Whether you sit at a desk all day or are constantly moving at a construction area, it is important to maintain proper ergonomics in your work space. Ergonomics is the study of one’s efficiency in their work environment. Many companies urge proper workplace ergonomics to increase productivity and keep their employees healthy. One thing that companies teach their employees is proper lifting techniques and staying within their safe working zone. The Safe Working Zone is an area around the body that is the safest place where you can achieve maximum strength and balance when lifting an object. Remaining in the Safe Working Zone is crucial for individuals that are required to lift heavy objects throughout the day. Say you have an employee that works in a factory that requires him to lift 120 bags that weigh 40 pounds onto a conveyer belt every hour. The bags he lifts to the right and are placed on the floor, meanwhile the conveyer belt is to his left and is very high off the ground. Towards the end of the day, this employee feels exhausted and is unable to complete the job. But if were to intervene and use proper ergonomics, we can increase his productively by placing him in the Safe Working Zone. Some ways we can manipulate his work area are by lowering the conveyer belt to an appropriate lifting height, using a lift to raise the bags off the ground, and switching the bags and the conveyer belt after a so called amount of time so the employee is now moving from left to right. For those that work behind a desk, here are some instructions to achieve proper office ergonomics. Keep your elbows close to your body at a 90-120 degrees angle, make sure the backrest supports the lower back, adjustable swivel chairs are ideal to prevent overreaching and to adjust to each individuals height, the top of the monitor should be eye level or just below, slight bend at the wrist, hips at a 90-120 degree angle, and the monitor roughly arm’s length away. Overall, proper work area ergonomics can help increase a company’s productivity and by also providing a safe working environment for their employees.
More information on proper lifting techniques can be found at the information source below…
http://ergo-plus.com/wp-content/uploads/WA-Handout-Proper-Lifting-Techniques.pdf
