|
Published
midmonth every month by Ergovera Ergonomic Consulting to help
you keep up on ergonomic innovations, so you can protect your
employees and increase their productivity. Please pass it on to
your colleagues and friends.
Give
me a break! 
Escaping
to serene, lush Hawaii on my honeymoon recently reminded me of
the importance of taking real breaks from the stresses of our
everyday work. After serious hiking in Kauai for nine days (every
trail is straight up-and-down, rocky or slippery, and very hard
to walk on), I felt stronger and rejuvenated. Since returning,
I've been wondering how to help my clients and their employees
experience this sense of well-being sometime each day, too.
So
I searched medical journals for the latest recommendations on
breaks and found a consistent theme: taking short breaks away
from a computer workstation hourly not only helps relieve musculoskeletal
and eye strain, but one study showed that it actually increased
productivity. I hope the summary that follows helps you find ways
to recharge and refresh, too.
Deidre
Rogers, RN, CAE
President of Ergovera Ergonomic Consulting
|
|
More
breaks improve work |
 |
|
Not long ago, ergonomic experts were advising that computer
users take microbreaks of one or 2 minutes as often as every
10 minutes throughout the day. Surprise, surprise, it turns
out that people found that downright distracting! The most
recent research results counter that recommendation about
such short, frequent breaks, yet confirm that extra breaks
can prevent or alleviate symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
(CTS), Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) and eyestrain. Plus,
these studies show that more breaks make workers more productive.
A
report for the National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health (NIOSH) and the IRS [Galinsky et al.] concluded
that taking a total of 50 minutes of break time each day
helped prevent or alleviate both musculoskeletal discomfort
and eyestrain. (That 50 minutes includes the two 15-minute
breaks required by law for anyone working an 8-hour shift.)
Another investigation [McLean et al.] found that, "Microbreaks
had a positive effect on reducing discomfort in all areas
studied during computer terminal work, particularly when
breaks were taken at 20-minute intervals."
Researchers
who conducted a different NIOSH study [Dababneh et al.]
compared benefits of taking either 12 three-minute or 4
nine-minute breaks. They found that, "Neither of the two
experimental rest break schedules had a negative effect
on production, and the nine-minute break schedule improved
discomfort ratings for the lower extremities." So the basic
conclusion is this: By allowing your employees to take more
breaks, you can avoid potential problems and actually increase
their alertness, job satisfaction and productivity.
References
Dababneh, A. J., Swanson, N., & Shell, R. L. (2001). Impact
of added rest breaks on the productivity and well-being
of workers. Ergonomics, 44 (2), 164-174.
Galinsky,
T. L., Swanson, N. G., Sauter, S. L., Hurrell, J. J., &
Schleifer, L. M. (2000). A field study of supplementary
rest breaks for data-entry operators. Ergonomics,
43(5), 622-638.
McLean, L., Tingley, M., Scott, R. N., & Rickards, J. (2001).
Computer terminal work and the benefit of microbreaks. Applied
Ergonomics, 32(3), 225- 237.
|
|
|
Follow-up
prevents problems |
|
|
Prevention and early intervention are essential in avoiding
work time lost due to physical and mental strain from prolonged
periods of computer or other repetitive-motion work (or worse,
temporary or permanent disability claims). It is also vital
that you continually monitor the improvement or worsening
of any physical problems reported by employees that may result
from their work.
Unless
you have a certified ergonomist on staff, it's important
to protect both your employees and your company by requesting
a evaluation by an Ergovera ergonomist. With conscientious
follow-up, you can make sure that the employee's symptoms
and work habits have improved and that the employee is following
recommendations.
|
|
|
Ergovera
offers 3 new services |
|
|
1. Free email, fax or phone followup: As a manager,
you can get valuable information from the Employee Satisfaction
Survey that we send to each person whose workstation and work
habits we evaluate. We send that followup survey when you
specifiy, such as 30 or 90 days after the evaluation.
2.
Walk-through evaluations: Not sure whether your workplace
meets ergonomic standards? We can do quick, basic assessments
of general work areas to identify risk factors and suggest
the most simple, cost- effective solutions available.
3.
Manager training: Becoming an ergo-savvy manager yourself
is the best way to get company-wide support for an ergonomics
program to protect your workers' health., as well as your
company's budget and reputation.
Schedule
your evaluation or training now, so you can prevent problems.
Contact
us for free information about Ergovera's services. »
|
|
|
Suggestions
welcome |
|
|
Got a nagging concern or just curious about an ergonomics
issue? Let us know, and we'll tell you in a future issue what
the research shows.
We
plan the content of this newsletter according to what interests
you, our reader, so we'll welcome any feedback or suggestions.
Please
send us comments, suggestions or questions »
|
|
|
Credits
and notices |
|
|
Copyright © 2002, Deidre Rogers and Ergovera Ergonomic
Consulting. All rights reserved. Reuse in any form must be
requested and granted in writing.
Newsletter
by Polished Prose editorial services, PolishedProse.com
|
| Quick
Links |
|
|
Marcom
Copy *
