Posts Tagged ‘Ergonomic Chairs’
An uncomfortable work environment can affect productivity and increase the likelihood of work-related muscle strains and eyestrain. Incorporating ergonomics in the workplace of your small business can remedy an uncomfortable atmosphere. These simple changes help decrease stress levels and improve employee performance.
Definition
Ergonomics refers to creating a work environment that’s conducive to employees. Several factors play a role in low productivity and work-related burnout. Employees can spend 40 or more hours at a desk each week. Dealing with unfavorable work conditions for this length of time can trigger mental and physical stress. Some employees stare at a computer screen and use a keyboard for hours. By means of ergonomics, employees and employers can brainstorm ways to transform the work atmosphere into one that supports physical health and enhances productivity.
Computers
Working at a computer for long periods each day increases the risk of developing eyestrain, tension headaches, backaches and carpal tunnel syndrome. Employees and employers can reduce physical problems with ergonomic techniques. Positioning computer screens at least 20 inches from eyes reduces the risk of eyestrain, as does positioning computer screens away from bright lights and using an anti-glare computer screen.
You spend all day working at a computer in an office, you are at risk for debilitating pain such as back pain and head aches or even permanent injury like carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive stress disorders.
Fortunately, there are a few simple things you can do to ensure a safe and pain-free office workspace.
Computer Monitor
Adjust your computer monitor brightness and resolution to minimize eye strain. Your monitor should be about a hand’s length away from your face, and situated so that you eyes and neck are resting at a natural and relaxed/neutral angle. If you are straining up, down, or to the side, this will lead to back and neck pain and head aches.
2011 National Ergonomics Expo Already Surpasses Size of 2010 Show with Record Exhibitor Renewal Rate
2010 ErgoExpo Attendees’ Choice Award Winners Include Contour Design, Herman Miller, Office Master & Workrite
The 2010 National Ergonomics Conference and Exposition (ErgoExpo) held at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas earlier this month was yet again the largest annual gathering of ergonomics decision makers and vendors in the nation. The event was a huge success, and by the last few hours of the show, the room still buzzing with activity, 97% of exhibit space had already been renewed for 2011. Since then, new exhibitors have joined the show, and as of today, the 2011 Expo is already larger than this year’s event was.
“We know we’re doing well when we reach our usual 90% exhibitor renewal rate by the end of the show. This year we obviously had our best ever! Exhibitors were clearly busy from the start until the finish of the event. Many renew prior to arriving in Las Vegas, they know they need to keep ErgoExpo on their show schedule every year, but the rest of them, including fist-time exhibitors and new companies that were just visiting the show have already reserved exhibit space for 2011,” remarked Walter Charnizon, President of Continental Exhibitions, Inc., owner/producers of ErgoExpo.
Attendees from 46 states and thirteen foreign countries including Australia, China, Denmark, the U.K., Norway and Venezuela were at ErgoExpo. Attendees represented organizations as diverse as Alcoa, Chevron, Ford, Hasbro Games, Intel, Kaiser Permanente, Merck, NASA, Pacific Gas & Electric, SC Johnson, The World Bank, every branch of the U.S. military, Zenith Insurance and many more. They attended sessions geared toward office, healthcare, industrial and other work environments.
Arturo Trejo, Safety Manager at E&J Gallo Winery commented, “I brought my entire team of line workers because we all need to learn from the experts. Our goal is to implement one or two ideas we pick up during the Conference. One good idea used back at work will cover the cost of the Conference and then some.” Jon Biggs, Director of Sales & Marketing at Kinesis Corporation was pleased to see a strong attendee turn out, “ErgoExpo is always an important event for us, but this year’s show surpassed all expectations! The show floor was packed from start to finish, and we met several new and important decision makers from some top-notch organizations.” Larry Bonasso, Management and Program Analyst with the FBI said, “This is an exceptional event. We are building a multi-million dollar facility and need to furnish it. We now have plans to meet with these vendors and try out their products. That’s what made the Expo so beneficial.”
In response to a high prevalence of neck and back pain among working dentists and dental hygienists, the dean of the University of Maryland Dental School Christian S. Stohler, DMD, DrMedDent, has launched an initiative to bring renewed attention to ergonomics into dental education.
Starting with the current semester, every incoming student must take the School’s course “Ergonomics in Dentistry,” before he or she can practice simulations or live-patient dental work. The School wants to be the place where dentists and dental hygienists learn to practice ergonomically correct practices, says Stohler.
“Three out of every five dentists live with the pain,” due to years of practicing with poor posture and other unwise positioning, guest lecturer Lance Rucker, DDS, director of clinical ergonomics and simulation at the University of British Columbia, told this year’s incoming class.
An integrated care program that incorporates workplace ergonomics appears to be a cost-effective alternative to usual care for individuals sick listed due to chronic low back pain, according to research published online Nov. 30 in BMJ.
An integrated care program that incorporates workplace ergonomics appears to be a cost-effective alternative to usual care for individuals sick listed due to chronic low back pain, according to research published online Nov. 30 in BMJ.
Ludeke C. Lambeek, of the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues randomized 134 sick-listed adults with chronic low back pain to integrated care — consisting of a workplace intervention based on participatory ergonomics and a graded activity program based on cognitive behavioral principles — or usual care.
The researchers found that the cost of the integrated care program was significantly lower per participant than usual care, at £13,165 (standard deviation [SD] £13,600) versus £18,475 (SD £13,616). The integrated program was cost-effective in terms of return to work and quality-adjusted life-years gained, and there was an estimated return of £26 for every £1 invested in integrated care.
“Implementation of an integrated care program for patients sick listed with chronic low back pain has a large potential to significantly reduce societal costs, increase effectiveness of care, improve quality of life, and improve function on a broad scale. Integrated care therefore has large gains for patients and society as well as for employers,” the authors write.
Source: Doctors Lounge
For more information from www.ergojournal.co.uk about workplace ergonomics, workplace health and safety, ergonomic chairs, ergonomic products, DSE risk assessment, ergonomics software solutions, click here to become a subscriber. Alternatively, Subscribe to ErgoJournal by Email and follow us on Twitter @Ergo_Journal
A new accreditation system for occupational-health (OH) providers will help the Government deliver its new strategy to improve public health in England.
Led by the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM), the Safe Effective Quality Occupational Health Service (SEQOHS) accreditation scheme was launched at a conference on 1 December, building on new OH standards for OH service-providers introduced in January this year. The standards themselves were proposed by Dame Carol Black in 2008, as part of her review of how to improve the health and well-being of the working-age population.
The overarching aim of SEQOHS is to provide OH services with a framework for quality assurance, and so help raise standards in this field. Similar to the Occupational Safety Consultants Register, but designed for organisations rather than individuals, the SEQOHS should help those purchasing or commissioning services choose a competent provider.
- Safety & Health Expo 2011, 17 – 19 May 2011, NEC Birmingham, http://www.safety-health-expo.co.uk –
Safety & Health Expo, Europe’s largest annual health and safety event, returns to the NEC Birmingham from 17 – 19 May 2011. Packed with a plethora of innovative features, a comprehensive and free-of-charge educational programme and an extensive exhibition housing the leading names in health and safety products and services, this is an event not-to-be-missed by anyone involved in health and safety. The event is hosted in partnership with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).
Adrian Newton, Portfolio Director for Safety and Building Management at UBM Live, organisers of Safety & Health Expo 2011, said: “We are in constant communication with the industry all year round which allows us to keep abreast of the latest issues facing health and safety professionals. We then reflect this in the content of Safety & Health Expo and 2011 will therefore be packed with the most topical content possible. The educational programme will be the largest to date, there will be more exhibitors than ever before and visitors will be able to enjoy exciting, experiential features.”
Amongst the 300 industry-renowned exhibitors, some of the world’s leading names will be showcasing their latest developments including BM Polyco, Draeger, Latchways, Safety Media and Sperian.
The Safety & Health Expo 2011 educational programme will be the most expansive in the event’s history with a brand new Occupational Health Theatre contributing to the five dedicated theatres.
Sufferings from neck pain, back pain and many other work related musculoskeletal disorders like tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow are very common among many corporate officials and workers at different office and industries. This is specifically a problem in garments industries, tanneries and textile factories in Bangladesh.
All these musculoskeletal problems could lead to further bad consequences in terms of physical problems, productivity and emotional well-being for the workers. Accidents at workplaces affect many more lives each year. This could be reduced significantly following an ergonomic approach facilitated by an occupational therapist.
What is ergonomics?
Ergonomics is the science of fitting workplace conditions and job demands to the capabilities of employees. A practical approach to ergonomics considers the match between the person, the equipment they use, the work processes and the work environment.
You can easily define ergonomics with a quick Google search and find there are a number of websites that offer a pretty consistent definition. Sounds good…so what more do you need to know? Actually, there’s a lot more, especially if you have back & neck pain and are looking to define ergonomics for reasons beyond preparing for your next game of Trivia.
Ergonomics is defined as the science related to a person and their work environment (equipment and workplaces) and how they affect human performance. The overall goal of ergonomics is to create a work environment that is safe for the worker, prevents typical work related injuries, and allows the individual to perform their duties at an optimal and efficient manner.
That seems simple enough….it’s a pretty straight forward definition. But, the problem with that definition is the word “human”! In other words, human factors and ergonomics must interface seamlessly in order to achieve the desired outcome, and as we all know, humans come in different shapes and sizes.
When you define ergonomics, you need to think of some key tasks that will ensure you are decreasing your risk of injury.
They include:
* Workstation Set-up (not just in the office at a traditional desk)
* Work Equipment and Accessories
* Correct Sitting Position
* Proper Posture
* Proper Body Mechanics Throughout the Day
* Safe Bending/Lifting Technique
In this section of the website, I have put together a few helpful tools for you to use as you define ergonomics for your own work environment. You can start by using the overall ergonomics assessment and then review the section on ergonomics posture. I have even included some tips on what to look for in some of the most commonly used equipment such as chairs and keyboards. You can access all of this information at the link below:
* Keyboard Ergonomics
* Ergonomics Posture
* Ergonomics in the Work Place
* Ergonomics Chair
Just remember, when you think of improving ergonomics as a way to decrease back & neck pain, don’t get caught up in the hype of product promotions touting fancy language like human factor issues or designs based on engineering psychology. All you need to know about their technical science of designing is whether or not their products can create workplaces to fit the user – YOU! That’s the only way to define ergonomics that will help you achieve your goals of decreasing the risk of injury and pain, while achieving maximum productivity.
Source: The Back University
For more information from www.ergojournal.co.uk about workplace ergonomics, workplace health and safety, ergonomic chairs, ergonomic products, DSE risk assessment, ergonomics software solutions, click here to become a subscriber. Alternatively, Subscribe to ErgoJournal by Email and follow us on Twitter @Ergo_Journal