Workplace Ergonomics

Since ancient times, people have known that movement is an essential part of life. Today, a typical office worker sits at a desk for eight hours a day--probably with poor posture--and seldom stands up. Whenever the requirements of a job do not match the physical attributes of a worker, the worker is more prone to injury and lost productivity.

Workplace injuries, a common case of time off, cost employers and employees billions of dollars every year. Some of the more common workplace injuries are carpal tunnel syndrome (a nerve entrapment at the wrist seen in computer users), low-back pain, tendinitis, bursitis, and neck pain or headaches.

What causes workplace injuries? Many workplace injuries are called repetitive stress injuries or cumulative-trauma disorders. These injuries occur when abnormal stresses are repeatedly placed on normal joints by poor posture or poor joint position during the performance of a task.

Many of these stresses are caused by poor workstation design and/or repetitive task performance. In addition, poor posture at the workstation can be detrimental. For example, prolonged use of a computer or a mouse, particularly when the work area is not designed well, can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome and/or neck and arm pain. Many modern product manufacturers are designing their products ergonomically, mixing form with function. Such products blend in easily with the worker's actions while on the job and make tasks safer and easier to perform.

According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, ergonomics is the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to employee capabilities. An ergonomic assessment of the workplace critically appraises the physical work environment--followed by changes based on the assessment. Ergonomic principles are then used to make the workplace compatible with the employee, improving the employee's safety and productivity. In other words, the easier it is to do a job, the more productive and happy a worker will be.

When considering the impact of proper ergonomics on workplace safety, three basic principles are especially important:

• When lifting, the largest muscles in the area should perform the task. The larger the muscle or muscle group used for lifting, the lower the stress placed on smaller, more vulnerable muscles.
• During any work activities, people should be able to comfortably assume a number of different postures and not remain in one position for an extended time. muscles will fatigue and be more prone to injury when assuming a particular posture, especially a poor one (eg., partially bent at the waist).
• When performing tasks, it is important to keep the joints either in their neutral posture or approximately halfway into the range of motion. Working with your joints at the extremes of their ranges of motion for prolonged periods places abnormal stresses on them and can cause repetitive stress injuries.