Ergonomics

Musculoskeletal disorders and repetitive strain injuries are one of the main causes of lost work time. From clerical workers with carpal tunnel syndrome to nurses with back injuries from lifting patients, AFSCME members are suffering from ergonomic injuries. Here are some Web sites where you can get information on how to recognize the symptoms of these disorders, find treatment, and redesign your workplace and practices to prevent them. 

The Keys to Healthy Computing
This publication offers helpful information about evaluating computer workstations and how to recognize the most common computer-related ergonomic disorders. 

Preventing Back Injuries in Health Care
This AFSCME Health and Safety fact sheet offers basic information on how to control and correct the risk factors involved in back injuries. 

ErgoWeb
This site contains a newsletter on ergonomics, case studies of effective ergonomics interventions, and a large bibliography on the subject. It also offers a buyers guide for ergonomically adapted products. 

HealthyComputing.com
This Web site offers both medical information on computer-related ergonomic disorders and workstation modifications organized by component (keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc…). Stretches and exercises to prevent ergonomic injuries are also suggested. 

Typing Injury FAQ
This site offer a lot of frequently asked questions and links on topics such as alternative keyboards and speech recognition software as well as general information on repetitive stress injuries arising from computer use. 

Washington State Dept. of Labor and Industries Ergonomics Page
This page supports Washington's workplace ergonomics rule. It is particularly useful for musculoskeletal injuries in the health care field with booklets on patient lifting and also includes tools such as a "lifting calculator" and checklists to identify general ergonomics problems. 

In addition to these Web site you may also want to look at the OSHA and NIOSH sites on this topic.