Text

Your Workstationand You

er·go·nom·icsnoun plural but singular or plural in construction \ˌər-gə-ˈnä-miks\

: a science that deals with designing and arranging things so that people can use them easily and safely

: the parts or qualities of something's design that make it easy to use

Ergonomics is a serious business

86% of workers report some discomfort from their office chair or equipment.

35% of sick days are spent on musculoskeletal injuries.

33% of workers’ compensation costs are spent on ergonomics injuries.

15% of workplace injuries are due to carpel tunnel syndrome.

40% percent of those cases resulted in 30 lost work days.Source: US Bureau of Labour Statistics, 2007

A poorly-designed workstation can result in twists, turns and uncomfortable movements. Ensure that you have enough desk space to comfortably accommodate all the materials and equipment that are part of your job: books, papers, calculators, computers and printers. Leave everything else out of the way.

Lifting heavy objects can cause serious injuries, but failing to lift objects of any weight properly can result in injury. Make sure you have been instructed on the proper methods for lifting and stretching whether it's a service recipient, a carton of books ,or furniture.

You can sustain repetitive injuries by working at computer workstations that are not properly adjusted. Repetitive injuries are particularly chronic problems that could result in permanent disability.

A poorly-designed workstation can slow you and your team down, increase stress, and contribute to chronic conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome. It is important that you organize your workspace to keep twists, turns and uncomfortable movements to an absolute minimum.

Pimp Your Station!

Ensure that your workstation is adjusted to meet your needs.

Provide for adequate leg-room of 3-to-6 inches from the top of the your thigh to the desk surface.

Cut back on office noise by covering noisy printers and turning down ringers on phones, fax machines, network servers and people's personal wireless devices.

You may not be able to escape the glare of that fluorescent office lighting. See it you can turn off the overhead lighting and work with surface lighting instead. Or try moving the computer monitor to another location to avoid direct glare from windows or overhead lighting or try an anti-glare screen.

Pimp Your Station!The body should be in the following position when using a computer:

Wrists straight

Forearms supported

Back supported

Forearms parallel to the floor

Thighs parallel to the floor

Feet on the floor or a foot rest

Top of monitor at or slightly below eye level

Pimp Your Station!The height of your work surface is an important aspect of a good ergonomic workstation. Your work surface should follow these guidelines:

The proper height for a computer work surface is about 3 or 4 inches lower than the average writing desk.

Position your work surface so your forearms are parallel to the floor. Your elbow should make an angle of between 90 and 110 degrees.

Position your work surface so that your forearms are supported by a minimum of six inches.

Your wrists should always be straight and neutral. Wrists bent in any direction (up, down, left, or right) may lead to discomfort and eventually injury.

Guidelines for Setting up Your Chair

You should adjust your chair to allow your forearms to be parallel to the floor, your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest, and your thighs to be parallel to the floor.

The back supports in your chair should be adjusted so that the curve of the back of the seat is in the curve of your lower back. Use a towel or a lumbar pad if your chair does not provide adequate support.

Your backrest should be adjusted for seat pan clearance. You should be able to place 2 or 3 fingers between the back of his/her knees and the front edge of the seat.

Position the computer monitor according to these guidelines:

Place the monitor directly in front of the user.

Don't position the monitor where the user would have to twist his/her neck.

source: https://nonprofitrisk.org/tools/workplace-safety/nonprofit/c5/ergonomics.htm

Position your monitor according to these guidelines:

Place your monitor directly in front of you.

Don't position your monitor where you would have to twist your neck.

TAKE YOUR BREAKS!

Regular scheduled breaks are vital in any occupation. Whether you love your job or not, if you don’t take your breaks, you’re risking over exhaustion and injury to yourself and others around you.

Not to mention…

Text

Breaks are great for your social life!

Remember to StretchMany of us spend our 9 to 5 planted at a desk and that can lead to a number of musculoskeletal problems.Remember to keep yourself limber and stretch in the morning and once or twice during your day.

And give your eyes a break too!

Text

Because, at the end of the dayIt’s your workstation and your body.Stay optimized!

Image CreditsAll images used here were used solely for nonprofit educational purposes. No revenue was generated in exchange for these images nor was it generated in exchange for any product they were used in.

Images are credited with their home URL:

http://bit.ly/1fDiotr

http://bit.ly/1fDirWa

http://stanford.io/1pUXYk9

http://bit.ly/1i4gRr9

http://bit.ly/1jnc3BR

http://nym.ag/SfWouF

http://bit.ly/1jnc6xw

http://bit.ly/1hZ5sgC

http://bit.ly/1i4h25L

http://bit.ly/1iPHghi

http://bit.ly/1jncaNG

http://bit.ly/1fUDIWi