The report went on to say that while millions of dollars are spent trying to find the cure for RSI we don’t appear to be getting very far. In fact it is generally agreed that the most success comes from prevention, not cure.

The number one cause of RSI is the huge impact of computers in our lives – in particular the use of keyboards. Almost every worker in an office from the receptionist to the executive suite works daily with a desktop or laptop. Even in a world where the use of the personal device and smart phone is fast becoming the next “platform” PC use is as mainstream as paper and pencil.

The report says that incorrect seating, poor work regimes and appalling physical fitness can play a role in RSI, which is why many experts often prescribe special exercises to help lessen the effects of long hours spent at the computer making hundreds of thousands of key strokes. While these movements may be small, they carry the risks and dangers of any athletic activity.

There are some simple tips to avoiding RSI and still remain productive at work.

First, start with a good chair that has as much adjustability as possible and is easy move. The chair should not be so long that it digs into the back of the legs, and the chair’s height should be adjusted so that the feet can touch the floor without dangling.

To help improve posture, select an ergonomic designed keyboard. If you cannot change your hardware make a simple adjustment to the keyboard. Slip a board, about 25 centimeters thick, beneath the lowest side of the keyboard. This provides a “negative” tilt, taking some strain off the wrists and encourages you to sit up a little straighter,

According to the American College of Orthopaedic Surgeons, sufferers of RSI can be aided by the correct environmental climate with which to operate at work. The college suggests workers change the desk height, change the seat, and use a foam wrist rest.

Another field of thought says that the best way to treat RSI is keep the tendons supple and moving. The theory is that tendons that move heal better, so people are encouraged to warm up by doing fine motor movements such as wrist twirls and finger lunges to keep things supple.

By limiting how much hands and wrists move you can cause muscles to contract and tendons to shrink. People end up alleviating some of the pain, but they tend to put added stress on some of the other muscle groups. The goal is to maintain a range of motion.

Understanding your back, the different types of back injuries and what generally causes them can help us to find better procedures to avoid back injuries during manual handling, when setting up workstations, etc.
 
Your back is supported by a spinal column. The spinal column is made up of vertebrae. Each of those vertebrae are supported by muscles, ligaments and tendons. And each of those vertebrae is cushioned by discs. The majority of back pain issues and injuries occur because one part of the body is weak or overworked and the back attempts to compensate. For example, the abdominal muscles may not be strong enough to carry sudden excessive weight around the waist, so the back must overcompensate to carry it, leading to back ache.

Let’s look at each part of the back in more detail.

Muscles

Muscular back pain is the most common form of back pain. It is most likely to occur when placing too much demand on those muscles – either by introducing a new activity that the muscles are not used to, or by increasing the workload (weight or time wise) over what the muscles are accustomed to. Injury can occur too when the muscles are cold. Just like a sprinting athlete would warm up the muscles of their legs and arms, work that emphasizes the back muscles should be proceeded by a warm up of those muscles.

Cramping or seizures of the back muscles are referred to as back spasms. 

Piriformis Syndrome is painful and is often caused by the bottom’s piriformis muscle pinching the sciatic nerve.

To avoid muscle pain and injury:

• Warm up thoroughly first
• Avoid repetitive tasks that put strain on the back (research if equipment can perform the job)
• Drink plenty of water as dehydration can lead to muscle spasms

If muscle ache occurs:

• Rest using good posture
• Apply gentle heat, eg. warm shower, heat pad, etc.
• Go for a short, relaxing walk

Ligaments

Ligaments are bands of fibrous material that connect bone to bone. They work as shock absorbers and prevent over movement/ over extention of the joints.

Injury through tearing a ligament can occur due to prolonged poor posture. The ligaments become overstretched due to the poor posture and then when sudden strain is placed on them, they can tear.

Damage to the ligaments of the back have been known to occur during taks such as digging or shovelling.

To avoid ligament injury:

• Practice good posture at all times
• Avoid tasks that put excessive strain on the back (research if equipment can perform the job)

Discs

Discs are like little gel cushions in between each vetebrae and the next. If you lean to one side the down-tilted side of each disc will be squashed and the up-tilted side of the disc will expand.

Pain and injury to the discs can occur when the spine is rotated, and by bending forward. More squashing of the disc would occur if you were to bend forward or rotate while lifing a heavy load.

To avoid disc injury:

• Practice good posture at all times
• Follow the correct lifting techniques – and never twist your body as you lift something. See The Art of Lifting

Tendons

Tendons are bands of fibrous material that connect muscle to bone. 

The most common injury relating to tendons is known as Tendonitis. This painful condition is from stress on a tendon whether it be through repeated motion, trauma to the body, or an imbalance in posture or motion.

To avoid tendon injuries:

• Allow time for the body to recover from any activity, new or old
• As with all other back issues, warm up before undertaking activity
• When starting a new activity, do it in small bouts – and increase the intensity or time ratio gradually – allow your body to adjust over time.

The big picture?

• Practice good posture at all times
• Be aware of your back and treat it with care
• Warm up before undertaking any activity that puts pressure on your back
• Rest and recover between activity
• Allow your body to adapt to new activities

Being always so active at work my friend kept a lean body frame, ate a nourishing meal during his break, and always had plenty of energy to join in full-on activities on a weekend.

That all changed within about four months of his promotion.

My friend was no longer physically active at work.

He not only ate his nourishing meals during his breaks, he also took to snacks and soft drinks while staring at a computer screen.

He began piling on the weight, and it wasn’t distributed over his usually lean frame, it all settled on his chest, stomach and waist.

Suddenly he was more exhausted after a day’s work sitting than when he was out working machinery and supervising on the floor. He no longer had energy to do things with his family and friends, so home life and social gatherings became a routine of watching TV and eating.

As his general health and outlook took a plunge he also became more prone to colds and sickness that went through the office.

Now, a promotion is an excellent thing. Don’t most people desire recognition for their efforts and achievements? Isn’t it good to know at the end of the day you contributed somehow and the company recognized that? Doesn’t that bit extra in your pay packet help out at home? Doesn’t it feel good to tell your friends and family that you received a promotion?

And being promoted or advancing in our jobs needn’t have a detrimental affect on our health.

If your job doesn’t require much physical movement, then incorporate simple things like:

• walking to and from the train station rather than driving
• going for a walk during your lunch break
• getting out your seat to file each document as you finish with it rather than building up a pile of files and then walking to the filing cabinet
• getting up and opening the door for people who come into your office rather than sitting in your chair and telling them to enter (if your door is always open, even standing up as people enter will work)
• walking to the next department to deliver a spoken message rather than getting on the phone
• doing some general stretching exercises throughout the day

You can also supplement a light physical work existence with a slightly more physical outside of work existence:

• wake up that little bit earlier and go for a walk
• join a club and swim, walk, run, play volley-ball, tennis, squash, row, cycle, learn martial arts, do aqua aerobics, yoga, dance, etc.
• park at the end of the shopping centre carpark and walk that little extra
• opt for fun activities with friends, eg. climb a mountain (I’m not suggesting Everest!), walk through a National Park, walk through some markets, cycle tour, go sand-boarding, snow-boarding, learn to surf, etc.

Just a little exercise goes a long way to a happier, healthier, and more energetic you! After all, don’t you want the energy to enjoy that new promotion?

W.A.L.K.:

Watch.

Watch what the staff members are doing:

• are they wearing the correct PPE?
• are they following procedure?
• are their actions hazardous to themselves or others?
• do they look comfortable?
• do they appear stressed?

Look at the environment

• is the area clean?
• is the area free from hazards?
• are the safety signs adequate?

Ask.

Ask questions about:

• what the staff are doing
• why they are doing it
• how they feel about what they are doing
• what they think will improve performance and safety

Listen.

Listen to the staff’s answers. Too often people ask questions, but only hear what they want to hear! That’s called ‘hearing’ – not listening! Be open to what staff say. This part of the walk and talk equation is why so many irresponsible business owners, supervisors and managers avoid the walk and talk – they simply don’t want to hear their staff’s concerns because they fear it’s going to cost money or increase the admin’s work load.

Keep improving.

Air the concerns of staff (unless they are private) and ask for solutions from all staff. Open the avenues of communication. Walk and Talk implies that the staff will communicate right there and then, this is not necessarily so. A staff member may feel more comfortable sending you an email or filling in a form, or chatting with someone else first before they speak with you. Make these mediums available to everyone.

Whatever you want to call it: Walk and Talk, Saunter and Converse, Swagger and Chat – apply the W.A.L.K. principles and help to eliminate hazards, communicate with staff, and create a safer work environment now and for the future.

Feedback is a better alternative for observing and commenting on work performance and behaviours. Semantics, you might think – but there’s more to it than that.

Criticism tends to focus on what is wrong or what someone has done wrong, while feedback tends to focus on both right and wrong – it is an overall observation of what is.

If you’re going to comment on someone’s work – even if you want to highlight something negative – do it as feedback, and never, never, never begin your observations with “Just some constructive criticism…” Ouch!

Your feedback should be for the purpose of improving performance and systems, not to score points or prove a point. Your intent should be to make the other person aware of how they can improve what they’re doing, and what they are currently doing ‘right’. Too often we assume that people just know what to do because it seems like common sense to us. And even though people are doing it ‘right’ it’s nice to have someone verify it.

After your feedback the person should feel empowered to improve, not feel that you’re a nit-picking pain whose whole purpose in life is to make their lives miserable! That certainly doesn’t encourage a ‘team’ atmosphere.

A great recipe for giving feedback is with a ‘Feedback Sandwich’.

Basically there are a few layers to this particular sandwich.

There is the initial slice of bread – this is where you tell the person what they are doing right already.

Now, this isn’t about ‘sucking up’ or ‘trying to win someone over’ – it’s about a genuine observation of what the person is doing correctly. 

It could be as simple as:

“Hey, you did a good job getting that oil cleaned up – what did you use?”

“Geeze, you make that look easy.”

Or as at one workplace “Nice goggles – good to see someone’s wearing them… hey, they match your eyes!”. This made the staff member laugh – obviously a private joke that I wasn’t privvy to – but it had the desired affect. The Supervisor was then able to stress the importance of the worker unrolling their sleeves to protect their forearms – with little resistance to the ‘feedback’.

The next part of the sandwich is the filling – this is where you tell the person how they could improve what they are currently doing. Maybe they forgot to fill in a certain form, wear specified PPE, or have deviated from the procedures manual.

Then the last slice of bread – you finish off with what the person was doing right (again). You could build on what you said they were doing right earlier, or you could highlight something else that you noticed they are excelling at.

Once again, it’s as simple as: 

“When you have a chance can I get you to spend some time with … he’s struggling a bit and could do with your expertise.”

“Great that you’re wearing the goggles – the newbies will start wearing them now too without me having to get on their backs about it. Thanks.”

Here’s a Manager’s Safety Mantra that is all about the big picture. This little mantra can be a good focus for both you and your people when the nitty-gritty threatens to breakdown communication or create a ‘them versus us’ mentality.

1. All work injuries and illnesses can be prevented.
2. The majority of injuries and illnesses are a result of below standard procedures, education or behaviour.
3. As a company / business we are one entity.  Health and safety of that entity is paramount. Therefore every part of that entity has a responsibility for the whole (ie. every worker – whether it be administration, the accounts department or a subcontractor - has a responsibility for the safety of themselves and every other staff member).
4. Just as all other business activities are measured (eg. profit and loss, stock taking, etc.) OHS (WHS) should be recorded and measured for effectiveness and improvement.
5. All complaints, concerns, or ‘near-misses’ are opportunities to improve work procedures.

If you are a do-it-yourself kind of person, or you’re in a workplace where you need to use power tools, one of the things you probably regularly come in contact with is a portable saw.

Many people don’t appreciate the dangers in using these types of tools. A portable saw is a very powerful device with the purpose of cutting things. Whether that means a piece of wood or a body part, it can’t tell the difference and will just do what it is designed for. For this reason, safety must be your main priority. Here are some tips to follow:

Before Picking Up the Saw

Take note of what you are wearing before you use a portable saw. Do you have long hair? Are you wearing clothing that is loose? How about dangling jewelry? Any of these things can get caught in the mechanism of the saw and cause you injury. Remove jewelry and reign in baggy clothing. If you have long hair, tie it back securely before you get to work.

The Plug

You should never leave a portable saw plugged in when you are not using it. Indeed, don’t plug it in until it’s time to use it. If there is any damage to the lead or plug, do not use the equipment! Follow your work’s safety procedures and have the equipment checked or replaced as soon as possible. Electricity is not something to play with.

Saw Blade

Before you plug in the saw, check to see if you have the right blade in the saw. Different blades are made for cutting different materials. If you use the wrong one you could cause damage to the saw or worse, break the blade and create a metal projectile.

Cutting Area

What are you cutting? Is the cutting table secure and the item to cut securely held in place? Any of these things being less than secure are sure to cause an accident.

Cover Your Eyes

Even a properly working saw can kick up debris that can get in your eyes. You should always wear some form of eye protection when using a portable saw.

Cutting

Before you cut with a saw you need to make sure the cord is not in the area you are going to cut. This will keep you from cutting through the cord. This may seem like common sense, but there have been a number of close calls when workers have only become aware of how close they were to cutting the electrical lead after another worker pointed it out, or they stopped for a breather…. pure luck was on their side.

Make sure you place both hands on the saw so you can control it well as you use it.

Remember, as you begin to use a saw, and hit the material to be cut, it will most likely kick back towards you. Anticipate this and make sure you have a good hold on the saw before you start cutting.

Housekeeping

Once finished – be sure to switch off the saw immediately, unplug it, put the saw away safely, store leads, and remove any debris that could be a hazard.

Thank you Phil, your message in the following article is a true reflection of Annecto’s focus on helping people.

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Why do we view occupational health and safety as a problem at work and trying to get people enthused to take up the cause is almost impossible? Is it because our policies and procedures dictate what we have to do to the extent that we become robots and are not given the chance to discuss other options?

Look at it this way, take the word occupational out of the equation and replace it with the word wellbeing so that you have health, safety and wellbeing and it immediately changes the focus from occupational to something a bit more personal.

When you use the word occupational it is related to the occupation, something you collect when you start work and leave behind when you finish work. If you are unfortunate to be injured at work it is not something that only relates to your occupational time, it is something that is with you 24/7.

So let’s focus on the 24/7 approach of health safety and wellbeing. When you are at home there are unwritten ground rules like you spill something you clean it up, but when at work you do not do it. Is it because rigid policies and procedures dictate what we do, and it is not included in your job description? Or is that there is a blame policy within the organisation? At home we look out for each other, but get to work and we don’t give a rats.

To give you an example, someone spilled coffee on the floor and didn’t clean it up. Another person slipped on the spilt coffee and ended up fracturing her back and has been in agony for the last 10 months. When you speak to this person and listen to how it has affected them and their family it is heartbreaking. The injury is 24/7 not just restricted to work hours, and in hindsight the person who spilled the coffee wished they had cleaned it up.

My induction for new employees focuses on this story (not policies or procedures) and the importance of looking out for each other because if we don’t one day it may be you that is on the receiving end. I ask them how it would affect their life if they were seriously injured, or how they would cope, physically, mentally and financially if a family member was seriously injured.

In changing the focus, people are beginning to see the importance of health and safety and it certainly makes it easier to get them involved. Health, safety and wellbeing is discussed at all levels, not so much through committees but through every meeting that is held throughout the organisation as health, safety and wellbeing is a standard agenda item.

Health, safety and wellbeing has become part of our work, and our theme of looking out for each other is changing the approach in the organisation, and as it is a case of continuous improvement, we still have a long way to go.

I want you to consider for a moment: How much time do you spend sitting?

The truth is the majority of working roles force people to spend a huge amount of time sitting – and they never take into account that resulting discomfort plays a major role in fatigue, irritability, injury and lack of motivation. Sitting is a part of:

• the office setting – as a receptionist, bookkeeper, telemarketer, keyboard operator, IT specialist, manager or copy writer, etc.
• driving – delivery, company car, truck, taxi, bus, mining vehicles, heavy duty vehicles on construction sites, or farming equipment, etc.
• aviation services – as a pilot of a helicopter or plane.

Even commuting to and from the workplace can have you sitting for extended periods!

Meet Jill

Meet Jill. She is a keyboard operator for a credit company, working 5 days a week. Jill’s life in relation to sitting is as follows:

• Commute to work on a train = 1 hour of sitting
• Arrives in office to begin work at 9am and sits in a chair until 10.30am – with one stretch break as she gets a drink during period. = 1 and a half hours of sitting
• Morning tea is twenty minutes which consists of 15 minutes sitting in the tea room and then a toilet break = 15 mins sitting
• Re-commences work at 10.40am and works through until 12pm = 1hour, 20 mins of sitting
• Jill collects her lunch from the fridge and catches the lift downstairs to have lunch in the park near her building. She sits reading a book until 12.45pm then returns back to her workplace to go to the toilet, have a quick chat with the Receptionist, and grab a glass of water for the next work session =  40 mins sitting
• Jill works from 1pm to 3.15pm, her longest stint = 2hours, 15mins
• Afternoon tea is twenty minutes which consists of 15 minutes in the tea room and a toilet break and another coffee to get her through the afternoon = 15 mins sitting
• Re-commencing work at 3.35pm, Jill works until 5pm = 1hour, 25mins sitting.
• Jill walks to the train station, stands for 5mins on the platform (thank goodness!) waiting for her train, and then sits for the next hour home = 1hour.
• When she gets home she organises dinner and settles down to two hours of her favourite TV shows, feeling exhausted and a litte irritable due to the ache in her lower back. She relishes this time out after a full days work – the only draw back is she’s sitting again… = another 2 hours.

That’s a day of 11 hours and 40 minutes sitting.

Do you do something similar? It might be behind the wheel of a vehicle or in a ‘cabin’ operating heavy machinery. You might even spend longer sessions than Jill during long shifts in the one seated position, often resulting in an aching back, sore neck and numb bum.

Have you ever considered the amount of stress that is placed on your back and spine sitting for so long? Have you ever considered that the fatigue you experience by the end of the day (or even earlier) is due to your bum and therefore lumbar region, back and spine being denied the comfort  and support it needs?

The average seat whether it be an office chair, pilot’s seat, truck seat, machinery operator’s seat and driver’s seat fails to provide appropriate pressure distribution where you make contact with the seat. You seem to have constant pressure on certain points of your bum and thighs which eventually cuts off blood supply to these areas, leading to a numb bum and legs, and even long-term circulatory issues. Do you ever find yourself squirming to find a better position, only needing to squirm all the more 10 minutes later?

If you are in machinery or a vehicle that experiences vibration (aircraft, trucks, cars, machinery, buses, etc.) due to engine vibration, rough roads or changing terrain, there is added stress to your body as it fights the vibration and gravity in search of stability. The body’s fight against these forces leads to fatigue and muscular pain. And did you know that being seated for long periods over time can contribute to spinal compression?

There are cushions available on the market that can help to relieve pressure by cushioning you correctly, absorb vibration (protecting your back and spine), and avoid heat build up. The leader in this field is AirHawk Cushions, who make cushions specifically designed for the aviation industry, mining industry, etc. and they have cushions to suit cars, buses, trucks, large machinery, office chairs, helicopters and planes, etc.

AirHawk Cushions have a unique design of interconnected air cells that mould to your individual shape – and you can adjust the amount of air pressure in them to suit you whenever you feel like it. The technology company behind AirHawk, ROHO has tested the air cell cushion and found it doesn’t compress like foam and gel cushions do over time.

The other asset of these cushions is that you can take them anywhere – they’re low profile and have washable covers. So Jill (our keyboard operator in the case study above) could use her cushion in the office, on the park bench, on the train, and even at home.

Check out AirHawk’s Website for more details.

There are a number of reasons people take an extended break from work. Some of the most common are an extended vacation, maternity leave, or a long illness.

When you return to work after such an absence, it is vital that you reassess your work environment and make sure that you know all of the safety procedures. In addition to the ones that were in place before you left, it is highly possible that new safety rules have been instituted which you need to know. If you were also away from work due to illness or injury, it should be assessed whether the work you are about to undertake will in anyway create further aggravate any lingering condition.

Get Back in The Groove

When many people return to work after an extended leave they put pressure on themselves to jump right back in and be up to speed immediately. This is not only stressful – it’s also unnecessary. Take a little time to make sure you know what is going on. If there are any new programs, systems or processes in place, learn them and make sure you know what you are doing before you rush forward. Another wise step is double-checking your role. During your absense parts of your previous job may have been made redundant, or certain procedures may now be outsourced or part of someone else’s responsibility. You don’t want to step on any toes, or double-up on work, so do the wisest thing and ask.

What has changed?

Chances are there are a lot of things that will change if you are on an extended leave from work. From the faces you are seeing to how things are done; a workplace is an ever-changing environment. Because of these changes, there could be a completely different feel in the office. 

Not only can the faces working in your office change, but also the attitudes and thoughts of those who are still there. If the office has changed around them while you were gone, they may suddenly seem very different, as they react to their surroundings. Give yourself time to adapt to all of this. The ‘in crowd’ when you left may now not be so popular, and a negative or unempathetic supervisor may have created trouble and pessimism throughout the rest of the workforce.

You may find that you have changed too. Your extended leave may have given you the ability to see your workplace through fresh eyes… you may now be seeing the forest for the trees! But now is not the time to suddenly rush in and blurt out that the rest of the staff are doing it all wrong! Remember, they aren’t seeing things the way your are… yet.

Be tactful in your communications, back up your observations with specifics, and help to find solutions. There is nothing more annoying to someone who has been ‘doing the job’ being told they are doing it the wrong way, with no offer of a solution.

Get Help

If you are not sure about anything going on in the workplace, ask for help. This may be a stretch for some, as many people don’t like to ask for help. Many believe that asking for help makes them appear incompetent or that they have failed to keep up with the times.

A simple, “Just double-checking, do you want me to …?” is one way to ask for guidance. Or as I heard a worker say after he returned from a rather long leave of absense (years ago when I first worked at a refractory company), “Alright you mongrels, take me through the job from start to finish, so I know what parts you lazy b******ds are now getting machinery to do!” And they did, with much laughter and no lack of respect.

Remember, you have been gone for a while. A new employee gets time to learn and understand the workplace dynamics – why can’t you? You have been gone for some time and should be given time to readjust to your environment.