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Posts Tagged ‘ergonomics’
WorkRite, Posturite’s specialist e-learning and training division, is enjoying a record year. Turnover is up by almost 90% over the corresponding period in 2010, with several major new contracts in the bag.
These include the company’s biggest ever deal for its market-leading AssessRite DSE training and assessment package which has been licensed by a multinational energy company to be rolled out to more than 12,500 users in 24 different countries.
WorkRite has had to translate the software into a number of different languages including Arabic, Hindi and Gujarati.
National sales manager Ryan Church said: “On its own, this was a fantastic deal for us. But coming on top of several other major contract wins over this year, it means that we are yet again out-performing the market by a considerable distance.
“This is the fifth year in succession that we have seen big turnover increases, though never quite as large as this year. There’s no doubt that all the hard work we put into developing our products and services in the early stages is now paying off.
“Our powerful and intuitive management system, in particular, is a significant factor in winning business for us. Health and safety professionals love it because it makes their lives so much easier.”
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.
The new Atlet Tergo range comprises five advanced reach trucks designed to provide the most ergonomic, efficient and productive performance in all types of materials handling operation. The trucks have maximum working loads from 1200 to 2500kg and lift heights up to 12.1m to provide operators with total flexibility and choice across a complete range of applications.
The most powerful trucks in the range are designed to stack higher, heavier and faster in the most demanding and intensive 24/7 operations such as retail and food distribution. The smaller and compact models are designed for operations where lighter loads and lower lifting heights are the norm, such as newer and growing businesses, and include the first reach truck from Atlet to offer 1200kg capacity.
The original Atlet Tergo range was introduced in 1993, and these new fifth-generation trucks build on the advances and success of their predecessors to take ergonomics and comfort to new levels. Analysis by Atlet showed every hour on average reach truck operators make 2,000 arm and 1,000 head movements, and spend 10% of the time looking upwards, 20% travelling backwards and 70% forwards. The new Tergo operator environment has been redesigned to minimise fatigue, strain and stress associated with this type of work.
For the first time ever attendees of ErgoExpo, one of the largest ergonomics conferences in the country, will have an opportunity to see Ergotron and view its full line-up of affordable, wellness-enhancing workspace solutions on exhibit in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 30 through December 2 (booth #441).
With a legacy in designing workspaces for true ergonomic comfort, Ergotron recognizes that traditional, fixed workspaces—no matter how well designed for ergonomics—force knowledge workers into sedentary work routines, putting their health and the health of the organization’ at risk.
“The future of ergonomics must move beyond expensive chairs and keyboards,” said Joel Hazzard, president and CEO of Ergotron, “relying not only on scientific discipline but staying true to its definition, designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities. Fixed workspaces do not always accommodate individual needs and more important, do not encourage the movement our bodies need.”
What attendees can expect to learn when visiting Ergotron is that the health and productivity of every knowledge worker is at risk in even the most optimally designed ergonomic workspace. Long periods of sitting are linked to cancer, obesity, heart disease and early mortality rates, and sitting disease claims the lives of nearly 300,000 Americans a year.
Stress is, for the first time, the most common cause of long-term sickness absence for both manual and non-manual employees, according to this year’s Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)/Simplyhealth Absence Management survey.
A link between job security and mental health problems is also revealed in the survey. Employers planning to make redundancies in the next six months are significantly more likely to report an increase in mental health problems among their staff (51% compared with 32% who are not planning redundancies).
For manual workers, stress is now level with acute medical conditions and has overtaken musculoskeletal problems to become the top cause of long-term absence. While among non-manual staff, stress has moved ahead of acute medical conditions.
The Problem A large event management company in the Midlands was prompted to act, to address the dangers of back disorders in the workplace, by an EssentialSkillz email newsletter publicising the HSE’s “Better Backs” campaign.
Realising their provision and management of manual handling training and risk assessments could be improved, they got in touch to find out how an online solution could be implemented to improve the situation.
The Solution Manual Handling Essentials is an online course designed to help organisations deliver training to employees as soon as they begin work and before they might need to practise a manual handling task. In this training course employees learn:
Ergotron has expanded its industry-leading portfolio of carts and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare market, with the addition of the new StyleView® Sit-Stand Enclosure. The new Sit-Stand Enclosure brings ergonomic sit-stand computing comfort to caregivers accessing or inputting data within traditional hospital wall mount workstation settings.
Presenting caregivers with a new level of workplace flexibility and low-profile aesthetics, the StyleView Enclosure helps enhance patient and caregiver’s overall experience by enabling caregivers to easily sit or stand while accessing critical patient data—introducing greater efficiency and accuracy into treatment facilitation.
“Hospitals are realizing the importance of in-room computing but recognize the issues associated with finding solutions that meet the demands of the caregiver like space and NFPA requirements,” said Steve Reinecke, senior global director of healthcare at Ergotron.
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.