Occupational Health Nurse
Marlene Thomson
Key Messages
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Ensure correct initial set up of your workstation
Manage your time on computers/ keyboards
Exercise and stretch regularly
Avoid fatigue
Early reporting of discomfort to Manager or OHN
Overview
 Setting up your workstation
 Take a break! How stretching and relaxation works
 Discomfort Pain and Injury (DPI)
 Myths and legends
 Working wisely
 Visual fatigue
Setting Up
Posture
• Maintain body in a neutral position
• Feet fully supported- floor or footrest
• Knees same height as or just below the hips
• Head is level, forward facing and balanced
• Back fully supported when sitting upright or leaning
back slightly
• Shoulders relaxed
• Arms close to body and parallel to floor
Take
a
break!
 You need to protect
yourself
 follow a practice of
stretching then relaxing
 make it a regular part of
your daily routine
 micro pause
 Learn and practice
techniques that work
 Tense muscles do not
allow blood flow
 oxygen cannot get to the
soft tissues
Stretch
Keep
fit
St
Discomfort, Pain and Injury
So what is it?
 It is simply muscle tension
 associated with holding yourself in
one position for too long
 static loading of the muscles does not
allow blood flow
What’s in a name?
Names:
 OOS: Occupational Overuse Syndrome
 RSI: Repetitive Strain Injury
 GPD: Gradual process disorder
 All those labels suggest a medical condition
 GTD: Glued to Desk!
Myths and legends
Myth
 DPI is a crippling injury
 Will effect the rest of
your life
 Once you have it, you
will never get better

Fact
 When people rested it
got worse
 Guarding accelerates the
pain
 Physical exercise works

Work wisely
 Avoid long periods doing same task
 take short regular breaks
 Change position frequently
 make yourself stretch and exercise
 task change is always helpful
 work with shoulders down
 avoid fatigue
 Learn a simple relaxation technique
Simple relaxation
 take a big, deep breath!
 breathe out, saying
“Relax” to yourself
 95% of people raise
shoulders at computer
 30% of people breathe
more shallowly
Visual Fatigue
 No conclusive evidence that computer use can cause
eye injury
 May highlight pre existing problems
 Symptoms:





general aching/burning of eyes
watering, red or itchy eyes
blurred vision or difficulty focussing
changes in colour perception
headaches
Management of visual discomfort
 Optometrist
 Placement of screen relative to lighting
 Humidity levels in office
 Work organisation
 Frequency of breaks
Key Messages
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Ensure correct initial set up of your workstation
Manage your time on computers/ keyboards
Exercise and stretch regularly
Avoid fatigue
Early reporting of discomfort to Manager or OHN
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