Ergonomics in the workplace and at home

What we will be discussing here:- ergonomics at home, ergonomics in daily life, ergonomics in the workplace. ergonomics at home means the ergonomic adjustment we made in our home to make it more work efficient. ergonomics in the workplace means how we interact with our environment while working in our office or home office. ergonomics in daily life means ergonomics adjustments we made in our activities of day-to-day life.

We will be talking about ergonomics adjustments we made, to increase the efficiency of our work or our day to day activities like:-

ergonomic adjustments we made while

• cooking
• cleaning our house (ergonomics at home)
• working in the office (ergonomics in the workplace)
• Laundering
• gaming
• Carrying backpacks
• Handwriting

Ergonomics exists almost everywhere in your life.

What is ergonomics?

It is defined as the study of the interaction between the person and other elements of the system to make it more efficient and comfortable for the individual.

“Ergonomics is essentially fitting the workplace to the worker, the better they fit, the higher the level of their safety and work efficiency.”

Whats ergonomics and why is it important?

For you to completely understand ergonomics, you especially need to understand the principles for optimal use of your body.

Ergonomics at home

After understanding the definition of ergonomics let’s talk about ergonomics at home, ergonomics in daily life. after this, we will talk about ergonomics in the workplace.

ergonomics adjustments to the cooking tasks

 when you work in your kitchen then there are two basic philosophies of kitchen design that explain the general location principles for the three work surfaces: the sink, the stove, and your refrigerator.

1. The path from your stove to your sink is the most frequent route while working in the kitchen. These appliances should be placed close to each other.

2. For a right-handed person, the sequence of activity proceeds from left to right—that is, from the sink to the main work surface to the stove to the accessory work surface.

Overall cooking process

Task	Ergonomic Risk Factor
Overall cooking process	Prolonged standing Upper extremity force and repetition Static grasps

Recommendations

• Buy ergonomic mats.
• Use a good kitchen layout or design to decrease the distance between frequently used components.
• Build a foot bar in your work areas.
• Use a stool to elevate your legs.
• Wear insoles.
• Vary in standing and sitting positions.

Cutting

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Cutting	Awkward wrist position Repetition Static grasp on knives

Recommendations

• Use ergonomic knives with the pistol grip.
• Learn a proper technique (professional) which will help in increasing your working efficiency.
• Use a food processor when it is available or possible.

Stirring

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Stirring	Repetition Awkward wrist position Static grasp on the spoon handle

Recommendations

• Use a power grasp with your thumb up.
• Move your entire arm for the stirring purpose.
• Use an electric mixer for stirring purposes.

Transporting pots, pans, and dishes

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Transporting pots, pans, and dishes	Excessive forces Awkward postures when lifting dishes to and from cupboards

Recommendations

• Place dishes on a pushcart.
• For your convenience organize your kitchen in such a way that frequently used items are within your reach and at your waist height.
• Use both hands to carry heavy pots.

Ergonomic adjustments to the cleaning tasks

Cleaning toilet

Task	Ergonomics risk factor
Cleaning toilet	Static and awkward position of the wrist and entire body while kneeling and rotating brush

Recommendations

• Use a long-handled toilet scrubber.
• While kneeling, wear knee pads to make it comfortable to maintain that position.
• Build a bridge to support the upper body by grasping a grab bar while cleaning the toilet

Cleaning shower

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Cleaning shower	Static finger flexion while holding a sponge Awkward body posture Excessive reach to the top of the shower

Recommendations

• Use a lightweight mop with an extended handle.
• Use a bucket on wheels.
• Fill a bucket using a hose from the sink.
• Empty the bucket by tilting.
• Use a mop with a longer handle and two points of grasp on it.
• Follow good body mechanics; move feet first.

Vacuuming

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Vacuuming	Push-pull forces to the low back and shoulder. Carrying vacuum up and downstairs.

Recommendations

• A self-propelled vacuum is a better option for this.
• Design home with central vacuum connections.
• Have car vacuums available in upstairs rooms.
• Vaccum should be available upstairs and downstairs too.
• Follow good body mechanics; move feet first.

Dusting

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Dusting	Repetitive use of the upper extremity Excessive reaches Static grasp on cloth

Recommendations

• Use a spray to gather dust more efficiently.
• Use long handles for out-of-reach locations so that you can reach them conveniently.
• Using an open palm to move cloth rather than a static grasp, will be more convenient.

Emptying garbage

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Emptying garbage	Carrying heavy loads held away from the body

Recommendations

• Use smaller garbage cans and transfer them to a large can.
• put a large garbage can on wheels.

Ergonomic adjustments to the Laundering tasks

Placing laundry in the washer

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Placing laundry in the washer	Lifting laundry basket from floor to washer Reaching to access laundry detergent

Recommendations

• Place the laundry basket at your waist height.
• Place laundry soap at waist height or store on top of the dryer.

Transferring clothes from washer to dryer

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Transferring clothes from washer to dryer	Strain to low back when pulling heavy, wet clothes from the washer Trunk flexion to reach into washer Twisting motions to the spine when loading dryer

Recommendations

• Before taking the clothes out of the washer, loosen the tangled clothes.
• Remove only a few items at a time
• Use golfer’s lift or brace knees to decrease trunk flexion
• Move feet first to face dryer straight on
• Kneel in front of the dryer to load clothes

Folding and distributing

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Folding and distributing	Static postures to neck to look down Carrying loads of laundry Repetition to fold

Recommendation

• Place folded laundry directly in baskets according to a family member; this saves added time for distribution 

Ergonomic adjustments we made while Carrying backpacks

How to carry school bags properly for children?

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Carrying backpacks	Low-back pain Neck and shoulder pain Forward head posture

Recommendations

Choose a good design

• Wide, padded, adjustable straps
• Padded back
• Multiple compartments to distribute loads
• Waist or hip belts
• Consider bookbag on wheels cautiously

Wear the backpack correctly

• Make sure backpacks weigh no more than 10% to 15% of body weight
• Wear both straps on shoulders
• Adjust backpack so that bottom is just above the low back
• Make sure that the items are closed pack to the back.

Healthy alternatives

• Keep one set of books at home 
• Carry only those books which are needed at that moment
• Use a locker, if available

Ergonomic adjustments to gaming

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Gaming	Low-back pain Neck and shoulder pain Thumb pain (“Nintendo thumb”) Neck pain

Recommendations

• Take frequent breaks!
• Change positions
• Grasp the joystick lightly
• Use any “programmable” features that minimize repetitive actions
• For forced-feedback gamepads, eliminate vibration components or take breaks more frequently.

Ergonomic adjustments to your Handwriting

Task	Ergonomic risk factor
Handwriting	Difficulty writing Prolonged time in poor posture

Recommendation

• Provide a workstation that encourages good posture
• Provide breaks every 20 to 30 minutes
• Perform warm-up stretches before writing activities
• Perform relaxation techniques
• Increase hand strength and coordination with activities such as jacks, marbles, and painting 

Ergonomics in the workplace

Nowadays, we all are facing a lot of problems related to back pain, eye problems, muscle strain, and you know what, these all can be cured with just a little adjustment made in your environment, so now let’s talk about ergonomics in the workplace.

I think we accomplished the goal of explaining ergonomics at home so now we will be jumping onto our next topic of ergonomics which is ergonomics in the workplace.

We need to adjust our workspace to make it more efficient and comfortable for us.

Screen work

Screen distance and height

• Your computer screen should be placed right in front of you
• The screen should be at least arm distance apart (between 60 to 90cm).

Light and reflection

• Avoid sharp contrast between your screen and your environment

Moise and keyboard position

• Place both the thing directly in front of you.
• Keep both the things in reach of your hands so that a 90 degree is maintained at the elbow level.
• Keep the mouse and keyboard in close proximation with each other.

Chair

Chair height

• Adjust the height of the chair so that your feet are placed firmly on the floor.
• The right angle should be maintained at the knee and ankle joint.
• The angle between the thigh and the upper body is within the range of 90 to 110.

Backrest

• Your back needs to be supported with lumbar support.
• This support is necessary to maintain a lordotic curve in your spine.

Armrest

• Sit straight and the shoulder relaxed.
• Keep your elbow on the armrest of the chair.

Desk

Desk height

• Chair height needs to be adjusted so that the level of your elbow matches with the desk level, and the angle at the elbow stays at 90 degrees.

Wrist rest

• Long hours of typing can be very stressful for your hands, arms, and your shoulders so it needs to be supported.

Other ideas

we achieved the target of explaining ergonomics at home and ergonomics in the workplace to you but we also want you to know about some steps to take into consideration while living your life.

Change position

• Changing your position is very important as it helps in the circulation of nutrients all around the body, so make sure that you don’t get stuck in one position for a long period of time.
• Take a break after every 30 minutes if your working routine involves continuous sitting on the desk.
• Keep alternating your sitting and standing position while working on the desk.
• Lean back on your chair for some time to take a rest.
• Support your neck with your hands to give it some rest.

Move around

• Sitting at your desk and working for hours is a hard job to do so make sure to give some movement to your body.
• For example, take the stairs instead of a lift or go and meet with people instead of just texting them.

Drinking water and eating enough

• Continous working can make your body dehydrated so it is necessary to stay hydrated or drink enough water.
• When we feel tired then we are more prone to do mistakes so stay hydrated and eat enough.
• Healthy eating habits improve your concentration and help you to regulate your blood sugar levels, we recommend eating healthy like fruit and vegetables.

At last, we would like to thank you for being a part of our physiogain community.

today, we talk about ergonomics at home, ergonomics in daily life, ergonomics in the workplace in this article.

Do you sit properly while working on your laptop or computer?

let us know in the comment section below.