Basic Ergonomic Fundamentals

by Serifine Lilien | Feb 9, 2023 | Ergo Tips, Ergonomics

There are basic ergonomic fundamentals that every person can implement to help reduce fatigue, aches and pain.

Watch my Nov. 22 presentation for the ASSP meeting and

Learning How to do Computer Workstation Evaluations In Person and Virtual

Aches and pains during lockdown actually increased:

• More than 1/3 reported more aches, pain and discomforts in the neck (37%) and back (35%) than usual. 
• An increased level of fatigue was seen at 42% 
  from: Wellbeing under lockdown, Occupational Health at work
• With two in five workers reporting new pain or increased pain in their shoulders, back or wrists, it’s time to make home workstations more ergonomically sound.
  https://news.chubb.com/Chubb-Survey-of-Americans-Working-from-Home  Ergo Pandemic Study: Chubb

Watch the presentation and learn how to keep your employees safe!

Want more assistance? Reach out to me and I can come in or virtually assess your employees work area!

Do You Wag Your Wrist While Mousing? How Do You Use Your Computer Mouse?

by Serifine Lilien | Jun 22, 2022 | Ergo Tips, Ergonomics

How many hours a day are you using your computer these days? Typically when I ask those I evaluate I hear 6-10 hours a day! That is a lot of computer use. A lot of upper body usage.

Therefore it is important to keep in mind how to use your mouse using neutral posture principles to keep your upper body, including your hands and wrists happy and healthy.

I would say that about 90% of the people I have evaluated use their mouse incorrectly. Therefore there is a lot of opportunity for improvement, especially since this is something most people do almost every day in our current society.

Click here – Let me teach you how to mouse

Typical incorrect postures I see:

• Reaching with the elbow to get to the mouse
• Planting the wrist on the table surface
• Pivoting the wrist to the pinky then the thumb
• Holding the middle finger up in the air so as not to accidentally hit the middle button on the mouse
• Gripping the mouse with the pinky and the thumb
• Using palm supports
• And more!

Here are a few tips to use your mouse using neutral posture principles:

• Avoid reaching for the mouse (move it closer to you!)
• Avoid twisting at the wrist when mousing
• Palm mouse
• Keep fingers relaxed
• Initiate movement from shoulder
• Pivot from the elbow to get to the mouse.

Need more help? Reach out to me to set up a time for us to do a one-on-one ergonomic evaluation for you or your staff – live or virtual.  Ergonomic classes also available both live and virtual.

Ergo Tip: Is Standing A Good Solution For Office Workers?

by Serifine Lilien | Feb 3, 2020 | Ergo Tips, Ergonomics

A study of 7,300 workers finds those who primarily stood were twice as likely as those who primarily sat to suffer from heart disease during a 12-year period.
Sandy Smith | Aug 18, 2017

“A combination of sitting, standing and moving on the job is likely to have the greatest benefits for heart health,” says Smith. “Workplaces need to apply this message not just to workers who predominantly sit, but also – in fact, especially – to workers who predominantly stand.”

“Prevention programs that focus solely on physical job activity, while ignoring other conditions such as the psychosocial work environment, are unlikely to lead to meaningful changes in cardiovascular risk,”

Smith says.

Here is a link to the study: https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/187/1/27/4081581

The Relationship Between Occupational Standing and Sitting and Incident Heart Disease Over a 12-Year Period in Ontario, Canada. Peter Smith, Huiting Ma, Richard H Glazier, Mahée Gilbert-Ouimet, Cameron Mustard. American Journal of Epidemiology, Volume 187, Issue 1, January 2018, Pages 27–33,https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwx298. Published: 11 August 2017

Here is the link to EHS article referring to the study: https://www.ehstoday.com/health/prolonged-standing-job-greater-risk-heart-disease