When we think about occupations that are potentially dangerous to our long-term health, most people probably automatically begin to think about construction workers dangling from high scaffolding, factory employees engaged in repetitive motion, or warehouse workers sharing their workspace with forklifts, semi-trucks, and other large vehicles. Just as all of those types of jobs come with their own occupational hazards, office workers also have unique challenges to their long-term health and wellbeing.
Sitting at a desk all day while taking calls or working on a computer might not put you at risk of losing a limb or falling from high heights. However, office workers are at extremely high risk for several different musculoskeletal disorders. In fact, one recent survey reveals that “74 percent of office workers experience pain a few times a week or more while sitting at their desks. Additionally, more [than] 70 percent of respondents endured back pain and more than half felt eye strain or headaches in the last 3 years.”
Furthermore, a 2018 study states unequivocally that “work‐related upper limb and neck musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common occupational disorders worldwide. Studies have shown that the percentage of office workers that suffer from MSDs ranges from 20 to 60 percent. The direct and indirect costs of work‐related upper limb MSDs have been reported to be high in Europe, Australia, and the United States.”
Of course, workers who experience pain, headaches, or eyestrain on a frequent basis will undoubtedly see their productivity levels drop. Preventing the MSD issues that are experienced by thousands of office workers across the United States, then, is also a way for businesses to increase their productivity and their bottom line.
The Importance of an Ergonomic Office Setup
For any type of office worker (both in an office and stay-at-home workers), proper office setup is the best way to prevent MSD issues from popping up. An ergonomic home office setup should focus on:
- Finding a comfortable office chair with adequate spine support
- A desk that has a proper height for keyboard use
- The use of external, ergonomic keyboards and correct size of the mouse used with your computer
- Dual screen monitors, and the use of a sit/stand desk that allows workers to shift between sitting and standing positions while staying productive and on-task
- Proper office lighting to reduce eye strain
You can find more strategies for the proper ergonomic office setup at this link provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
One of the best ways to help your workers avoid long-term MSD problems is through having them do an ergonomic self-assessment. Once they identify the specific stressors that they face during their workday, they will be able to engage with the necessary changes that an ergonomic office setup requires.
Assess Your Ergonomic Fitness With Work-Fit
Here at Work-Fit, we offer a low-cost but effective ergonomic self-assessment that can help your office workers (both in-office and at-home workers) identify the ergonomic stressors that lead to feelings of tiredness, soreness or headaches throughout the day.
Furthermore, our ergonomic self-assessment allows your individual workers to receive a workstation analysis in just minutes. This helpful tool gives immediate results and a toolkit to help your workers prevent MSD issues before they occur. We also offer a more comprehensive and in-depth human performance coaching package that includes an ergo self-assessment, a scheduled live follow-up with one of our licensed clinicians (30-60 minutes), and a personalized preventative care program.
Take Work-Fit’s office ergonomic self-assessment for yourself today! Click HERE to begin now.
If you think that our ergonomic self-assessment might be a great tool to help your workers avoid MSD issues while improving their productivity levels, contact Work-Fit today to see how we can help your company.
Hire Work-Fit to Help Your Office Team Avoid Ergonomic Problems
Besides implementing a proper ergonomic desk setup, preventing MSD problems in office workers also depends on a worker's ability to identify and recognize the particular, individual issues they face.
Work-Fit is a leading onsite and telehealth injury prevention and wellness management program for your workforce. Our injury prevention program is a great resource that can help your office employees stay safe, while also increasing your company's bottom line. We also offer a leading ergonomics program that can help you generate savings on workers’ compensation by identifying the root cause of recurrent musculoskeletal disorders that keeps valuable workers away from the job. Our proactive, preventive care process starts with learning about your company’s work environment and where your employees spend the majority of their time. We build relationships with employees and management to discover MSD stressors in your workplace. We offer an integrated and holistic approach to reducing musculoskeletal fatigue and helping you prevent sprain, strain and other MSK injuries.
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