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How To Prevent On-the-Job Injuries
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The How-To Business Book
11/20/2000
By: Linda G. Mele
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Ergonomics is the catchword of the new Millennium. Detailed studies of jobs that can cause carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), cumulative trauma disorder (CTD) or repetitive strain injury (RSI) are being held all over the country, as experts try to come up with the answers that will help workers avoid such injuries and their after-effects.
The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) even held hearings earlier this year regarding the economic impact of ergonomics in the workplace.
Certainly, nobody wants to get hurt, but the number of deaths due to injuries in 1995 nationwide resulted in two million years of life lost before age 65, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention & Control (NCIPC).
And in 1997, unintentional injury was the leading cause of death for Americans aged one to 34, the second-leading cause of death for those 35 to 44, the third-leading cause of death for those 45 to 54, the sixth-leading cause of death for ages 55 to 64, and the seventh-leading cause of death for those 65 and older.
As this pertains to workers, these statistics show that people either get more careful as they age, or their workplace numbers are fewer.
Total U.S. deaths by unintentional injury in 1997 were 95,644; 3,056 people died in Connecticut during that same period, 1,422 incidences of which occurred on the job, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
The most common are injuries to the lower back, often because workers don't know how to bend and pick heavy items up properly. Wrist sprains are also quite common.
Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to workplace injuries, because many of them can be prevented.
Workers who spend most of the day on a computer need to think ergonomically in order to prevent injuries or eye strain.
The monitor should be at a height that does not make the operator look up, down or to the side, and the keyboard should be at a height and in a position that is biomechanically appropriate for the person using it.
Also, the computer operator's chair should support the hips, knees and lower back comfortably.
And for those with home offices, dining-room tables and kitchen wall phones just won't cut it, ergonomically speaking.
While it may be cheaper to furnish your home office using furniture from the rest of the house, it won't be cheaper in the long run if you end up with an injury that may have been prevented.
It make sense to select posture-friendly products such as ergonomic keyboards and mouse/input devices designed to make your hands and wrists as comfortable as ergonomic chairs make your back.
Out of the office and onto the shop floor, proper lifting techniques need to be taught to lessen the number of workers injured by repetitive bending and twisting.
Optimum lifting techniques include keeping heavy items as close to one's body as possible to minimize stress on the lower back.
Also in the industrial arena, workers must be extremely cautious around moving machinery of any kind.
Workers should avoid loose-fitting clothing that could be dragged into a machine - along with an arm or a hand or a leg. The same goes for jewelry that could be snagged by a machine.
Employees in noisy environments should wear hearing protection and, where applicable, wear safety goggles to prevent debris from injuring their eyes.
Perhaps the most important thing simply is to be aware of your surroundings and the things in your surroundings that could possibly cause injuries.
Just as parents are encouraged to crawl around their house on their hands and knees to see things from a small child's perspective, employers should take a close look at their work environment to see the potential hazards there.
If you are experiencing problems you think might be caused by your work environment, consult your physician.
For further information about preventing injuries in the workplace, contact the following:
• OSHA (www.osha.gov/index/html)
• The Ergonomics Task Force at the University of Texas (www.lib.utexas.edu/Pubs/etf/) gives helpful tips on workstation setup, posture, prevention and exercises as well as helpful tips such as “Caring for Your Wrists” and “Gizmos: Pros and Cons.”
• Software includes Coffee Break 3.21, which is designed to force workers to take periodic breaks, so that you can reduce your chances of getting an RSI. Power Pause 3.0 reminds one to take breaks with pictures and exercises.
• For a look at the latest ergonomically friendly chairs, keyboards, workstations, etc., visit Proergo.com (www.proergo.com/) or the Ergonomic Office Store (www.teos-inc.com/).
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