Safety and Health at the Desk

April 28th is Safety and Health at the workplace. I am a full time nurses aide and have many safety techniques I use there. I am also a blogger and in the world of blogging there are many tips that we can us to stay safe and healthy as well.

Bloggers often spend time sitting in a chair at the desk. The chair should be one that can be adjustable and at the proper height, arm rests and back according to personal requirements. When sitting in the chair your feet should rest flat on the floor and your thighs should be parallel to the floor. The chairs arm rests should be adjusted in such a way that while sitting the body will not hunch.

The computer monitor should  be directly in front of you. If not then the body will be twisting and turning. The height of the computer should be so that top of the screen is at your eye level. Using a mouse pad with a soft padding will allow you to rest your wrist on it. Raising your forearms a bit to keep the wrists are in neutral position will help you to freely move your hands and arms.

Posture is very important as well. Slouching is something that you should not do. When you slouch you put pressure on your back. Relax your shoulders, keep your feet flat on the floor and do not lean on the table.

While we are discussing working on the computer lets talk about vision problems. Adjusting the contrast of your computer monitor screen will help your vision. Harmful radiations can cause vision issues and headaches. Placing the computer screen in front or next to a window can lead to visual stress and contrast problems. If you sit at a window be sure the computer is 90 degree angle from the window.

• Look away from the computer screen every 30-45 minutes
• Focus on the furthest object you can see (like a tree or a car or a sign etc)
• When your eyes have adjusted (approx 3-5 seconds), focus on another object that is halfway between the previous object and yourself
• When your eyes have adjusted to that object, look at a close object for a few seconds
• Repeat the sequence and focus at each point long enough for your eyes to become comfortable
• You can do this routine while you are on the phone, waiting for Windows to load a program, or even waiting for a file to print.