Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act published in 1974 and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations published in 1999, your employer is required to prevent any work-related injury that could have been prevented. Employers are also responsible for ensuring that working conditions or the work environment do not worsen existing ones. Repetitive strain injury is a term that encompasses a wide range of ailments and is caused by repeated exposure to an activity that places an undue amount of stress on a certain part of the body.
It’s much easier to try to avoid the root causes than it is to adapt and recover once it’s too late, after all, the repetitive activity that’s causing the problem is certainly a big part of your daily work life. Often caused by sitting at a computer or workstation all day, here are some easy-to-follow tips to help you avoid the pain and impact of a repetitive strain injury:
1. Move your work area to follow your position and posture; don’t let it dictate how you organize yourself.
2. Modify your equipment if it is not ergonomic! Don’t put up with it, replace it.
3. Make sure your posture is correct; an adjustable chair can definitely help. Although they are expensive, they are much less expensive than constant back pain and discomfort.
4. Make sure your desk is the right height for you and not for your chair. Simply raising it with something under the legs or lowering it by shortening the legs with a saw will suffice if the desk is not adjustable.
5. Getting a fully adjustable keyboard will make a world of difference, once you try one you’ll notice!
6. Have some different mice! If you rotate between the different designs you will reduce repetitive movements. There are plenty of different options, including trackballs that take a bit of getting used to and vertical mice that reduce pronation and twisting of the wrist. Both will help avoid RSI.
7. Having a document holder at head height behind the keyboard and next to the monitor helps you maintain posture and keep your head up.
8. Make sure your monitor is at the right height and distance for you, in line with your eye line and far enough away that your arms are nearly straight with a slight bend when typing. If you’re using a laptop, try a stand.
9. Learn about the RSIGuard software, it will give you essential insights into how your daily behavior is harming your well-being.
10. Do not dawdle! Your body will withstand the stress you put on it for quite some time, but once it stops resisting, recovery can be long and painful.
