Physical Health at Work
You don't have to work on a building site for your job to affect your health; even the more sedentary occupations can be a Risk. RSI, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, and back and eye problems can all be avoided if you're aware of the causes and do your best to minimise them.
Are you sitting comfortably?
A properly adjusted chair will reduce the strain that you put on your back. You should be able to alter the height, back position and tilt of your chair. Try and ensure that your knees are level with your hips.
In order to prevent back injury, you should be sitting up straight while at your desk. If your chair isn't providing enough back support, try using a rolled up towel or cushion until you find a position that's comfortable for you - then adjust the chair accordingly.
Now that you've got your chair correctly positioned, take a look at your feet. Are they flat on the floor? If not, you may want to consider getting a footrest. This will relieve any pressure on your joints and muscles. It's important that you avoid crossing your legs or sitting with one (or both) legs twisted beneath you.
Check the position of your monitor
Now that you're sitting comfortably you need to take a look at the positioning of your pc. Guidelines suggest that the monitor should be positioned approximately 12-30 inches away from your eyes.
A good guide to positioning is to place the monitor about an arm's length away. The top of the Screen should be roughly at eye level. In order to achieve this position you may need to get a stand for your monitor. This doesn't need to be anything fancy - a pile of books will help to elevate the screen to the required position.
Screen reflection and glare
Ideally your pc screen should be as glare-free as possible. This may mean positioning the monitor so that overhead lighting and sunlight are not reflecting on your screen. Try positioning the monitor so that it is at right-angles to the window.
Experiment with your monitor until you find the best position. You may need to move your desk slightly or close the blinds. If glare continues to be a problem, try using an anti-glare screen. You should also experiment with the screen settings on your monitor. Adjusting the brightness or contrast could make a big difference.
Are key objects are within reach?
Position frequently used objects - such as your telephone or stapler - within reachable distance from your body. It's important to avoid repeatedly stretching or twisting to reach things. Positioning items within easy reach will help to avoid overusing your arm, shoulder and back muscles.
If you spend a lot of time on the telephone, you may want to consider exchanging your handset for a headset. Repeatedly cradling the phone between your ear and shoulder can strain the muscles in your neck.
Sitting at the keyboard
Keep your wrists in a straight position when using a keyboard - they shouldn't be bent up, down or to either side. Your elbows should be positioned vertically under your shoulders. Using a wrist rest may help you to avoid awkward bending in your wrists.
Position and use the mouse as close to you as you can. Aim to have your elbow vertically under your shoulder and right by your side. A mouse mat with a wrist pad will help to keep your wrist straight and avoid awkward bending. Try learning some keyboard short cuts to cut down on the amount of time you spend using a mouse.
Take a break
Try to alter your working day so that you don't spend all your time at your pc. If your job is mainly pc based ensure that you take regular breaks. For every hour at your keyboard, take at least five to ten minutes rest. Rest your eyes - look away from the screen and focus on something in the distance for a few seconds.
Try doing some gentle exercises to help relax the muscles and clear your mind. Download our deskercise screensaver and try the simple exercises that you can do whilst sitting at your desk.
- Tips:
- If you experience any pain of discomfort at your desk - stop what you're doing and take a break.
- If you are regularly experiencing aches and pains at work, discuss them with someone who is in a position to help you resolve them.
- If symptoms persist speak to your occupational health department or GP.
Back pain
Back Pain is a fairly universal experience. Some see it as an inevitable legacy of our evolution, the result of turning a body designed to hang from a horizontal spine into a vertical spire, where a carefully balanced mechanism of muscles and joints must support organs and tissues pulling the column of vertebral bones downwards.
What happens at work?
Back problems often start at work. Take an office worker who typically spends up to 40 hours a week hunched solid over their desk, nurses who need to frequently lift patients, a taxi driver bent into the driving seat for more than 25,000 miles a year, a farmer constantly lifting sacks, seeds and machinery, or a checkout assistant sat on a poorly designed chair at her till all day (57 per cent experience lower back pain each year).
Our backs may be put under prolonged strain by our jobs and its hardly surprising that something within the delicate balance of bones and muscles so often fails.
What injuries do we suffer?
The result is traumatised, bruised or inflamed muscles (which may go into spasm), damaged ligaments, misalignment of tiny vertebral joints or damage to the discs between the vertebrae.
Sometimes a back problem directly follows an injury but often it appears quite unrelated to any specific event. It can be difficult to establish clearly what damage has been done to the back (back pain is too common to routinely use expensive MRI scans to investigate the problem) but there is no denying the misery of back pain.
Abnormal strains on the back at work are more likely if:
Back Pain is a fairly universal experience. Some see it as an inevitable legacy of our evolution, the result of turning a body designed to hang from a horizontal spine into a vertical spire, where a carefully balanced mechanism of muscles and joints must support organs and tissues pulling the column of vertebral bones downwards.
What happens at work?
Back problems often start at work. Take an office worker who typically spends up to 40 hours a week hunched solid over their desk, nurses who need to frequently lift patients, a taxi driver bent into the driving seat for more than 25,000 miles a year, a farmer constantly lifting sacks, seeds and machinery, or a checkout assistant sat on a poorly designed chair at her till all day (57 per cent experience lower back pain each year).
Our backs may be put under prolonged strain by our jobs and its hardly surprising that something within the delicate balance of bones and muscles so often fails.
What injuries do we suffer?
The result is traumatised, bruised or inflamed muscles (which may go into spasm), damaged ligaments, misalignment of tiny vertebral joints or damage to the discs between the vertebrae.
Sometimes a back problem directly follows an injury but often it appears quite unrelated to any specific event. It can be difficult to establish clearly what damage has been done to the back (back pain is too common to routinely use expensive MRI scans to investigate the problem) but there is no denying the misery of back pain.
Abnormal strains on the back at work are more likely if:
- you're generally unfit: this makes all injuries more likely
- you're overweight: this puts extra stress on the back
- your job involves lifting, bending or moving heavy objects: lifting badly is a common cause of back problems at work
- your job involves being seated in one place for long periods of time. An unchanging posture can put prolonged abnormal tension on the back
- your work involves frequent use of a telephone without a headset – 31% of office workers who use a telephone for at least two hours a day and also use a computer have lower back pain
- there's a high level of stress, anxiety and tension in your job, or at home. This can generally increase muscle tension throughout the body and increase the chances of a sudden sprain
Reducing your risk
There is a lot you can do to reduce the risk to your back from your job. Your employer should help you – they may be legally obliged to provide training and appropriate equipment for you or give you regular breaks. But it is also in their interests to keep their workforce healthy – it's estimated that each year in the UK 180 million working days are lost due to back problems, costing UK business millions of pounds.
One way to tackle the problem is to apply ergonomic principles to adapt the workplace to suit each specific worker, depending on what their job involves and what their physical make up is. Computer ergonomics, for example, will minimize the risk of repetitive injury, neck strain, lower back pain and leg pain.
There is a lot you can do to reduce the risk to your back from your job. Your employer should help you – they may be legally obliged to provide training and appropriate equipment for you or give you regular breaks. But it is also in their interests to keep their workforce healthy – it's estimated that each year in the UK 180 million working days are lost due to back problems, costing UK business millions of pounds.
One way to tackle the problem is to apply ergonomic principles to adapt the workplace to suit each specific worker, depending on what their job involves and what their physical make up is. Computer ergonomics, for example, will minimize the risk of repetitive injury, neck strain, lower back pain and leg pain.
| Should you stop work? There's been a huge change in thinking in recent years about treating back pain. Bed rest, once widely recommended, is now to be avoided. It may be useful in certain cases for 24-48 hours but it can do more harm than good and most people are much better off carrying on with activities as far as possible, although avoiding anything too strenuous. The box below suggests what you should do when you first develop back pain. The aim is to avoid it becoming a chronic problem. The sooner you're active, the better you will feel and the less likely that you will need to keep taking painkillers. It may seem like an impossible struggle to get back to work but the longer you are off work the lower your chances of ever returning.
Improve your general fitness and lose weight if you're overweight. Take regular exercise, especially to keep the muscles around the spine and abdomen strong and toned so that they act like a corset helping support the back while it does its work. Back Care has some suggestions. Wear comfortable clothes, with shoes that cushion your spine especially if you have to stand for long periods. Avoid high heels. Think about your working environment – is your desk layout or comfortable for your back, and does your chair support the natural S shape of your spine? Avoid getting locked into one prolonged static position. There's detailed advice to help get your workstation right at www.spine-health.com. Make sure you have regular breaks. You shouldn't stay seated in one position for too long and should get up and move around for at least 5-10 minutes every hour. Work on your posture: you might try the Alexander technique, a set of exercises which can be particularly helpful in reducing the risk of back problems. If your job involves lifting or moving heavy weights, your employer should teach you how to lift safely and provide lifting equipment where appropriate.
Occupational overuse syndrome, work-related upper limb injury, and isometric contraction myopathy, are all phrases used to describe what is more commonly known as RSI. Overuse of the muscles of the hands, wrists, arms or shoulders on a repeated, and usually, daily basis, causes injury to these muscles. This results in inflammation that's never really given a chance to recover, since these everyday activities invariably continue. The computer keyboard and mouse are often blamed for RSI, but shouldn't be charged with sole responsibility. For a start, the body was never designed to sit hunched over a desk. Poorly positioned and organised workstations add to the problem. Let's not forget, the longer someone puts a strain on muscles by sitting incorrectly for far too long without taking a break, the more likely the body is to suffer the consequences. The change in our home life and activities also contributes. Computers are ever present, and young children and teenagers are at risk of developing RSI by repeated use of computer games, whether they are hand-held or played on the TV or computer. Tense muscles do not function correctly, which means that someone under stress is also much more likely to suffer muscle damage and subsequent RSI. Reducing your risk But RSI is not a new phenomenon. Tennis elbow and golfer's elbow are two common examples of other overuse syndromes. They have been around for a long time and you don't have to play tennis or golf either. Anyone who overuses their muscles in their arms and hands repeatedly may develop RSI. These can range from workers on factory assembly lines to musicians to dressmakers and cleaners. It's only since office work has become such a prominent part of everyday life that office work has fallen under the spotlight. Protect yourself
It may be months, even years, before someone starts to experience the discomfort and pain of RSI. This is because it takes time for the repetitive damage to reach a level where it causes problems. It often starts with a slight ache every now, which people often ignore. As time passes and the damage continues, individuals may experience symptoms while performing the repeated activity, when typing for example. As the situation becomes more severe, pain may be felt most of the time, even with the slightest movement. One or both upper limbs may be affected. Many people also experience numbness and tingling. Sometimes, this and the pain mean that they find it difficult to hold objects, and often drop them. Treating RSI Someone is at risk of suffering with RSI if their job involves performing repetitive movements. This risk is increased if a person spends long periods of time, sitting on an uncomfortable seat or at a poorly arranged workstation without taking a break. Prevention is always better than cure, which is why it's important to ask your employer to assess and make sure your workstation and seating position are correct. It's amazing how a simple adaptation, such as using a foam support to rest the wrists on when typing, can make all the difference. These movements are similar to giving the muscles a workout. This means that just like with any exercise or sport, they need warming up beforehand, and to go through a warm down period afterwards. Try not to sit for longer than 20 minutes without taking a short break to stretch and relax. Stress makes matters worse, so relaxation techniques or yoga can be a good help. Gentle stretching exercises are all that's needed. Heat or cold packs; the natural anti-inflammatory arnica, which comes as a capsule or cream form; painkillers such as paracetamol; and anti-inflammatory medicines, such as ibuprofen that comes in tablets, gels, and creams; can all relieve pain and discomfort. They are available from the pharmacist, as are elastic wrist support bandages that help too. When the situation deteriorates, stronger medicines may be needed from the doctor, who may also recommend acupuncture or firm wrist splints to help relieve the pain. Physiotherapy, osteopathy, or the Alexander technique, are also good for pain relief, and also encourage good posture. Possible treatments
In the wrist, there's a tunnel formed by the strong tissue through which the tendons of the hand and the median nerve pass. It's a tight squeeze, so anything that reduces the space in the tunnel, such as fluid or inflammation of the tendon coatings, exerts pressure on this nerve. When the nerve is compressed, people suffer discomfort, numbness, pins and needles, and sometimes, pain in the thumb, index, middle, and side of the ring finger, next to the middle finger. This is where the median nerve endings are distributed. Tingling often wakes sufferers up at night; when vigorously shaking the hands and arms is what brings relief. Men will also describe dropping things, or being clumsy with simple, but fiddly tasks, such as fitting a plug, for example. Reducing your risk Prevention is better than a cure, so avoidance of repetitive actions, and taking regular breaks from the activity is essential. If at a computer keyboard, use a suitable wrist support, and make sure the workstation is correctly positioned. Also, check the chair is at the right height. Anti-inflammatory medicines will relieve the symptoms, and often, experts will recommend the use of wrist splints. If this isn't improving the situation, then steroid injections, or a minor operation to release the nerve compression, is performed. Headaches at work Headaches are such a common problem that it's not surprising they often occur while people are at work. But there may be specific environmental reasons why some people suffer on the job. The scale of the problem Headaches can be hugely disruptive. More than 18 million working days are lost each year because of migraines, for example. This particularly debilitating type of headache can cause intense symptoms lasting up to three days and which are often so severe that concentration and co-ordination becomes difficult and it is simply impossible to carry on working. In severe cases, headaches can interfere with promotion and career prospects. Employers may worry the person simply isn't up to the stresses of the job while people who experience frequent headaches fear that they're letting their colleagues down by insisting on regular breaks or other conditions to avoid triggering a headache. What triggers headaches at work? All types of headaches, especially tension or stress-related headaches and migraine, are common in the workplace, probably because many similar trigger factors may be involved (see box below). In some types of headache, especially migraine, several trigger factors may add up until a threshold is passed and a headache results. Triggers of a headache at work
Most people hardly give a thought to the amazing work our eyes do to enable us to see, until things start to go wrong. It's often at work (or school) that people begin to realise they have a problem. Why do we get eye strain? That doesn't mean that work is harmful to your eyes (although it can be) but that work or school is where we most need to see well. One in three working people have visual defects that have never even been diagnosed We may be stressed, tired, trying to read tiny print or study tiny diagrams, and using our brains to think out problems fast, relying on all our senses. And so often these days, work also means sitting staring at a computer screen or VDU which puts extra demands on our eyes. Regular eye checks So looking after your eyes at work is vital. But many people don't even have regular sight tests. It's estimated that as many as one in three working people have visual defects (such as short or long sightedness) which have never even been diagnosed or have not been properly corrected. These problems may come to light when you do visually demanding work. Make sure you have your eyes tested at least once a year or more often if you have symptoms. You may be able to demand that your employer provides regular eye tests especially if you work at a VDU. Symptoms suggesting eye problems are:
Even if your eyes are healthy, your job can put extra strain on your eyes or cause other eye-health problems. Eye strain means a sensation of tired eyes, which may be accompanied by increasing difficulty focussing or seeing, dryness, headache and general discomfort. Working at a computer screen or VDU greatly increases the risk of eye strain and may lead to computer vision syndrome. Tips to reduce eye strain Make sure that the environment that you work in is eye-friendly:
Some studies suggest that working at a VDU may increase health risks. For example, there may be:
Check with your health and safety officer about protecting your eyes. You can find out how much you know by taking a workplace eye safety quiz. Follow Prevent Blindness America's 10 top tips to prevent injury.
First assess the situation quickly and get someone to close down all risks such as machinery, or move others from a contaminated area.
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