Injuries occurring in the workplace are more common than most people think. Unlike physical jobs, employees working at a desk also have ergonomics issues that can lead to serious health complications with time. These include persistent backaches, wrist pain, and chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Not only do such workplace injuries physically impact the employee’s health, but they also drastically reduce productivity and increase expenditure on healthcare.
The good news is that many small ergonomic adjustments can be made to avoid such injuries. Beyond Physio works with individuals and businesses to assist them in fostering a healthy workspace and optimally designed workstations. In this blog, we will discuss how simple ergonomic changes can help avoid workplace related injuries.
Understanding Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the scientific discipline that deals with the design of how workspaces, tools, and tasks are arranged or structured in relation to the movements and activities of the human body. Good ergonomics goes a step further since it ensures that employees do not strain or experience discomfort while performing their tasks. The absence of proper ergonomics results in the performance of repetitive movements, awkward sitting postures, and slow sitting, which contribute towards long term health problems.
Common Workplace Injuries Due to Poor Ergonomics
Now that you are familiar with the possible injuries one can sustain due to workplace ergonomics, it’s time to offer some corrective measures to those injuries.
Back and Neck Pain: Symptoms such as pain in the neck, back discomfort, and soreness, and spinal misalignments/dislocations might as well result from sitting in peculiar postures for lengthy durations while staring at a monitor that’s poorly positioned at eye level.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Individuals whose work specifics include keyboards, typewriters, and writing tend to demonstrate wrist action extremes that lead to hand tingling or numbing.
Tendonitis: Physical stress that comes with doing work with the same muscle movements that lead to skeletal inflammation and soreness.
Eye Strain and Headaches: Neck and back strain coupled with excessive screen staring could result in migraines and overall physical lethargy.
Shoulder and Arm Pain: Muscle strain could be caused by desks being too high or low and keyboards positioned wrongly regarding the hands.
Prevention of these discomforts with focus on simple ergonomics should guarantee disregard of sophisticated forms of meddling the humans tend to loathe.
- Optimize Desk Arrangement
Ergonomically friendly sets should ensure utmost comfort with regard to desk setup and distance to elbow height while guaranteeing low ranging.
Knees touched at right angles resting while ensuring feet flat on the ground works best when a chair is adjusted directly onto the seat.
Monitors must not be lower than an arm’s length and positioned directly at eye level while maintaining sideways gaze perpendicular to rest to neck.
To avoid straining hands, positioning keyboard and mouse as close to the body as possible is key. It is advisable to straighten the hand in question while placing themselves atop the keyboard thus ensuring the wrist is in a neutral or ventral position.
- Keep Proper Posture
One of the most common reasons for workplace injuries as a result of poor posture is slumping over while sitting. To help in keeping a neutral spine position, you could do the following:
Keep your feet flat on the ground or footrest.
Sit with your back straight and shoulders relaxed.
Avoid leaning back or slouching forward.
- Take Regular Breaks
Sitting in one position for long periods tends to cause fatigue due to the lack of movement. Therefore, it is best to follow the “20-20-20” rule, which states that every 20 minutes a person should look at something located 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Moreover, you could also relieve muscle tension by standing up and stretching every 30 – 60 minutes. Walking around the office, stretching, or participating in light exercises also improves circulation.
- Upgrade Office Equipment to Ergonomic Options
Making small adjustments in the office such as changing to ergonomic chairs can greatly improve workplace comfort.
These include:
Seating: ergonomic chairs do not only help maintain spinal alignment, they also have adjustable features.
Standing desks: Standing and sitting reduces back pain, improves posture, and changes from a seated position.
Wrist rests: They minimize tendon strain caused by excessive wrist flexion.
Anti-fatigue mats: Cushioned mats lessen foot and legs fatigue for someone who is standing for long hours.
- Screen Position and Lighting
To reduce glare, your screen should be positioned away from windows and bright lights.
Minimize digital eye stress with blue light glasses or filters.
Prevent squinting with proper lighting as it can result in headaches.
- Promote Movement and Stretching
Ensure employees get physical activity throughout their workday in order to minimize stiffness and prevent injuries.
Incorporate stretch breaks during team meetings.
Encourage walking meetings instead of prolonged sitting discussions.
Make available wellness programs for employees such as yoga or guided stretching sessions.
- Educate Employees on Workplace Ergonomics
Teaching employees the best tailor-made ergonomic practices cultivates a wellness-focused environment.
Conduct workplace assessments to identify ergonomic risks.
Hold training classes on ideal posture, stretching, workstation layout, and rest breaks.
Foster an environment where reporting discomfort and proposing changes is encouraged.
- Shortcuts and Speech Recognition
Minimizing repetitive hand movements lowers the probability of developing carpal tunnel syndrome.
Engage in voice-to-text programs for tasks that require extensive typing.
Use arms less by learning keyboard shortcuts.
Use ergonomic wrist-friendly keyboards.
The Benefits of Ergonomic Changes to the Workplace
Employers and businesses can enjoy the numerous advantages, such as:
Reduced Risk of Injury: Negating strain in the body minimizes the risk and likelihood of developing musculoskeletal disorders.
Enhanced Business Productivity: Employees tend to be more attentive and productive when they are comfortable.
Reduced Medical Costs: There are fewer injuries from which employees need to recuperate, hence less expenditure on medicine and fewer days spent away from work.
Improved Employee Satisfaction: Umbrella policies and a comfortable environment increase the morale and retention rate of the employees.
Preventing work-related injuries, does not have to be expensive. Even minor ergonomic changes can make a huge difference. Organizations can improve the health and productivity of their employees by adjusting desks, encouraging proper posture, and promoting movement.
At Beyond Physio, we are strong believers of proactive wellness. If you or your team needs personalized ergonomic consultations, reach out to us today and take the first step toward a safer workplace.