Is your working posture hurtful?

Ergonomics: How many of you have lower back pain or neck pain after long working hours? Studies show that 85% of the people with fully computer-based jobs have neck, shoulder, and back pains. In 2018 researchers from the University of the Sunshine, Australia, in a study of 218 people between the ages of 18 – 30, found a horn-like structure in their skull pointing towards the spine.[Ergonomics]

The hypothesis behind this new development in the human skull is the lean forward posture due to excessive phone usage. See how bad the impact of inappropriate posture is! It can even alter our skeleton and can result in significant impairment. Here is the importance of Ergonomics in the modern age. Ergonomics is thedesign or arrangement of workspaces so that it fits the people who use them.

Home workspace: Ergonomics — A man stretching his arms in between work:

Satisfied employees bring out successful organizations

To work sustainably, every employee has to have a safe and healthy workplace. To achieve this, you should make sure that your office meets certain requirements:

Make sure there is correct ventilation
Ensure pleasant temperature
Take brief pauses regularly and make certain you move around
Ensure your working posture is proper
Check if the workplace is equipped and adjusted in the right way.

Do you want to improve your working condition using some Ergonomics based arrangements?

Here are 8 tips for a better workspace:

It is important to have proper lumbar support. Sit deep in your chair, so your lumbar area rests on the chair. Adjust the lumbar support of your chair, so your back is properly resting.
Have both armrests at the same height and level so that your shoulders are resting and not pushed up or pulled down.
Have a standard keyboard that has an ergonomic design. Most keyboards are designed this way so that your hands rest properly, but not all keyboards. So care should be taken while selecting your keyboard.
Take microbreaks ranging from 30 – 60 seconds at least twice an hour.
Change to a more active workstation, such as a standing workstation.[Ergonomics]
If you have multiple monitors, have them close to each other to reduce the head movement. It is important that your eyes are at the same level as the top of your monitor.
Your keyboard should be as close to you as possible so that you don’t need to lean forward to reach. Move near your table while working.[Ergonomics] Keep your keyboard level the same as that of your elbow.
Keep the mouse close to you, right next to the keyboard. Don’t keep it far that you need to reach out.

If you follow these steps, you will be more relaxed at your workplace and have a lot more energy at the end of the day. In a few days, you will realize the difference in your body and be so glad that you made these small ergonomic steps to a healthy work style.

Tips and tricks for working from home in a sustainable way

Office: Ergonomics — Changing positions from sitting to standing is now possible with Standing desks

● First, do a home office scrutiny.
● Use a specific schedule to work.
● Ensure adequate lighting above your workplace
● Ideally, sit in a place with a window on the side or behind you. It makes you overtired to look towards the daylight. You can close the curtains slightly if you observe light reflection on your screen.
● If you have to make a lot of calls, use earphones or headphones and leave your hands free.
● Rest the arms on the table with the keyboard slightly away.[Ergonomics] Always ensure you keep the back straight and avoid leaning over.
● Ensure the screen’s top edge is slightly below your eye level.
● Maintain a distance of an arm’s length from the monitor.
● Alternate sitting at the table regularly with walking or moving. Maybe you can walk around while making calls.
● The golden rule for short breaks is a minimum of 5 minutes every hour.

How do you put yourself at risk when intensively working with a monitor?

Many physical problems, like tired eyes, arm, shoulder, wrist, and neck pain, are connected to intensively working with a monitor. These complaints increase as you work for a longer period. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is the term generally used for physical complaints or chronic conditions associated with working in the same position for a long time.[Ergonomics]

Employers can arrange health improvement activities

Organizations can arrange various activities to help the employees better understand their lifestyle and
improve it where necessary.

Dietician: These days, many people are keen on healthy eating and living. Employers can employ a dietician so that the employees can visit the dietician for any food and healthy eating questions.
Physiotherapy massage: A good massage always helps you to relax the muscles. This is especially helpful after prolonged periods of working time. It is effective for the arms, back, shoulders and neck.
Lifestyle check: The coronavirus situation proves that a healthy lifestyle is more important than ever before. It involves having a screening for all the employees to measure weight, BMI, fat percentage, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. After this, a bit of personalized health advice can be provided to the employees. With lifestyle checks, risks and conditions can be identified at an early stage.
It analyzes current health problems and cannot predict your health in the future.
Sports for employees: The employees must work with keenness in a healthy environment. Employers can arrange Free Sports Card subscription, where every employee engages in some sports activity.[Ergonomics] This helps the employees carry out their work in a healthy way. This will increase their resilience.
To conclude, ergonomics is a discipline in itself that primarily focuses on understanding the interactions of humans with the working or living environment and utilizing design aspects to optimize the well-being of people and bring out their maximum performance.

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By Nitha Maria Shaji

Date: 17/07/2022