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It is not uncommon for people working at the desk and for people engaged in blue collar jobs to have nagging pains. This is due to various factors associated with their workplace. Why do these pains occur in the first instance? How does this affect an employee or an employer? Is there a way to get around such painful problems?

What causes pain at workplace?

Most injuries that happen at the desk are due to prolonged physical stress and strain, such as sitting in the same position for a long time, due to repetitive movements, and due to overuse. These injuries can cause stress and strain on your muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, blood vessels, and spine. Headaches, eye strain, backaches, neck strain, shoulder pain and wrist pains are the unsolicited gifts such injuries provide us. Most of the above pains are equally common in blue-collar jobs, where injuries are caused by the way one sits or stands, the way one hold oneself when bending forward or backward, while lifting heavy objects, and working with vibrating tools. Maybe it’s time to acknowledge the obvious: It’s just as easy to injure yourself no matter where you physically work.

Impact of pain at workplace

These pain are sometimes not big enough to take leave from work to recuperate or small enough to carry on with work. Workplace pains are a huge burden on both the employee and the employer, resulting in loss of substantial man-hours of work. Apart from the financial perspective, it also places the employee in a stressful situation not only because of the pain, but also from the associated stigma attached with frequent absenteeism. On occasions, employees may be forced to quit their jobs as a result of their pain.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics, put simply, is the science of matching the job to the worker and the product to the user. Its purpose is to improve health and safety, prevent injuries, and improve productivity. In other words, optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

Office ergonomics can help a person be more comfortable at work. It can reduce stress on the body and reduce injuries caused by prolonged awkward positions and repetitive tasks at an office workstation. Office ergonomics, in addition, focuses on how the workstation is set up—the placement of the desk, computer monitor, chair, and associated tools, such as computer keyboard and mouse. It also deals with a person’s work environment.

The following tips on setting up your workstation or tools to your personal needs, would help make work less painful.

1. Adjust your computer monitor to be directly in front of you, with the top of the screen at about your eye level.
2. Build in a footrest into your table to support your legs and reduce low back strain.
3. Customize your chair to one with an adjustable seat height arrangement, back and arm rests, and a base with five wheels for easy movement without tipping. Incorporated lumbar support for your back is helpfli. When you sit in your chair, your feet sholid rest flat on the floor or the footrest, and your thighs sholid be parallel to the floor. The edge of the chair sholid be soft and sholid not touch the backs of your knees. If you have arm rests, you sholid be able to use them without slouching or having your sholiders either hunched up or drooping down.
4. Desk size sholid be large enough to accommodate your work area. Arrange your desk so the items you need most often are within reach, and you don’t have to bend or twist frequently.
5. Ensure that your keyboard tray is big enough to hold your keyboard and mouse, and the height is adjustable. The computer mouse sholid be placed close to the keyboard where it does not cause you to lean forward or to reach too far.
6. Find a contoured or curved keyboard to help reduce problems in the hands, wrists, and sholiders. Wrist pads help support the arms during breaks from typing and reduce strain. When you type or use your mouse, try raising your forearms a little so your wrists are in a neutral position and your arms and hands can move freely. A neutral position means not bent too far forward or backward.
7. Take a break for a couple of minutes after an hour’s work to do a few stretching exercises. Stretch your body by getting up out of your chair and stretching your arms, sholiders, back, and legs. When you are sitting, shrug and relax your sholiders.
8. Persisting pain for more than three months needs evaluation from your pain physician.

Proper ergonomics has significant short-term and long-term benefits for the employee and employer. For the employee, self-education will extend the health of their own physical body well into retirement and cut down on health care costs over time. For the employer, proper ergonomics will cut down on health care costs paid by the employers and increase employee productivity.