How to Avoid Common Ergonomic and Repetitive Stress Injuries 
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), adapting tasks, workstations, tools, and equipment to fit the employee can help reduce stress on the body. It eliminates potentially harmful workplace ergonomic injuries. These account for over $15 billion in workers' compensation costs annually. It is up to the employer to ensure they are creating a safe office space.
Workplace injuries can result from repetitive movements. Some examples are sitting in awkward positions, straining your neck because a screen isn't correctly placed. Static postures with little breaks to stretch the muscles. OSHA provided an
eTool to educate on healthy ways to reduce ergonomic injuries in the office space. Some solutions are the following:
- Make sure the chair, keyboard, and monitor are in a straight line with your body;
- Use an adjustable keyboard tray to position your keyboard and mouse at a comfortable height, placing the mouse and keyboard as close as possible to your body to avoid reaching;
- Maintain a relaxed, neutral posture and sit up straight to provide firm back support;
- Allow your arms to hang loosely at the shoulders;
- Keep your elbows at a 90-degree angle while typing;
- Adjust the chair height so your feet are firmly on the ground.
Many people don't realize how debilitating a repetitive motion injury can be until they suffer one. Workers can find it difficult or impossible to return to the job until they've healed, and some might find that they can never perform those functions the same way again. If you've developed a condition due to repetitive motions on the job, you could be entitled to claim workers' compensation benefits from your employers' insurance policy. Securing this compensation is not always simple or straightforward, however.
If you've suffered an RSI while at work in New York, contact an experienced
workers' compensation lawyer at
Hach & Rose, LLP for help. Schedule your free consultation by calling us at
212-779-0057 or online today.