Only 1 percent workplaces in Polish offices are fully ergonomic, and more than half of them do not meet the requirements of ergonomics. Such results are brought by the next edition of Ergotest research.
Positions that do not meet the ergonomic requirements are 55 percent. of the total, and partially meeting these requirements is 44 percent. In addition, over 30 percent.jobsare unassigned jobs, where the distance from the next job is less than 80 cm. - Employers do not provide employees with sufficient space, and monitors are also placed incorrectly - comments Zbigniew Jóźwiak from the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Łódź. The only comforting thing is the growing interest inergonomicsof the workplace. - This is evidenced by the more than twofold increase in the number of survey respondents - from less than 7,000. in 2007, to over 18 thousand in this year's edition - says Joanna Kamińska from the Central Institute for Labor Protection - National Research Institute (CIOP-PIB).
How to work safely and he althy?
Work ergonomics - it's very bad
The height adjustment is only 66 percent. chairs (in 2007 - 82 percent), and only 15 percent. it is equipped with adjustable armrests. Almost half of the monitors (45%) are located in the distance from the eyes that is dangerous for the eyesight. Most of the respondents work with liquid crystal (LCD) monitors. - However, not all of them meet the appropriate conditions, e.g. new Samsung monitors emit more radiation than traditional CRT monitors - warns Zbigniew Jóźwiak. As much as 83 percent. In cases, the wrists are positioned incorrectly when typing on the keyboard - they are suspended in the air or pressed against the edge of the desk, and not supported on a gel pad as they should. The results of the Ergotest research show that the reported ailments are directly related to the organization of theworkplace . Only 0.5 percent work on fully ergonomic workstations. of the surveyed women, which is a much worse result than last year, when such working conditions were declared by 2 percent. women. For men, this value remained unchanged at 2%.
Disregarding the ergonomics of the workplace will affect your he alth
The organization of the workplace may cause numerous he alth hazards for employees. 89 percentof them experience back pain and neck pain, and 87 percent. eye pain. Among the complaints that have been lingering for years, the following are also dominant: visual acuity disorders (78% of respondents), pain in the wrists (63%) and pain in the arms and elbows (56%). - explains Patrycja Krawczyk-Szulc, MD, PhD from the Lux Med medical center network. - Working with a computer also means spending many hours in a forced, sitting position of the body. Ergotest.pl points to the existence and topicality of the problem of excessive strain on the locomotor system during sedentary work, such as office work - adds Krawczyk-Szulc.
What should an ergonomic workplace look like?
Lighting: the room should have access to natural light
- the window should be to the side of the monitor, not behind or in front of it
Monitor: should be a newer generation (LCD) and traditional monitors (CRT) must contain anti-radiation filters
- should be placed centrally, slightly below the line of sight at arm's length
Keyboard: monitor, keyboard and working person should be in a straight line so that working at the computer does not force the torso to twist
- the keyboard must be placed at or slightly below the elbow level
- wrists to rest on a pad
- should be regularly and properly cleaned (research has shown that there are approx. 2,390 microorganisms per 100 square centimeters)
Chair and footrest: the chair should have the possibility of adjusting the seat, backrest and armrests (so that the forearms are placed on them)
- should be rotatable and have 5 support points
- it should be possible to put a footrest under the desk