Modern Workplace Injuries
Our work stations can be causing our modern workplace injuries
However, we need not be helpless, innocent victims of these modern workplace injuries.
Most of us like our job so well. Also, we try so hard to do a good job that we forget about making our bodies happy. We do not notice the simple uncomfortable positions of our bodies. Be vigilant. We confront injuries caused by physical as well as mental stresses. These can be avoided if we recognize them. These problems tend to creep up on us unannounced and the doctors tend to blame them on various “modern” diseases.
Now the medical profession is finally taking a new look at arthritis and its many cousins—like back pain, neck pain and blood clots in our legs and varicose veins. Serious muscle strain, overload and imbalances can happen because of long hours of improper physical conditions. Some minor adjustments of our workstation can lead to enormous benefits. The boss should like that.
Ergonomics In The Modern Workplace
Ergonomics is the watchword that we must keep in mind at each hour of our day. The study of how a workplace and the equipment used there can best be designed for comfort, efficiency, safety, and productivity. We can make ourselves more valuable as employees by paying some attention to our work environment (1).
Machines do not understand the human body and its requirements. Furthermore, they don’t know how to interact with us—we must teach them—and we must educate the engineers too.
- Computer screen distance and placement can be a serious problem. This can cause eyestrain, neck, shoulder, back pain and a host of other injuries.
- Another this is that light problems like brightness, glare, color, intensity, and the distance of the light and its angle from our work station can cause serious eye and body discomfort. This can lead to muscle, bone, and ligament injuries.
- Also, Chair seat height must be taken within conjunction with the worker’s leg length. Blood clots in the legs can be a problem if the height is wrong. Just as in long distance airplane trips. Yes, the chair needs sized to the occupant.
- In addition, schedule work-breaks to keep the body healthy. This is important in today’s environment where hours can fly past with barely a muscle being moved. The animal body was not designed to be treated to such placidness. Each of us must take time to stir our blood if we want to have a healthy, happy and productive body.
Uncomfortable stations may be causing our modern workplace injuries.
Modern jobs don’t require heavy lifting. In fact, we don’t get to move enough.
A lot of our work keeps too stationary and machines do the heavy work.
In many cases we do not even see the product that we are making–the product scoots past us so fast that it is a blur—if it is even near to us. Each of us must learn to recognize and understand the modern workplace injuries that are confronting us as we labor in today’s workplace.
Positioning the Monitor: OSH Answers
| Tags | Category | Author |
|---|---|---|
| Tags: Healthy Lifestyle | jerry |