Ergonomics

Create a more comfortable, productive workplace.

By Jennifer Blanchard

Ergonomics is the applied science of equipment design for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort, according to Dictionary.com.

Ergonomics is extremely important to any office environment, according to HealthWorksClinic.ca, because it:

• Increases productivity by improving worker’s comfort level
• Decreases loss of work time due to Repetitive Motion Injuries (RMI)
• Decreases medical costs associated with RMI
• Decreases risks of developing chronic pain

The first step to creating a more comfortable work environment at your company is awareness.

“It’s important for employers to be aware and then to make employees aware,” says Mark Groves, senior manager of Administaff Safety Services.

Ergonomics Injuries

There are two main injuries associated with ergonomics: Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) and Repetitive Motion Injuries (RMI).

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome—“Carpal tunnel syndrome is a disease of the hand characterized by numbness, tingling, pain and weakness. The disease typically affects the thumb, index and middle fingers and is often particularly troublesome at night. A major nerve, specifically the median nerve, travels down the arm and enters the hand through the carpal tunnel, which is located in the central part of the wrist,” according to eMedicineHealth.com.

Repetitive Motion Injuries—According to WebMD.com, the two most common types of RMI are tendonitis and bursitis. “Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendon; common places include the shoulder, the biceps and the elbow. Bursitis is inflammation of a bursa sac, which is found over areas where friction may develop and serve to cushion or lubricate the area between tendon and bone. Common areas where bursitis can occur include the elbow, knee and hip.”

Injuries such as CTS and RMI occur very often in people who sit at a desk all day long typing away. The repetitive typing motion, and especially clicking and scrolling with the mouse, causes these types of injuries if an employee’s workstation isn’t properly set up.

Of course, these injuries are also being seen in people, even kids, who continue to perform the same motions once they leave work and return home. In kids, it’s being seen from chatting on the internet and playing video games for extended periods of time.

Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to help employees avoid these injuries in the workplace.

Avoiding Injuries

According to Groves, there are generally a few different ways to avoid CTS and RMI while at work:

“Encourage employees to move around as much as possible so they’re not in the same position the entire day,” he says.

Here are some of his other suggestions:

• Change positions frequently
• Get up and move around
• Every 20 minutes, take a break from the computer and look at something that’s at least 20 feet away. This will help with eye strain.
• Stand up often.
• Use proper equipment and set up workstations correctly.

Proper Workstation Setup 

1. Setup everything in the workstation vertically in front of you (chair, keyboard, monitor, document holder and footrest). This will help you keep a “neutral” posture.
2. Position your body as follows:
   • feet flat
   • back upright, supported by backrest
   • neck straight, chin slightly tucked
   • shoulders relaxed
   • elbows comfortably bent at a right angle
   • wrists straight

Adjust all equipment to promote proper posture—elbows bent at 90-degree angle so hands are in line with forearms, knees bent at 90-degree angle so knees are level with hips, back straight in chair so lower back is supported.

Cost of Ergonomics Injuries

“Ergonomics is the No. 1 most common workplace safety incident,” Groves says.

In fact, ergonomic stress injuries cost $27 billion a year, and in more extreme cases, can cost up to $60,000 in medical treatment, lost time and vocational rehabilitation.

And that’s not all. There are also many “indirect” costs, which are typically three to five times more than the direct costs. Some of these costs include:

• Loss of work quality
• Loss of efficiency
• Cost of breaking in a new worker
• Overtime costs
• Failure to fill orders
• Hiring and training replacements
• Wages paid to injured person other than workers’ comp

So What Can You Do?

“Most companies can reduce injuries 20 to 40 percent by establishing a safety and health program,” says Charles N. Jeffress, former assistant secretary of labor for OSHA in an Oct. 1999 statement. “Several studies have estimated that safety and health programs save $4 to $6 for every dollar invested. Yet, only about 30 percent of U.S. worksites have established these programs.”

As the saying goes, “It’s better to be proactive than reactive.”

Here are some things you can do right now to start creating awareness at your company:

• First and foremost, make employees aware to help prevent problems on the front-end
• Offer ergonomics training
• Encourage employees to take frequent stretch breaks, and to look at an object at least 20 feet away about every 20 to 30 minutes
• Post ergonomics information and posters that show desk stretches in places where employees can see them, such as break rooms, on the company intranet or on message boards
• And especially, don’t view safety as an additional cost

“Safety can help improve morale and productivity of a workplace,” Groves says.

For More Ergonomics Information

To learn more about ergonomics and how to implement it at your workplace, contact the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) at (800) 356-4674 or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) at (212) 642-4900.

Ergonomics is the applied science of equipment design for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort, according to Dictionary.com.