Staying Safe at Work: How to Avoid becoming an OOS Statistic

It's a basic truth that the human body wasn't madevery frightening - especially for those of us who
to sit still for too long. We spent tens of thousandswork with computers on a daily basis, and could lose
of years evolving in an environment that required usour livelihoods if we became unable to use them.
to move - to find shelter, to catch food, and to keepHOW CAN WE AVOID BECOMING A STATISTIC?
ourselves safe from predators. We've only been livingResearch has identified three things we can do to
lifestyles that allow us to stay sedentary for thehelp ensure we don't become one of those statistics:
lesser part of a hundred years - not nearly enoughposture, breaks and stretching:
time for our bodies to adapt to this new way ofProper Posture
living.If you don't already know how to sit properly at
Not all of us make our livings sitting in front of ayour computer, it's critical that you learn quickly. Most
computer, of course. It is, however, becoming morecompanies have someone in their Human Resources
and more common - and many of us then go homeor Training departments who's been trained to set up
and use our home computers to stay in contact withworkstations correctly, and ensure you're sitting
friends and family, study, or play games - all of whichproperly - ask them for a workstation assessment. If
adds up to a lot of sitting still!you work from home, you can find an excellent
SO WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM?article on the subject at and a diagram at or contact
Our bodies, as mentioned above, were built foryour local Occupational Health & Safety office for
movement. Movement encourages bloodflow -more information.
ensuring our cells are supplied with oxygen andRegular Breaks
nutrients, and ensuring waste products are collectedMost of us know how important it is to take regular
and transported to where they can be eliminated.breaks. Simply stopping and relaxing for a few
Lack of movement leads to cells being both starvedmoments every 20 minutes can make a huge
of needed nutrients and left to wallow in wastedifference. Actually standing up and walking around
products. When this is then combined withonce an hour will do even more. It doesn't have to
stress-induced muscle tension (which furtherbe far - just enough to get you to move, and get
constricts bloodflow) - or lots of repetitive smallyour blood flowing a little more freely. Set an alarm
movements - well, I'm sure you can see whereon your computer to go off regularly to remind you
problems might lie.when you should be taking a break.
These dangers aren't news to us. We've all heard ofStretching
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), Occupational OveruseThe final thing you can do to protect yourself is to
Syndrome (OOS) or WRULD (Work Related Upperstretch out all the muscles and joints that end up
Limb Disorder). These are different terms for what iscramped up when you're sitting at a computer.
essentially the same problem - constant repetition ofStretching helps relax muscles that have a tendency
small movements (like keyboarding, or using ato tense up, and is probably the singlemost important
computer mouse) in a context of very few largerpart of helping you avoid OOS. For a short list of
movements. Left for too long, this can cause tingling,some of the stretches that will be helpful to perform
numbness, pins-and-needles, and gradual weakeningregularly, please click on
of the affected area. And let's not forget that it canNEED HELP PUTTING IT INTO PRACTICE?
also cause intense, debilitating pain, and prevent usJust as the dangers of OOS aren't news to many of
from working. OOS is *not* a fun condition tous, neither are the things we can do to avoid it.
develop.However, it's easy to get caught up in our work - in
A 2002 Australian study (quoted on found that thesethe pressures of looming deadlines. All too often, we
work-related muscle and soft tissue injuries made upsit down with the best of intentions for working
more than 60% of all workplace injuries. Anothersafely, then look up and discover three hours have
study (quoted on showed that out of just overgone past since we last took a stretch break. And
1,000 questionnaire respondents, over 130 hadthen, of course, there's the question of exactly
actually put in compensation claims for OOS and wellwhich stretches we should be doing, and making sure
over 600 others reported symptoms of OOSwe're doing them right.
without claiming for them. These statistics can be