One of the most common work-related injuries is back pain. This can be caused by simple work activities such as sitting at your office chair or lifting of heavy objects. If you establish certain workplace ergonomics, especially when seated in your office chair, it can widely reduce work related back pains and even injuries. It will also help employees maintain a healthy back and not take work home with them at least in the pain part of the job. Your office chair can help you to better health and productivity
Ergonomics must be targeted to each individual worker and the tasks that he or she performs. It is helpful to go thru all of the job descriptions at your work place and to tailor a ergonomic program that best suits each individual worker. It is also important to take into account the physical abilities of each worker as well as their personal limitations. There are two types of situations that regularly cause worker to either report back pains or to actually sustain and injury.
1. No-accident injury, where pain can develop from the result of regular duties and
requirement of the worker. Repetitive motions, fatigue, prolonged activity, poor
body mechanics can all be contributing factors to this type of injury. This type of
injury often occurs by sitting in an office chair or standing for long periods of time
2. Accident-Injury, where an event that is not anticipated cause an injury while
performing the task. Some common cases of this is a load that slips as its being
lifted, hitting the head on a solid object, straining back muscles by improper lifting.
These types of accidents can jolt the back, joints, neck resulting in muscle tearing or
strain on the soft tissue of the back.
Physically demanding tasks that cause injury Tasks that are either physically demanding or require repetitive lifting are at a high risk for no-accident and Accident-injuries. A good example of this is people who work in the health care industry. Patients come in all sizes and have differing needs. Patients often need assistance rising, walking, changing position. This situation is also seen often by factory workers and firemen and construction workers whose job requires daily lifting.
Injuries sustained by sitting in an office chair Workers in the 21st century often sit most of the day. Many work at a computer, while sitting in an office chair which can place them at high risk for no-accident back injuries.
Office and computer or workstation ergonomics, can assist in minimizing the risks of repetitive injuries. Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of the most common injuries that most have heard of. Other symptoms of improper ergonomics can be neck strain, lower back pain and pain in the legs.
Now that you’ve learned about all of the common cause of workplace injury it is important to understand how to prevent this.
