Are you designing a new office or maybe considering a makeover of your existing space? Now is the time to take ergonomics into mind, and contact our ergonomics expert in California today.
Creating a comfortable environment for your team to work in will be rewarding in terms of quality of life, but countless experts agree it will also boost productivity.
How and Where are You Sitting?
Every member of your team, regardless of their role, will benefit from a proper, ergonomically designed work area.
Team members who work at the front desk are the first line of communication to your patients. Their health is critical as they work throughout the day completing tasks on the computer, answering the phone, and dealing with daily business-related tasks.
- Make sure that the computer monitor is an arm’s length away, their head is level, and they are not looking down or up for long periods of time.
- Encourage team members to keep their wrists straight, with hands at or below elbow level.
- Adjust chair height so knees are level to, or slightly below, the hips, and feet are flat on the ground.
- Provide desks that allow room for knees and legs to move freely.
Treating patients
However you treat a patient, it is important to keep ergonomics in mind for everyone in your operatory. If standing for long periods of time, make sure team members have proper anti fatigue mats in place to help alleviate sore feet.
If sitting, make sure that all items are well within reach. Stretching, twisting, or straining to reach instruments or other items can increase the risk of injury.
Where Are You Looking?
If you have to lean over a patient, it is important to keep your head upright. Whether you are seated or standing, this is an important consideration as you work to make the operatory more ergonomically friendly.
Looking down at over a 20% declination angle for long periods of time can result in chronic pain. Adjust your loupes to accommodate this limitation, or acquire a new pair that will allow you to focus effectively, without compromising your neck.
Encourage Your Team to Report Pain
As you work with your team to create a comfortable, ergonomically correct, workplace, it is important that you take team members’ reports of any issues seriously. If there is a report of pain, it is important to listen and address the issue. If you are interested in taking an ergonomics course, contact Katrina Klein.
Showing your team that you take their pain seriously will help increase overall morale, as will the efforts you make to ensure that their work areas are designed with their health in mind.
Do you have questions about setting up a new space or renovating your current office? Contact our ergonomics specialist in California today to find out how ergonomics can better your team’s health and productivity.