Administrative Improvements

In addition to arranging your workstation for ergonomic comfort, there are a number of recommended work practices that can reduce your chances of musculoskeletal fatigue and injury.

Taking Breaks

Your eyes need time to focus on far-away objects, and your body needs a break to move and stretch. Follow the "Rule of 20": For every 20 minutes of computer time, take at least 20 seconds to focus on an object 20 feet away. Flex your arms and legs, stand up and stretch, and rotate your ankles and feet. This will get your blood flowing and relax your muscles. These "micro-breaks" should be an addition to the traditional 15-minute breaks every two hours.

Try the following exercises while seated at your workstation:

• Squeeze your shoulder blades together with your elbows lifted away from your body.
• Shrug your shoulders for a count of three. Rotate your shoulders backwards with your arms relaxed at your sides. Repeat three times.
• Hold your arms straight in front of you and stretch them forward. Raise your arms above your shoulders and stretch them upward.
• Clench your fists, then release them and spread your fingers wide. Hold each position for a count of three.

Adjusting Work Duties and Schedules

If your work duties allow, try to schedule different work responsibilities for different times of the day to break up the amount of time spent sitting at your workstation. If you normally have to walk to someone else's office for a meeting, see if the meeting can be scheduled in the middle of the day so you can get out of your chair and move around. Another trend is scheduling "walking meetings" where you meet with a colleague and take a lap around the building. There is no reason why a meeting in someone's office cannot turn into a walking meeting as a healthier choice for both you and a coworker!

Exercise Regularly

Do not add to the dangers of a sedentary job by indulging in a sedentary lifestyle. Fill the remainder of your day with activities that get you up and moving around. Sitting at the computer all day followed by sitting in front of the television all evening is a recipe for long-term health problems.

Lifting Safely

You might not have to lift things very often in an office setting, but you should still take the time to do it safely so that you are not risking muscle strains or sprains. NIOSH recommends that one person lift no more than 50 pounds at a time when the lifting can be done using the following "best practices":

• When you pick up or set down a load, do not reach more than 10 inches away from your body.
• Do not twist your body.
• Lift with your legs, not your back. Keep your back as straight as possible.
• Lift the load using a solid, two-handed grip.

When the nature of the load does not permit best-practice lifting, the 50 pound limit should be reduced to a safer weight.

Reaching Safely

Arrange your workstation so that heavy items are located within easy reach, without having to bend or twist to retrieve them. Separate large manuals or reference material into smaller, lighter notebooks, or ask if they can be accessed electronically instead.

To learn more about Office Ergonomics visit our Office Ergonomics Online Training web page.