The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought us all new ways. It has made us more proficient in IT systems, more understanding of Teachers, more appreciative of time, family, friends and mental health. Some of us have learned to manage meetings, while helping kids with Zoom or catering to our playful pets. And in the midst of all the fun and games, we tend to lose focus on the eight or more hours spent in front of our computers.
When Emergency Orders became implemented across the country, our work lives also changed overnight. With such, many companies have done their best to accommodate their employees at home. Surveys have gone out and sessions on virtual meditation, stretching and daily activity hit employees inboxes within days. But what about how we are setup? How about our home workspace? When we went home to quarantine ourselves and our families, many of us managed to continued working. With this our homes became our offices.
Here is what OSHA has to say about work-related injuries at home:
In Section 1904.5(b)(7) states: How do I decide if a case is work-related when the employee is working at home? Injuries and illnesses that occur while an employee is working at home, including work in a home office, will be considered work-related if the injury or illness occurs while the employee is performing work for pay or compensation in the home, and the injury or illness is directly related to the performance of work rather than to the general home environment or setting…
Ergonomic Injuries occur over time and affect the various muscles in our body. They often start with soreness and tingling of the extremities and can aggravate to sever chronic conditions such as trigger finger, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, etc. Ergo injuries are more prone in our homes now since we are probably working at our dinning tables, couches or kitchen counters. However, there are small and effective changes that we can make in our setups to prevent such injuries.
To find out more and if you are interested in a remote ergo assessment, hit this Contact us link and send us a note. We are happy to help!