutes. To an employer, this may sound like a lot, but studies have shown that there is little or no change in productivity when workers give themselves a brief rest.
Basic movements, such as closing and opening the fists, stretching from side-to- side, and bending the fingers, will help keep muscles and joints in good health. Drinking lots of water and staying hydrated also helps maintain healthy joints.
Taking a short break also provides the eyes with a reprieve from staring at the computer screen. When someone is always looking at a set distance, the eyes lose their ability to focus. To help prevent this, it is recommended that people take time throughout the day to focus on something in the distance. Light levels also impact the eyes. A lot of offices have too much light. An ideal light level is 250 to 500 lux.
For people who spend much of their time on the phone, it is imperative that they use a headset or earpiece to avoid neck injuries. Cradling the phone between the head and shoulder is just asking for neck problems. Today’s headsets have evolved from bulky, inconvenient contraptions to sophisticated tools that allow a person to move about without disconnecting the caller.
And for writers, there is no better pen than a gel ink pen with a wider non-slip grip at the end. These types of pens require less pressure to hold and write.
By paying attention to ergonomics, people can avoid injury and stay out of pain. These simple steps — from proper keyboard positioning to using the right pen — help keep an employee healthy and make for a better work environment all around.
posted by Ergonomic Partners @ 7:50 AM
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