2. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
“designing the job to fit the worker,
instead of forcing the worker to fit the
job.”
3. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
ERGO = “work”
NOMICS = “rules” or
“laws”
Ergonomics literally means
“the laws of work”
4. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Ideally, good ergonomic
conditions:
- Make the job safer by preventing
injury and illness
- Make the job easier by adjusting the
job to the worker
- Make the job more pleasant by
reducing physical and mental stress
- Save money
5. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Two Categories of Ergonomic
Factors to be considered
- Environmental conditions – your
physical surroundings
- Physical stressors – how your body
reacts to work practices
6. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Environmental factors may
affect:
- Hearing
- Vision
- Dim lighting or glares from
windows
- General comfort and health
- Hard seats or cramped spaces
7. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Causes of these problems
are:
- Excessive noise
- Improper lighting
- Temperature extremes
- Sick Building Syndrome
8. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
PHYSICAL STRESSORS PLACE
PRESSURE OR STRESS ON PARTS OF
THE BODY:
- Joints, muscles, nerves, tendons, bones
INJURIES CAUSE BY PHYSICAL STRESSORS ARE
REFERRED TO AS “CUMULATIVE TRAUMA
DISORDERS” (CTDS) OR “REPETITIVE STRAIN
INJURIES” (RSIS)
9. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
CUMULATIVE = OCCURRING GRADUALLY
OVER A PERIOD OF WEEKS, MONTHS,
OR YEARS
TRAUMA = BODILY INJURY TO NERVES,
TISSUES, TENDONS, OR JOINTS
Disorders =conditions causing physical ailments or abnormal conditions
11. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
The main risk factors for office-
related CTDs are:
- Repetition
- Awkward positions or posture
- Excessive pressure or force
Another risk factor for CTDs
would be:
- Vibration
12. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
The majority of CTDs are caused by
repetitive motions that would not
result in injury if only performed
once.
- Thousands of keystrokes typing
- Hours of filing, day after day
- Stamping dozens of papers
- Frequent lifting
- Repeated motions with computer
mouse
13. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
- Leaning forward at your desk
- Typing with wrists at an odd angle
- Raising shoulders while typing
14. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
- Reaching to use mouse
- Twisting neck to look at monitor or
phone
15. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Typing with too much force or
“pounding’ the keys
Stamping
Lifting heavy boxes of paper or
carrying office equipment
Using improper grip
17. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Avoid leaning forward at your desk
- Maintain natural “s” curve of your
spine
- Support lower back
- Keep feet supported on floor or use
a foot rest
18. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
The elbows should be at a comfortable
angle while "hanging" at the sides from
the shoulders.
The shoulders should remain relaxed in
a lowered position while typing.
19. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Avoid typing with wrists at an odd
angles
- keep them in the neutral
position, not bent
up or down, or side-to-side
20. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Keyboard
positioned at elbow
height and flat
- Avoid contact
stress while
typing
- Use proper
posture and
keying
technique
Your arms should
float over the
keyboard as if playing
the piano
21. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
The keyboard should be slightly lower
than normal desk height.
- If it is not low enough, try raising
your chair height. Prevent your legs
from dangling by using a footrest.
Keep "home row" of keys at elbow
level.
Adjust your chair!
22. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Position the monitor
directly in front of you
and about an arm’s
length away. The top
row of characters on
the screen should be no
higher than seated eye
height
Use a document holder
close to the monitor
Mouse should be next to the
keyboard, both at a height
equivalent to your seated elbow
height
Knees comfortably bent with feet
resting on the floor. If the chair is
raised so the keyboard height
equals elbow height, use a foot
rest to encourage sitting fully back
on the chair
Adjust the seat
height so upper
arms hang
vertically, close to
the body, elbows
bent about 90
degrees,
shoulders relaxed
and wrists
straight
Adjust the back
rest to provide firm
support to the
small of the back
The seat pan
supports the thighs
but does not
contact the back of
the knees
23. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Do not pound the keys. Use a light
touch.
Use two hands to perform double key
operations like Ctrl-C or Alt-F instead of
twisting one hand to do it.
Position frequently used
equipment so that you don’t
have to reach for
it.
24. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Place monitor in front of you, not off at
an angle.
Take lots of breaks to
stretch and relax.
Hold mouse lightly.
Keep your hands and
arms warm.
25. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Pay attention to the signals your body
provides you.
- If your neck hurts at work, examine
your body position to try to figure out
what might be causing the soreness.
- Are you holding your neck at an
awkward angle while you type or talk
on the phone?
27. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
If you are experiencing symptoms of CTDs…
- Tingling or numbness in the hands or
fingers
- Pain in fingers, hands wrists, or even
shooting up into the arms or forearms
- Loss of strength or coordination in the
hands
- Numbness or discomfort in the hands
that wakes you up at night....
28. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Many office-related headaches are
caused by eyestrain.
- Dry eyes
- Monitor glare
- Tired/strained eye muscles
29. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Position monitor at a comfortable
distance
Avoid glare
Adjust VDT brightness and contrast
Keep screen clear of dust
Look up and away every few minutes or
so!
30. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
There are a variety of ergonomic products
available on the market, including:
- Keyboards
- Wrist rests
- Mouse pads
- Chairs
- Adjustable desks
- Glare screens
31. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Head sets
- Recommended
when on the phone
for extended
periods of time,
receive frequent
calls.
- Important for
people who write or
use the computer
while talking on the
phone.
32. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Sit to stand workstations
- Allows for macro
changes in posture
- Minimizes fatigue or
discomfort associated
with continuous sitting or
standing
- Can be beneficial for
those with back pain
33. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Lifting improperly can result in
- Muscle strains
- Ligament sprains
- Vertebral disk
herniations
- Abdominal hernias
34. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Plan ahead
- Clear pathway to ensure safe path
- Is the load to heavy to carry by
yourself? Get help.
35. Environmental Heath & Safety
Department
Keep your feet shoulder-width apart
Squat down – bend at knees and hips
Keep back straight, chest out, shoulders
back
Hold load close to body, close to center of
mass
Use feet to change direction; DO NOT
TWIST BODY
In today’s technology age most workers use a computer at some point during their work day; and oftentimes people use a computer at home as well. Long term computer use can be physically taxing, especially if the workstation is not set up correctly.
Today we are going to talk about how to set up a health workstation and ways you can minimize your potential for Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD’s). ergonomic injuries account for approximately 34% of all lost time work related injuries are related to MSD’s. More common names for MSD's include repetitive stress injuries, cumulative trauma disorders, tennis elbow, white finger and the most common of all, carpal tunnel syndrome. All those little aches and pains that we right off as “getting older”. Over a long period of time, they become cumulative trauma disorders.
designing the job to fit the worker, instead of forcing the worker to fit the job
First we need to understand what the term Ergonomics is referring to. Literally, Ergo means work and Nomics meaning the natural rules or laws - so Ergonomics is the science of work and a persons natural relationship with that work.
Makes the job
safer
easier
more pleasant which saves money
There are two basic categories of factors that we need to consider when we are setting up our workspace. influence how our bodies react to the work we perform.
The Environmental conditions that we are being exposed to; our physical surrounding.
The Physical stressor – The type of activity we are doing and how that affects your body.
Environmental factors are those that affect your senses….sight, hearing, smell. Just as with any other aspect of life, excessive exposure to these factors can cause damage to your body.
Noisy areas or areas with a constant pitch sound can damage your hearing.
Dim lighting or the wrong type of lighting can cause additional strain on your eyes, while hard seats and cramped spaces affect your overall comfort and health.
Most of these problems we can control and remedy quite easily. Some, like Sick Building Syndrome are a little more complicated because we can’t always identify the root cause of the problem. Even so, there are things we can do to make the environment healthier.
Sick Buildings – poor ventilation, off-gassing of materials, mold
For Excessive, or constant noise – We can provide hearing protection, white noise devices
For Improper lighting - too bright or too dim – We can change the type of bulbs or install dimmer switches.
Since comfort is the key to maximum productivity, too hot or cold conditions can have a dramatic affect on our productivity and general comfort. Of course during weather extremes and during times of energy saving initiatives, we may have to address our comfort level by dressing warmer or using a fan if the temperature is higher than we like the environment.
The campus can try to address many of these problems but each of us have to do our part as well. Especially when it comes to some of these ergonomic problems. The college can provide the proper tools, but each of us have to make an effort to change our negative work habits.
Physical stressors can place additional stress or specific body parts and how we routinely perform our work will directly affect the stress on those body part.
Improper lifting can cause substantial strain on your back, causing pulled muscle or slipped disc.
Repetitive movements can cause chronic damage to nerves tendons and joints.
These repetitive injuries are called “Cumulative Trauma Disorders or CTD’s, Repetive Strain Injuries RSI’s or MSD’s
I have some handouts that discuss the symptoms, causes and home treatments for these disporders
Awkward positions are also one of the leading factors in workplace injuries or discomfort.
Awkward positions are also one of the leading factors in workplace injuries or discomfort.
Ideally you should be sitting in a very comfortable, leaning back, relaxed position. Almost as if you are sitting in a living room chair talking to a friend.
The keyboard should be located at elbow height and rest FLAT on the desk. The feet on the keyboard should always be retracted. A positive angle towards the user should be avoided, although a negative tilt away from the user is permissible.
The employee should float over the keys without coming into contact with any possible sources of contact stress. It helps to move the keyboard as close to the edge of the work surface or keyboard tray as possible to avoid the sharp edges.
This diagram shows the neutral seated postures and how it relates to setting up your computer. Please feel free to reproduce this slide and distribute it. We will cover how to set up a computer workstation later. For now let’s focus on the neutral seated posture. There are three very important right angles in this diagram- the knees, hips, and elbows. It’s important to note that the computer workstation is aligned directly in front of the user. Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up. First, you should always have a person’s feet resting comfortably on the floor. If the workstation is adjustable, adjust the chair until the person’s feet are resting on the floor. If the workstation is not adjustable they will need a foot rest. Working our way up- the computer user’s thighs should be parallel to the floor and the hips should be at a height equal to or slightly higher than the knees. The lumbar support should be positioned to support the lumbar area of the back (located in the small of the back above the waistband). The user’s arms should be comfortably at his/her sides with the elbows at a 90 degree angle. The wrists should be completely flat to encourage blood flow and nerve conduction. The keyboard and the mouse should be located at a height equivalent to the user’s seated elbow height to allow the user to float naturally over the keys. The monitor should be located about an arm’s length away from the user with the top row of text equal to or 20 degrees below the user’s seated eye height. Monitor height and distance is different if the user is wearing bifocals.
20/20 rule is to refocus your eyes for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
Most dry/itchy eyes are a result of dust on the computer monitor.
Regular vision care can help reduce eye strain.
Telephone headsets are recommended for employees who are on the phone for extended periods of time or receive frequent calls. They are important for people who write or use the computer while talking on the phone. These people tend to cradle the phone with an awkward neck posture.
Alternating between sitting and standing can decrease fatigue and discomfort at the end of the day by reducing static muscle loading and promoting blood circulation and muscle movement. Sit to stand workstations are also good for employees with back problems.
Alternating between sitting and standing can decrease fatigue and discomfort at the end of the day by reducing static muscle loading and promoting blood circulation and muscle movement. Sit to stand workstations are also good for employees with back problems.
Alternating between sitting and standing can decrease fatigue and discomfort at the end of the day by reducing static muscle loading and promoting blood circulation and muscle movement. Sit to stand workstations are also good for employees with back problems.
Alternating between sitting and standing can decrease fatigue and discomfort at the end of the day by reducing static muscle loading and promoting blood circulation and muscle movement. Sit to stand workstations are also good for employees with back problems.
