Keep ergonomics in mind for staff safety, efficiency
Proper layout, use of work space prevents injury
Ergonomics is generally defined as designing the job to fit the person, rather than making the person fit the job. It’s the science of designing tools and equipment, the layout of the workplace, and the overall organization of work to improve employee well-being and workplace efficiency.
Keeping ergonomics in mind in the PC- centered, telephone-oriented world of front-line access management is a good idea, in terms of both staff morale and workplace efficiency. With repetitive motion injuries a growing source of workers’ compensation claims, access managers are well-advised to do all they can to make employee work stations as ergonomically friendly as possible.
Mark Dohrmann, a consulting ergonomist, engineer, and president of Mark Dohrmann and Partners in Melbourne, Australia, offers the following checklist, with suggestions for improving comfort and productivity. He notes, however, that individuals must determine how best to apply the suggestions to their work environments.
There are several things managers can do to promote a healthier workplace that they might not have considered, Dohrmann points out. For example, if you recess a screen into a cavity on the counter to give staff better visual contact with customers, hood the screen to avoid reflection problems from overhead lights.
And, he says, consider lightweight headsets for heavy phone users. It keeps the hands free and can make for more relaxed speaking on the phone. Make sure staff have plenty of knee space while sitting a thin, pull-out keyboard tray may be perfect.
(For more information, see the illustration, "How to Sit at a Computer," p. 141, and tips on preventing overuse strain, below.)
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