Increasingly, farm work is computer work, which introduces a new set of risks. The human body is meant to move. Long periods of working at a computer aren’t what we’re designed for, and they can be damaging to the body, causing pain and disability.
This kind of work puts the body at risk of musculo-skeletal injury (MSI), an injury or disorder of the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, nerves, blood vessels or related soft tissue, including sprains, strains and inflammation.
The back, neck, shoulders, hands and wrists are the body parts most often affected, says Kathy-Lynn Shaw, a certified ergonomist and president of the Association of Canadian Ergonomists (ACE) from Labrador City, Nfld.
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These injuries can have a sudden onset or be cumulative over many months and they are among the leading causes of lost productivity, producing chronic pain, weakness, numbness, disturbed sleep, fatigue and disability.
“A lot of this is the result of poor ergonomics in the workplace,” says Shaw. “Ergonomics is the science dedicated to matching the jobs, systems, products, tools and environment to the capability and limitations of the workers. It’s about having the job fit the worker rather than fitting the worker to the job.”
The strategy is simple and effective. If a job does not fit a worker, the worker is more prone to injury.
[Click here for a back and cervical stretch program (PDF)]
All this is often overlooked until a person is suffering debilitating pain, but paying attention to the setup of workstations and practising good habits can help prevent injury and the associated loss of productivity. It goes further than that too. Employers also have a legal responsibility to ensure that the workplace is safe and healthy, says Shaw.
How does your farm rate? Well, ask yourself, do you know how to adjust your workstation to meet your needs, and do other family members and employees know how to make those adjustments too? This is especially critical when multiple people are sharing the same office equipment, says Shaw.
In the paragraphs below, Shaw and New Hamburg registered physiotherapist Amanda Stevens share their top tips for creating an optimum office setup.
According to Shaw, the physical setup should allow the body to work in a neutral or comfortable position. This means that when sitting at the computer, you should be seated an arm’s length from the monitor, your feet should be flat on the floor (or on a footrest), the monitor should be at approximately your eye level, and your elbows, knees and hips should be at 90-degree angles. “This is called the 90-90-90 rule,” she points out.
Stevens says wrists should also be in a neutral position when you’re using a keyboard. A split keyboard is more adjustable for different shoulder widths, she says.
“If you’re going to spend money on one thing, spend it on your chair,” says Stevens. She advises getting one that is fully adjustable and has lumbar support for the back.
Items used frequently should be within easy reach, Stevens adds. “It is better to stand up to reach anything that isn’t close by and to avoid overreaching.”
When using a laptop, Stevens recommends an external keyboard and an external monitor so the monitor can be placed at the appropriate height and distance.
An advantage of the laptop, though, is its portability. This allows the user to work with the laptop in different locations including setting it on a counter, says Shaw. An ironing board with its adjustable heights can also be used.
If standing at your computer, anti-fatigue or other mats should be used to reduce the strain on the feet and legs that comes from standing for long periods of time, cautions Shaw. A footrest will encourage you to change positions.
Also remember a cover to reduce glare, says Stevens.
Even if you have an ideal workstation setup, it’s essential to change positions frequently, says Stevens. And it’s important to take frequent breaks, says Shaw, who recommends taking breaks about every 30 minutes to improve circulation and blood flow. She also suggests drinking lots of water (this will force you to get up regularly for washroom breaks). Also locate your printer at a distance from your workstation to force you to get up to retrieve printed pages.
Stevens says performing simple stretches throughout the day can also help prevent injury (see illustration).
Spending time on our smartphones is also leading to problems with tension headaches from looking down so much as well as causing thumb pain from writing texts. Shaw suggests varying the fingers that you use to write texts. For phone calls, use the speaker option or a headset to make it easier on the neck.
Also be sure to be body-smart when doing leisure activities like doing puzzles or knitting that involve similar positions. Especially important is to take breaks, Stevens says. “You can’t overestimate the power of movement.”
And if you are experiencing pain, Stevens recommends consulting a health care professional or getting an ergonomic assessment. You may think you don’t have time. Actually, though, it will put you on the path to being more efficient.
That chair of yours
If your chair isn’t adjustable, Stevens and Shaw offer some simple and inexpensive solutions that can make it more suitable.
- To elevate the seat height, put a pillow on the seat. A rolled-up towel behind the back can provide lumbar support. If the armrests are too low but not adjustable, you can wrap the armrests in towels.
- Also consider other steps you can take to make your computer setup more ergonomic and reduce strain on your body.
- Adjust the monitor height using books.
- Place a folded towel in front of a keyboard to soften a hard edge.
- Use keyboard short cuts to limit switching between keyboard and mouse.
- Place unopened packages of computer paper under your feet if your feet are not flat on the floor.
Resources
There are many excellent resources online to help with workstation ergonomics.
- Work Safe New Brunswick has a 16-page Computer Workstation Ergonomics Guide with illustrations and a Computer Workstation Set-Up Checklist available (opens as a PDF)
- Canadian Association of Occupational Health and Safety has factsheets on risk factors, stretches, proper setup on its website.
- The Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers reference guide can be found on its website
- If you need to find a certified ergonomist to help with an assessment and to suggest improvements, go to the Canadian College for the Certification of Professional Ergonomists (CCCPE) at cccpe.ca or the Association of Canadian Ergonomists (ACE) ergonomicscanada.ca
