The 10 Ergonomic Principles to Prevent Pain
Do you often find yourself in pain after a long day of work or exercise? It’s time to learn about ergonomic principles! Simply defined, ergonomics is the scientific discipline of optimizing safety and efficiency for how and where a person performs work.
It is about making your work flow easy and natural, while reducing ergonomic risk factors for injuries.
Using good ergonomics has the potential to reduce wear and tear on your body, and increase your productivity.
Understanding these ten basic ergonomic principles is an important step towards designing and achieving comfortable, efficient movements that will enable you to perform at your best, while protecting your health for years to come!
Maintain Neutral Posture
Maintaining a neutral posture is one of the most important ergonomic principles. Neutral postures keep your spine, joints and muscles in the most beneficial position for preventing injuries and reducing stress.
Maintaining the wrists in neutral postures protects your health by reducing ergonomic risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
Another example of neutral posture is your elbow angle when you sit at a desk. Ideally, your elbows should be positioned at a comfortable 90 degrees during desk work. You can adjust the height of your chair or desk to achieve this.
Elbow posture guide by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) (Source).
If you do not yet have a desk that has an adjustable height, consider this top-rated desk, which is motorized for ease-of-use.
Keep things Easily Reachable
The ergonomic principle of keeping things within easy reach is an important concept to understand to achieve efficient and comfortable movements.
This principle involves creating a “box” with your arms, without reaching or stretching too far, that encompasses the area where you plan to work.
Avoiding long reaches keeps you from having to lean forward during tasks, and increases productivity.
Minimize Overhead Work
Minimizing overhead work is one of the most important ergonomic principles, as it helps reduce pressure on your neck.
When your arms are raised above shoulder level for a prolonged period, this awkward posture can cause pain in the neck, shoulders and arms because of the strain on muscles, joints and tendons over time.
Whenever possible, it is best to work at proper heights, such that your shoulders relaxed, and your hands are at elbow height.
Minimize Pressure Points
Minimizing pressure points is an important principle of ergonomics that can help reduce fatigue, stress, and the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Contact stress is created when a body part comes in contact with a hard surface for a prolonged period, resulting in discomfort or pain.
By understanding how to minimize these pressure points, we can ensure our bodies are able to move efficiently while also avoiding potential injury.
A common example is that sitting in the same position for long periods of time can cause contact stress at the back of the legs, leading to pain at this pressure point. It helps to change positions frequently, sit with your feet on the floor, and use a seat cushion on your chair.
Take Breaks to Move
Taking frequent breaks throughout the day is another one of the key ergonomic principles that can help you enjoy better health, by reducing the hazards of prolonged sitting and standing.
When you take regular breaks to move around and stretch, it helps prevent your body from becoming stiff or sore due to spending too much time in one position.
Additionally, taking breaks increases productivity, by providing a mental break which can give you renewed energy and focus to tackle tasks with fresh eyes.
Ergonomic principles are about working smart, not hard!
Minimize the weight you lift
Minimizing the weight you lift is an important principle of ergonomics that can help reduce the risk of low back injuries. One way to do this is to break up heavy loads into multiple smaller ones.
Hold loads close to your body while lifting
Holding loads close to your body while lifting is one of the most well-known ergonomic principles. When lifting heavy loads, it’s essential to keep them as close to your body as possible in order to minimize strain on your back. Using this proper lifting technique will reduce your risk for musculoskeletal disorders such as back strain.
Minimize forceful exertions
One of the most agreeable principles of ergonomics is to reduce excessive force, or in other words, work smart, not hard! The less force that goes into the human body, the better it is for safety. Different factors affect force going into a joint during tasks. One of the easiest ways to reduce excessive force is to use power tools during tasks that are repetitive or that require strength.
Minimize Excessive motions
Eliminating repetitive motion is key to preventing ergonomic injuries. To reduce excessive motions, it is important to plan work tasks and arrange items so that they are within arm’s reach.
Maintain A Comfortable Workspace
It is important to establish a comfortable environment with enough clearance for sitting and standing straight, and free movement. You should be able to walk without bumping overhead objects, hitting your elbows or knees, or tripping.
Proper lighting is also important for safety, because lighting problems such as glare, excessively dim lighting, and flickering lighting can cause eye strain, neck strain and headaches.
To learn how to set up your workstation optimally for desk work, use our office ergonomics checklist.
Minimize Vibration
Vibration can cause joint injury and exacerbate existing injuries, especially if the joint is flexed or extended.
If it is necessary to use tools that vibrate, insulating the hands and elbows from excessive force by wearing gloves improves safety.
Conclusion
Ergonomics is an important concept that can help keep workers safe and productive. By following the principles outlined in this article, you can create a more comfortable workspace for yourself and those around you. Remember that ergonomics is not just about designing equipment – it’s also about understanding how to use it properly and move your body correctly.
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