As a safety trainer, she not only provides ergonomic assessments and consultation, but also facilitates regular sessions on proper lifting techniques and back safety for physical facilities workers. Overall, though compensation claims born out of workplace injuries total millions of dollars a year nationally, Fitchette has found that from an ergonomic standpoint, improving the quality of workplace health and safety is often easier and less costly than some might suspect. So far this year, she's visited about 20 University offices to assess the health and safety of the office environment and the ergonomic fit of individual work stations, before offering suggestions to remediate problem areas. Then, too, because there's no one watch-dogging the use of ergonomic labels, they can be misleading. When sitting at your computer, that means keeping a straight upper back, with uncrossed legs that form a ninety-degree angle at the knees with feet flat on the floor.
Poor posture can lead to or aggravate repetitive motion injuries or cumulative trauma disorders.
Ideally, the top of a VDT should be even with the top of your head as you sit straight in front of it. It should be 18 to 24 inches from you, and the screen should be tilted slightly downward. All of these suggested adjustments can be accomplished without cost. The next most common complaint is probably about chairs, which often need to be adjusted and sometimes fail to provide adequate lumbar support, Fitchette said. Fitchette is available to perform individual workstation assessments, office assessments and group safety and ergonomics presentations.