Musculoskeletal injuries
These injuries are usually related to repetitive strain injuries caused by bad office ergonomics. A bad char, a computer at a wrong angle or lighting glare can cause a variety of problems:
- Neck strain
- Shoulder strain
- Back strain
- Poor posture
- Eye strain
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Adjust your chair so that your feet are on the floor, your thighs parallel to the ground and your lower back supported.
- Set your keyboard so that your elbows form a 90-degree angle and your wrists are straight
- Set the top of your computer screen at your eye level
- Use a document holder to reduce neck movement
Falls are the most common office injuries and can be very serious. A bad fall can break an arm or a leg or injure your back. Falls can be caused by:
- Tripping over wires, loose carpets, open drawers at floor level or random objects
- Trying to reach something on the floor while sitting in a chair
- Using a chair to reach something that’s high instead of a ladder
- Slipping on a wet floor
- Look where you walk to avoid objects
- Close drawers when you’re done
- Get up from your chair to pick up objects
- Report any obtrusive object, carpeting or loose wires
- Use a ladder
- Clean up liquid spills on the floor
Lifting injuries
Office work involves occasional lifting and placing, and most people don’t receive training in proper lifting techniques. A bad lift can cause back damage that can be temporary or permanent. To avoid lifting injuries, you can:
- Avoid lifting a weight that is too heavy for you or ask for help
- Lift by squatting (not bending over) and straightening up using your legs (not your back)
- Keep your back straight at all times
- Hold the object with your whole hand and keep it close to your body
- Don’t twist
- Use your legs to set the object down; don’t bend over
Office workers can easily be struck, hit or caught by objects such as doors, filing drawers and things falling off their storage space. These are also really easy to avoid if you:
- Stay alert
- Avoid putting your fingers in machines or drawers
- Are careful when removing objects from high places
- Are careful when opening or closing doors or walking by them