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Setting Up an Ergonomic Workstation is Good For Your Employees’ Health!

Most people are unaware that the placement of their computer monitor can affect their body’s health. Not knowing a good ergonomic way to set up a workstation can take a toll on an employee’s neck and back. Many people suffer eyestrain, back pain and headaches unnecessarily and simple things can be done to improve their health.

The first thing you should consider is monitor placement. For most workstations, the best position is centered in front of them since putting the monitor off-center can cause neck and shoulder pain from twisting and sitting in an awkward position. However, there are exceptions. An employee may have several interactions with others across a desk, like a bank teller or manager. They may want to keep the monitor to the side as to not interfere with their communications. A good solution for that is to put the monitor on a swivel arm.

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What Can a Health and Wellness Room Do For You?

Maybe you have not heard of the term Health and Wellness Room and are not familiar with what its function is. You’re not alone! Surprisingly a lot of people have not heard of this service. Maybe reading some testaments from a few people who have been to a Health and Wellness Room can help clear up the mystery.

A 38 year old warehouse worker experienced his first Health and Wellness Room after hurting his back at work.

“I had been out on disability for about 4 months before hearing about the Health and Wellness Room. My adjuster called me and told me they had a job offer for me. I was surprised because my restrictions had not changed. I was told that I would be getting my 40 hours a week and my regular wages. I was only getting roughly 60 % of my wages on disability. My back was very sore from just laying on the couch but I decided to accept the offer. It was the best thing I could have done! While in the Health and Wellness Room I was given a bunch of information about my injury and how to treat and prevent it in the future. My doctor did not even give me this much info. The room had times allotted for stretch therapy, walking, exercise and ice and heat therapy and I was inspired to get back to work. This structure was perfect for me to get my back injury better. After just two weeks of being in the Health and Wellness Room my back already felt better because I was getting up and going to work and exercising within my restrictions. The Coordinator was an EMT and was able to help motivate me through knowledge and understanding of the body and helped me work within my restrictions to recover.”

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Believe in Your Employees and Create a Safer Workplace

Do you believe in yourself? Do you believe in your employees? Do you believe that every job assignment makes a company flow and is just as important as the next? Do you believe that if any employee is injured, it affects the entire company? Take time to think that if any one of your employees was injured, who could pick up the slack to keep your business on course? If you are an employer who believes in your employees, then you are already on the right track to creating a safer workplace.

Returning an injured worker back to the assembly line is just as important as returning the CEO to his or her desk. Whether it is a repetitive strain injury such as carpal tunnel, an ergonomic issue such as neck or back strain, or even a fracture from a traumatic injury; recovery and return to pre-injury employment is the most important and mutual goal.

Action should be taken to assist with the needs for your injured worker. Your injured employee needs to have a plan for the beginning, middle and end of his or her recovery. With graduating work, programs like work hardening, and safety classes your workplace can have the chance to prevent future injuries as well.

Contact Proof:Positive for more information about preventing future workplace injuries, and assisting those who have already been injured.

One Less Thing on Your “To-Do” List Next Year

Happy New Year!

What is your resolution? Possibly to be more profitable or to cut overhead costs? It certainly wasn’t to have an injured employee sitting at home, right?

The most common New Year’s resolutions are to lose weight and to get back on the right track. The holidays make a lot of us very conscious of our personal and professional year end goals, and being more productive and healthier should be on everyone’s list.

With the injured employee on your “fix in the new year” list, the major goal is to be fully functioning and that means rehabilitation. The simple discouraging facts of being an injured employee at home and trying to conquer therapy exercises are feeling that you look funny while doing them, the exercises are boring, or even the “I don’t have the time” or “I’m frustrated because I can’t do what I used to” excuses. These excuses may seem silly on paper, but which category do your employees fit into?

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Could Your Employee Workstations Use an Upgrade?

Warehouse employees are subjected to a great deal of repetitive stresses on the body and as a result, musculoskeletal disorders are their most common forms of injuries. One way to significantly decrease the number of musculoskeletal injuries sustained while on the job is to make their work stations more ergonomically sound.

Ergonomics is the science behind why things are designed the way that they are. Handheld tools, for example, may have ergonomic handles on them that decrease or disperse the force that is applied to the hand. Also, workstations can be designed in a way to maximize productivity while reducing employee fatigue and risk of sustaining an injury.

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Does Your Business Practice Ergonomic Principles?

Most of us have heard the term “ergonomics” at one point in our work environment. The question is do we really know what it means? The dictionary defines ergonomics as “the applied science of equipment design, as for the workplace, intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort.” That seems a little too scientific to me. Ergonomics should be simple!

Evaluating your workplace for safety, and making sure your employees have the tools needed to do their job, is where you need to start. Back pain is a common injury or complaint in the workplace and often times it can be caused by simple work activities. Applying ergonomic principles can help prevent injuries in your workplace.

Most of us think of ergonomics applies only to physically demanding jobs, but what is often overlooked is the office environment. People who sit most of the day, such as those who work behind a computer, need to be concerned with ergonomics as well. Having a well planned office and computer ergonomic system can help reduce the risk of repetitive injury.

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Health and Wellness Rooms: A New Year’s Resolution to Keep Injured Employees Productive

As the year comes to a close, many people are thinking about their New Year’s resolutions. Businesses should be no different. It is time to evaluate your company’s plan for your injured workers. Make a resolution to give your injured workers a place to recover from their injury. Help them return to work and cut time loss and extra expenses from a worker’s comp claim.

Health and Wellness Rooms are a perfect fit for many companies looking to reduce their premiums and save money, especially when looking at your end of the year bottom line. Get your business out of the red and back into the black. Putting a Health and Wellness Room in your IIPP (Injury and Illness Protection Program) can help you save thousands of dollars and reduce your Insurance E-Mod rating.

Health and Wellness Rooms can provide your injured employee with knowledge and understanding of their injuries. It is a great place to track your employee’s progress during their recovery.  “Out of sight, out of mind” is a very relevant phrase when it comes to work comp claims. If you’re not monitoring their progress, or whether or not they are even following the plan given to them by their doctor, their injury can cost your business several thousand dollars.

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Prevent a Holiday Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) from Occurring

The holidays are here and stress and fatigue are on the rise. Being at work, coming home to write holiday cards, and then sending them out can really tire out those hands of yours http://webbanki.ru/zaim-onlain . Have you noticed that the repetitive movement has caused pain that you may “work through” just to get the job done?

Repetitive Strain Injuries are real and many working individuals experience them without putting a name to it. The most common symptom of RSI is a feeling of general fatigue, but when your strongest workers go on and ignore these symptoms you may end up with long term and seriously debilitated employees.

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Decorating the Workplace – Keep Safety in Mind!

Decorating the workplace is always a great way to boost spirits during the holidays. But, it is important to be aware of potential hazards. The same principles that go into decorating your home in a safe manner should apply to your workplace.

Make sure you are checking for fire hazards when selecting your decorations. Be careful not to punch your staples through the cords on lights and extension cords, and know how many strands of lights can go together. If using decorations outdoors, check to see if they are rated for outdoor use. Putting your lighted decorations on timers is a great way to protect the office.

Checking your fire safety equipment is a practice that is often overlooked during the holiday decorating festivities. Make sure your smoke detectors are working. Have your fire extinguisher inspected and serviced if needed. When deciding on which decorations to use make sure they will not compromise your exits and or sprinkler system.

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Injury Recovery is Golden for Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers are still at work, and a larger and older workforce means complete rehabilitation is very important. We all know that due to aging our wounds and injuries don’t heal the way they used to. Keeping that in mind, a Health and Wellness Room is exactly what you need. We provide the environment for your employees to heal properly with education and instruction on a proper recovery http://mirziamov.ru/zaym-bez-otkaza/ , all the while being monitored by staff that has a background in injury care and proper ergonomics.

Nobody likes to be in pain, and no employer wants an injured worker, but when accidents happen or repetitive motion injuries finally catch up, it good to know that your employees are on the road to recovery. Having rooms that provide equipment to strengthen, to educate, and to keep an employee on the right track is being proactive. And, it is so important for older employees to keep active, both mind and body, during recuperation.

We say it over and over that prevention is key, but education is just as vital. With a growing number of workers approaching retirement, it is essential that we prevent further long term injury.  The availability of onsite instruction, and even onsite injury prevention inspection, enables us to help you retire your prized workers into longer and more active golden years.