Ergonomic - Easy Definition

• §     Learning proper posture, lifting and carrying techniques

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•      Becoming aware of your body position during all activities

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•      Altering your habits, positions or your environment to provide a safe and efficient work area

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•      Practicing good body mechanics at all times, not just when you are recovering from pain or injury
  

POSTURE...

In recent years, ergonomists have attempted to define postures which minimize unnecessary static work and reduce the forces acting on the body. All of us could significantly reduce our risk of injury if we could adhere to the following ergonomic principles:

• All work activities should permit the worker to adopt several different, but equally healthy and safe postures
  
• Where muscular force has to be exerted it should be done by the largest appropriate muscle groups available.
  
• Work activities should be performed with the joints at about mid-point of their range of movement. This applies particularly to the head, trunk, and upper limbs.
  

THE PROBLEM...

Here, however, we arrive at a serious problem - and a challenge to conventional ergonomic thinking: In order to put these recommendations into practice, a person would have to be a skilled observer of his or her own joint and muscle functioning and would have to be able to change his or her posture to a healthier one at will. No one develops this sort of highly refined sensory awareness without special training. Therefore, in order to derive the benefits of ergonomic research, we must learn how to observe our bodies in a new way. Any attempt to improve workplace conditions can have only limited success if this issue is ignored.

A SOLUTION...

Utilise 'tools' to enable improved ergonomics i.e. Porta-Book for reading or working on a laptop computer;

One training program that cultivates precisely these skills is the Alexander Technique. It has a long history of helping people develop the subtle coordination of thought and physical action required to monitor and alter harmful patterns of posture and movement. In short, it enables its students to put ergonomic principles into practice, and thus helps them reduce their risk of developing a repetitive strain injury.

The Alexander Technique was developed in the early 20th century before ergonomics became a recognized science and has been applied since then by people all ages and professions. The Technique can be described as a simple and practical educational method which alerts people to ways in which they are misusing their bodies, and how their everyday habits of work may be harming them. It teaches people how to avoid work habits which create excessive amounts of static work and how to reduce the amount of unnecessary muscular force they are applying to their bodies. Stated another way, the Technique teaches the use of the appropriate amount of effort for a particular activity.

Read more: http://www.alexandertechnique.com/