Improving Office Ergonomics In Five Steps
Take Office Ergonomics To A Higher, Healthier Level
Offices are complex and dynamic spaces and managing all of the intricate elements can be a challenge. With emerging technology, both employee and customer needs and a variety of other things, the definition of an office changes on a regular basis. Offices used to be within commercial buildings, but today, they can also be at home, in a café, in an airplane, or anywhere else they need to be. Modern offices all need to take ergonomics into consideration, but it’s a challenging issue to address. Each office has unique problems that result from using computers, phones, laptops, and other technological devices. If you want to improve office ergonomics, wherever your office may be, take these steps to head in the right direction.
Step 1: Understand Office Ergonomics
The first thing to changing and improving ergonomics is understanding it. Ergonomics have one main goal—to improve the work environment through the design and layout of equipment and the work environment so that they match the capabilities of the people involved. Together, those things create healthy, productive lifestyles.
Step 2: Knowledge On Ergonomic-Related Injuries
Some injuries happen in an instant, like slipping and falling on the workroom floor. Others happen over time, like ergonomic injuries. These injuries generally include musculoskeletal disorders within tissues because of the gradual exposure over time to repetitive motions. Small, short-term exposure to risks wouldn’t do any harm, but long-term exposure prevents the body from healing and can reduce functions. Knowing about these injuries can help you prevent and reverse them.
Step 3: Identify Challenges
Every office has ergonomic challenges and to change them, you have to identify them. Observe the office and find risks. Then, conduct a risk assessment and document the sources of those risks. Finally, you can look into potential solutions to rectify the challenges in ergonomics. It makes sense that what you know what needs to be fixed, you can make adjustments to change the risks.
Step 4: Equipment Selection
Different offices need different equipment and you will want to choose not only the right items for your job, but also the right items for proper ergonomics. Most offices need chairs, for example, but getting a chair that adjusts to support the back and arms properly is important. The equipment you select will lead to your ergonomics, whether they are good or bad. In this case, you want to make selections that will improve ergonomics.
Step 5: Proper Workstation Setup
After you have the equipment you need, you have to set up your workstation to benefit your ergonomics. It is often helpful to have professional help, at least with one workstation, so you can be trained how to set things up properly. The computer screen should have height adjustability if different people are going to use the station so everyone can practice proper ergonomics.
Putting Office Ergonomics On The Priority List
No one wants to be in pain and proper office ergonomics can help prevent and reverse a number of injuries. Contact E3 Consulting for help with the ergonomics within your office space.
