Tips for Practical Ergonomics in your workplace

TIPS for PRACTICAL ERGONOMICS in your workplace What is ergonomics? Ergonomics is the study of work, work environment, and work tools. Take an in-depth look at the actual work you do, your environment and what you need to do it well. Set these up to enhance performance. Practicing Ergonomics has an important impact on long term health. Most injuries in the workplace are caused by falls, good ergonomics can be a great preventative measure for avoiding issues like headaches, eyestrain, and neck and back pain. repetitive movement or bad posture. COMPUTERS Try and keep your hands in line with your forearms while typing. Give your hands regular rest, especially if you have any uncommon feelings of numbness, cramping, pain, or tingling. Your hands should be even or slightly lower than the sliding keyboard tray to increase comfort while typing. Loosen your grip on your mouse Rest your palms on the wrist rest of your desktop or laptop, not your wrists. This can prevent carpal tunnel. Place your keyboard and monitor in front of you, not to the side. CHAIRS If possible, adjust your armrests so that they support the weight of your arms, rather than your shoulders. Adjust the height of your chair so that your monitor is at eye level and you aren't bending your neck to look at it. Adjust your chair so that your posture is upright and your head is above your shoulders. Try to avoid slouching as much as possible. Adjust your chair so that the natural hollow of your back rests in the bottom half of the chair. Get yourself a footrest. Don't dangle your feet. MOVEMENTS Make sure you're moving around throughout the day. Don't just stay put in one place. Do stretching exercises to make sure your blood circulation stays up. Don't overload your lunch. Make sure the breaks you take are spaced out throughout the day and not just when you have your free lunch hour. Make a conscious effort to keep changing up your posture. ADDITIONAL TIPS ! ! Use pens with large barrels. They are better for your grip. Try not to use wrist splints for extended periods of time as they may cause further damage to muscles. If you are typing a lot, try to keep your nails short. Make sure you wear glasses if you need them. This can help protect your eyesight and prevent headaches. Drink water throughout the day. It's good for you and it makes you get up and move around every Think about your general comfort in every aspect. You are more likely to function well if you are comfortable. few hours. VTaskworld TM Resources http://blog.taskworld.com/tips-for-practical-ergonomics-in-your-workplace www.taskworld.com