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The Workplace
It is vitality important
to understand why the RSI symptoms occurred in the first place in
order to make sure that they do not return in the future. The following
are a few helpful suggestions. Although they specifically refer
to computer use, much of this can be related to other situations.
The sitting position: What's your posture like now? Many
people fall into very bad habits when surfing the net - slumping
in the chair with the head resting on one hand - sound familiar?
It is important that you are comfortable sitting at a desk. Many
companies now provide their employees with information on how to
set up their work-space; what they don't often tell you is that
following these printed instructions will not prevent RSI developing;
it's all about good work practices as much as ergonomics. The desk
should be at an appropriate height and should not have a sharp leading
edge. The edge can cause discomfort at the wrists and impede circulation.
When not engaged in sustained keying, do change your workstation
and/or chair set, so that throughout the day you adopt a variety
of working postures. This will help to avoid over-straining the
same muscles and joints.
DO ask for a risk
assessment - it doesn't matter what job you do, your employer has
a duty to assess risk and its' potential to cause harm. The Health
and Safety Executive (HSE) provides some free leaflets that you
can download and print off now.
Vary the workload: Try to vary your work tasks as much as
possible. If you have a lot of typing to do then see if you can
intersperse it with other tasks away from the keyboard.
Take regular breaks: To counter the effects of a fixed sitting
position take regular breaks away from the desk as often as possible;
the same advice applies to musicians, factory operatives etc.. Short
breaks, sometimes known as 'micro-breaks', should be taken after
every 10 minutes or so of typing. This need only involve looking
away from the computer and moving the shoulders, arms and fingers
to break up the sitting position. A few gentle shoulder and wrist
rotations, which can be done while sitting, are ideal. Longer breaks
of at least a few minutes should be taken every 1/2 hour or so.
A trip to make a cup of tea or coffee, collecting output from the
printer, or delivering memos by hand are all good ways to do this.
You should certainly not feel guilty about doing it. A good employer
should understand the risks posed by poor working habits. They are
likely to have to pay for any time off through sickness caused as
a result of work, as well as finding temporary replacements and
possible compensation. To help remember to take a break, try out
a break reminder program - many are free and I have included some
links on this site. BTW I've met few smokers with RSI - is this
because they are better at taking breaks ?
Consider trying voice recognition software: This is not suitable
for every task, but it can work well for producing memos, documents,
letters and that type of thing.
| Change your
keyboard and mouse if you are not happy with your current
one. Although new equipment is unlikely to make a huge difference,
it might make things more comfortable. Be careful not to substitute
one type of pain with another though. Sometimes people find
a new piece of equipment helps in the short term but the problems
come back again, usually because they have not made other changes
to the way they work. Very important - don't bash the keys with
your fingers; only use the minimum force necessary to type. |
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Don't forget to consider
how you do things outside work. Furniture, housework, hobbies,
cooking, and driving can all have an effect on RSI.
Statistics on RSI
I'm often asked by people
for statistics on RSI. These seem hard to come by, but a report
by Dr Jason Devereux of Surrey University (November 1999) suggested
that the real cost of RSI is greatly underestimated. He believes
that factors like retraining, loss of productivity, cost to the
health service, unemployment and under employment, should be included.
Most statistics just focus on the amount paid in State benefits.
The report found that in the UK:
- 500,000 workers
are currently affected
- the number
of disability claims has risen from 1.7% in 1990 to 22.5% in 1998
- it may cost
the country £3 billion a year (or nearly 2% of GDP)
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