office ergonomics — Office Worker Health

How Ergonomics Can Help You Thrive at Work

Think about how you feel during your workdays. Maybe you have pain in your neck or back and feel stiff and sore when you stand up from your desk. Perhaps fatigue and irritability set in as you try to focus on projects or meeting discussions.

While there are many factors that influence how we feel during the day, the configuration of your work area – the place where you spend most of your time working, has a major effect on our overall health and well-being.

Take a close look at your work area; the place where you spend the most time working. Now think about how you sit while working. Do your shoulders hunch forward? Is your keyboard so far from you that your arms are extended while typing? Is your chair so low that your low back is rounded over, or so high that your feet are not flat on the floor? Does the lighting seem either too bright or too dim? Do you use a sit-stand desk, but still feel fatigue, aches and stiffness during and after your work days?

Common Office Health Problems and What HR Can Do to Help

For office workers, the danger isn’t lifting heavy objects or working hard in the sun all day, it’s conditions like carpal tunnel and computer vision syndrome. While workers are far less likely to throw a back out or herniate a disk at their desks, they’re still vulnerable to a wide array of health issues and injury risks.

We know that sitting at a desk and staring at a computer screen all day can take its toll, but what can Human Resources do about it? Let’s look at how HR and the management team can take better care of their workers in the office.

Five Ways to Stay Healthy While Working

The decision has been made, “it’s time for a lifestyle change” and you are ready to be active, fit and healthy. You found the right trainer, gym and/or group to take you to the next level. Yet, one thing remains the same, the office —the thing you call work and all of it’s sugary temptations— the cookies, the morning donuts and those darn pieces of Halloween candy that seem to never go away! Don’t fret, you can creatively change your unhealthy work environment into a healthy work environment in 5 easy steps.

Understanding Ergonomics at Work

Why are ergonomics so important in the office?

Ergonomics encourage people to have a comfortable experience whilst at work by reducing any injuries that may be caused due to awkward posture and straining of the muscles due to repetitive tasks. Injuries can go unnoticed and employees do not realise that they can have long term effects on their health, ongoing exposure to these risks can cause stress to the mind and body and therefore lead to ergonomic injuries.

8 Top Tips to Avoid Sedentary Behaviour at Work

We’ve all become familiar with the idea that sitting for long bouts of time can be bad for our health. Maybe it’s the steady increase of working hours, or maybe it’s the awareness of the overall decline in our health caused by too much long-term sitting, the subject of some scientific studies in recent years.

First Aid Guide for Computer Users

Working with a computer can be detrimental to your health. Have you ever given your workspace a first aid check? My friends at Alsco Australia have provided me with an excellent six step guide on how to avoid risks while working with a computer and on the adjustments you can make so that your work day (or night) is that bit healthier.