Working from home? Here’s how to minimize office injuries
Working from home will help keep you safe from coronavirus, but it could lead to other lasting injuries if proper work habits are ignored, warns an expert in ergonomics.
With thousands of public servants and other officer workers now typing memos from their comfy couch or hunched over a laptop on the dining room table, they’re putting themselves at risk of musculoskeletal injuries, says Sue Hanel. She’s the founder of Ergo-Safety, an Ottawa firm that’s been doing work station assessments for many government departments and private-sector businesses for nearly 30 years.
“Repetitive strain injuries are chronic and they creep up over time,” Hanel said. “So anybody who has underlying conditions like tendinitis, a herniated disc, sciatica, neck problems ... depending on how many weeks or months this goes on, these people are going to be going back to their employers with aches and pains. It’s going to have a snowball effect.
“Don’t forget, a lot of people were going to chiropractors and physiotherapists and that’s all come to a grinding halt. You can’t get a virtual massage.”
The rush to close business and shut down federal offices meant many people left work without the extra monitors, specialized keyboards, ergonomic mouses and — crucially — proper office chairs that they should be using to prevent injuries. Hanel has posted information on the company website with the top tips for proper practice.
“We’ve even had people send us photos of their work spaces and asked us for advice on what to do,” she said.
It all begins with where you’re sitting.
“The most important part of the work station is the chair. How many of us are going to have a height adjustable chair like we have at the office? Probably not many.”
You should be sitting with your ears over your shoulders and your elbows under your shoulders, with your forearms thighs parallel to the floor. If you need to, sit on a cushion, and add one behind your back for lumbar support if you’re using a wooden chair. Make a footrest of books if you have to. Your eyes should be at the same level as the top third of your monitor.
“The overwhelming message is we have to get the person up higher,” Hanel said.
If you’re using a laptop, consider setting it on a stack of books to bring it up to eye level. If you can, use a separate keyboard and mouse.
“What you don’t want to do is what we call ‘turtling ’. That’s when you hunch over the computer, say to look at the numbers in a spreadsheet, then you forget to lean back again.”
Home lighting tends to be easier
Don’t forget, a lot of people were going to chiropractors and physiotherapists and that’s all come to a grinding halt. You can’t get a virtual massage.
on the eyes than office fluorescent lights, but try to have the light source from a window coming in from the side, not in front of behind. Use blinds or curtains or hang up a sheet to control the light as the sun moves.
Adjust your display settings, with contrast near 100 per cent and brightness in the 40-60 per cent range.
Hanel also recommends the 2020-20 rule.
“Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away and hold it for 20 seconds,” she said. “That’s a good thing for visual fatigue, migraines and headaches.” bcrawford@postmedia.com Twitter.com/getBAC