2010 Ergonomic Tips of the Week

2010 Ergonomic Tips of the Week
To reduce fatigue across the work day, take micro breaks during the day. Micro breaks are short rest periods interspersed throughout the workday. Try to take a micro break of 30 seconds for every 10-15 minutes of continuous work at the computer.

Exercises for the Upper Body. Stand up and let your arms relax at your sides. Extend your arms out at shoulder level with your palms facing up. Spread the fingers and then bend the wrist so that the fingers now point towards the floor. Hold for a count of five. Relax the arms at your sides and gently shake them out. Repeat five times.

Arrange your work so that you don't have to lean forward in your chair to reach objects. Keep those objects you most frequently handle within 15" of the front edge of the table, and in the plane defined by your shoulders

The back should always be in contact with the back rest of the chair. This is especially important for the low back area (the inward curved area in the low back).

Eye Exercises. Rest your eyes routinely by focusing on objects at different distances. Look at an object far away (at least 20 feet) for a count of 20, then look at an object close for a count of 20. Repeat this 5 times

Avoid any lifting while seated. Always try to stand up. If an object is heavy, get help to lift it!

Hand tool handles should be compressible and stay captive in the hand. Otherwise the hands and fingers are subject to pain due to soft tissue damage and reduced blood circulation

Proper lifting technique consists of the following: 1) Keep the object as close to the body as possible when lifting it. 2) Bend using the legs rather than the back (squat don't stoop). 3) Always test the weight of the object before lifting it. 4) Pivot using the feet instead of twisting at the waist.

If your workstation has an adjustable chair and a fixed-height work surface, you should position yourself at the workstation by first adjusting the seat height so that your arms are in the neutral posture at the keyboard, then adjusting for leg position (e.g., getting a foot rest if your legs are dangling).

Tilting Your Monitor. Draw an imaginary line from your eye to the center of the screen. Tilt the monitor so that the angle of the screen relative to the imaginary line is nearly perpendicular (90 degrees). This will enhance viewing of the screen by avoiding parallax effects.

Move the mouse using the arm muscles rather than using the wrist or hand muscles to move the mouse (in other words, let the largest muscles do the work).

Exercises for the Upper Body. While seated, let your arms hang off the sides of the chair. Lean your head as far as it will go to the right (try to touch right ear to right shoulder). Hold for a count of 5, and then do the same motion to the left side. Repeat 5 times. Do not stretch the neck to a point where it feels uncomfortable or pain is experienced.

As a general rule, the seat height should have enough adjustability so that the seat pan can raise to 10 inches from the bottom side of the worktable.

You can reduce glare by changing the polarity of the screen. A reverse polarity screen (dark characters on a light background) is more resistant to glare effects than a standard polarity screen (light characters on a dark background). Many software packages allow you to select the polarity of the screen.

Learn how to move. Avoid sudden, jerking motions that suddenly increases stress on joints. This does not mean to move slowly, just smoothly. Move the entire body rather than "locking" part of the body in place (always remember to move your feet when you move).

Exercises for the Upper Body. While seated, clasp your hands behind your head, interlacing the fingers at the neck. Press the back of the head into the hands, and push the elbows back as far as they will go. Hold for a count of 5, relax by lowering the arms and gently shaking out the arms, and repeat 5 times.

To reduce glare, move the computer so that the source of the glare does not directly strike the screen. For example, keep light sources at a 90 degree angle to the screen.

When selecting colors for the computer screen, always select colors with a high contrast. For example, Blue/Yellow is a color combination with inherent high contrast. Avoid extreme color combinations such as Red/Blue or Purple/Yellow.

Exercises for the Back and Legs. Sit up straight in your chair. Slowly lean forward until you grasp your lower leg or ankles with your hands. Hold for a count of 10. Sit back upright using your hands to help push you back into the upright position. Repeat 5 times.

Learn how to move. Try to keep your upper body weight always centered over the pelvis bones. Avoid reaches out away from the body. The body gets weak and stresses increase whenever we work away from the body.

If you have adjusted your chair and your back does not contact the back rest of the chair, consider getting a lumbar pad for the chair. A lumbar pad basically extends the back rest out so you can get proper back support.

For any heavy handling activity, try to grip the object using a power grip (like you would grip a hammer) instead of a pinch grip (like you would grip a pencil). A power grip reduces stresses on the hands, and literally makes you stronger (allows you to lift more weight safely).

Remember to blink when you are working at the computer. Studies have shown that blinking rates decrease when working at the computer, compared to other visual tasks. Blinking is how the eye lubricates itself, so make a conscious effort to blink.

Exercises for the Back and Legs. Stand up and place your hands in the small of the back. Arch back, keeping your head vertical as you arch back (in other words do not throw the head back as you arch). Hold for a count of five, and repeat five times.

A wrist rest at the keyboard is recommended in order to reduce pressure on the wrist, and to keep the wrist in a straight posture.

Certain medications (diuretics, antihistamines) can reduce the production of lubricating tears. If experiencing dry eyes at
work and taking medication, check with your doctor to see if the medication may be contributing to the dry eyes. Besides remembering to blink more, dry eyes at work can be relieved through eye drops. Select eye drops that are strictly lubricants. Don't get drops containing decongestants or vasoconstrictors.

Exercises for the Back and Legs. Stand up and place your hands on your hips and lean sideways to the right for a count of ten, then to the left for a count of ten. Repeat five times.

The viewing distance to the monitor will be dictated by the character size on the screen. There is no upper limit to how far away you can place the monitor, other than your ability to read the characters on the screen. Do not place the monitor closer than 18" in front of you.

For any handling activity, try to grip the object keeping the wrist straight. The straight wrist is exposed to less stress than a bent wrist, and you are literally stronger when you are able to grasp an object keeping the wrist straight (i.e., you can handle more weight safely).

Exercises for the Upper Body. Stand up, letting your arms hang by your sides. Make a fist with each hand (squeezing moderately), then open the fist stretching your fingers out. Hold each motion (closed and opened hand) for a count of 5. Repeat 5 times.

Eye Exercises. Take your pen and hold it at arm's length. Focus on the pencil with your eyes. Then slowly move the pen in towards the eyes until the pen gets blurry. Close your eyes and take a deep breath (relax). Move the pen back to arm's length and open your eyes. Repeat 5 times.

Exercises for the Upper Body. While seated, without moving your chin up or down, glide your head straight back, forming a double chin. Hold for a count of 5, relax, and repeat 5 times.

Glove selection is important; wear work gloves that fit, are flexible, and come with grips. Otherwise extra effort is needed to perform tasks.

While driving use cruise control if possible and weather permitting. It will take the pressure off the right side of your body, your accelerator and brake pad side.

Exercises for the Upper Body. While seated, stretch your neck vertically by imagining a cable pulling your head up. Hold for a count of 5, relax, and repeat 5 times

Learn how to move. Try to keep your upper body weight always centered over the pelvis bones. Avoid reaches out away from the body. The body gets weak and stresses increase whenever we work away from the body.

Do not strike the keys on the keyboard with more force than is necessary. Many workers use more force than is required, and this has been associated with increased risk of developing upper extremity Cumulative Trauma Disorders

Eye Exercises. Close your eyes, and preferably cover your eyes with your hands. Keep them closed for up to 30 seconds. Take several deep breaths to relax while your eyes are closed. Slowly open your eyes

Remember to grasp the mouse loosely (don't squeeze the mouse), to minimize force requirements. Use a light touch when you click the mouse or trackball

Strengthening the low back muscles and the abdominal muscles through exercise is one of the best ways to avoid back injuries

Use the following as a general guideline, but always remember to never lift more weight than you feel comfortable handling. If no bending is required, and the object does not have to be handled above mid-chest level, up to 30 lb is acceptable

Always lay down the writing instrument when not in use. Always lay down the writing instrument when using the keyboard or the mouse. When writing, do not press any harder than is necessary.

Exercises for the Back and Legs. Sit up straight in your chair. Slowly lean forward until you grasp your lower leg or ankles with your hands. Hold for a count of 10. Sit back upright using your hands to help push you back into the upright position. Repeat 5 times.

Avoid extended reaches to the phone. You phone should be positioned within 15” of your workstation position to avoid over extension. Prevent extended reaches of your arms. Items that you use more frequently should be placed close to you.
The monitor should be positioned so that the top line on the screen is no higher than your horizontal line of sight. In general, lower is better when positioning the monitor.

Check if your body is properly aligned when typing; align the “B” key on your keyboard with your belly button (only on standard keyboard designs)
When lifting, break larger loads into smaller, lighter loads. Repetition is better than heavier weights. Use manual movement devices such as carts, dollies, or forklifts to move items, even if it takes longer to perform the task.

Grab a large rubber band and put it around all your fingertips, cup your hand so your finger tips are touching each other. Now use the force of the rubber band and try and spread your fingers out as wide as possible. Repeat 10 times with each hand 3 to 5 times a day. This will strengthen your inner hand ligaments and tendons.

Get up and move. As muscles tire, slouching, slumping, and other poor postures become more likely; this in turn puts extra pressure on the neck and back. In order to maintain a relaxed yet supported posture, change positions frequently.

Cell phone or blackberry text messaging try using the tip of a pencil to give some relief to your thumbs.
Wrist Rotation: Hold both hands out in front of you, wrists straight, hands open with palms facing down. Slowly rotate the wrists so the hands form circles. Make 5 to 10 circles, and then repeat in the opposite direction.

While traveling take stretch breaks. Sitting too long can cause fatigue, backaches, and neck and shoulder stiffness. When traveling by car, give yourself enough time—even if it's just a few minutes—to make stops on long trips to stand up, stretch, and walk around. When traveling by plane, periodically take walks and do stretches (when the seat belt sign is off).