You spend your days sitting at a desk, strumming on a keyboard eyes on the computer? When the position is not optimal, the body becomes tired and painful. Precisely, specialized advisers, known as "ergonomists", are there to help us adapt our workstations.
I'm fed up ! Do you know the expression? "Says ergonomist Amandine Simon from the Active Ergonomics consulting firm, who explains:" the workstation can cause body pains when it is not adapted, or even stress if the employee suffers. a high workload or that his social relations at work are degraded. "In France, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the first recognized occupational disease, with a score of more than 87% according to a 2013 report of the AT account. / MP (occupational accident / occupational disease) The purpose of ergonomics To study the entire professional environment to adapt it to the worker, from both the psycho-social and the material point of view, for example. ergonomist Amandine Simon explains how to position herself in front of her workstation, to avoid unnecessary pain.
Take breaks
"The biggest problem in tertiary work is the static posture.The man is not made to stay for hours without moving." The goal, then? Make it move from time to time. She recommends doing two types of stops. "A visual pause every hour is essential.With a computer, the near vision constantly contracts the muscles of the eyes.Looking for a minute in the distance can rest the eye." And a physical break: "every two hours, try to change position, get up and walk", to work the muscles.
Adjust the height of the workstation
"It is necessary that the environment adapts to the man, and not the opposite", insists the ergonomist. When you take a bad position at your post, you can feel pain mainly in the neck, trapezius muscles and in the lower back. As a result, you may end up with problems with blood circulation (tingling), or even problems with venous return.
How to sit? "You set your seat so you have both feet on the ground and a 90-degree angle on your knees." Because if it is too low, the angle is closed and makes the blood circulation more difficult. The back of the chair should be tilted back slightly to open the angle of the bust and thighs. The ideal height of the office? "You have to put your elbows in, forming, there too, a 90-degree angle," says the ergonomist.
On the computer side? "The top of the screen should be at eye level." Why ? "The look naturally tends to go down, so this way it is positioned in the center of the screen without effort." This avoids over-stressing the neck and creating neck problems.
Place your instruments on your desk
"In all cases, the screen must be exactly in front of you, especially not on one side", to limit the cervical efforts. The keyboard and the mouse? Place the keyboard "close to the edge of the desk, away from it by a width of your hand.You absolutely keep the mouse close, to avoid the movement of useless wrists", which can cause pain in the arms. If one wishes to make the entry from paper documents? "We put them between the keyboard and the screen," concludes the specialist.
