7 Commandments of Ergonomics

ESC Computer Pain

Computer-related injury is the fastest growing and least controlled work-related injury in present-day history. In fact, work-related musculoskeletal injuries are the most frequent type of lost-time injury and are the largest source of lost-time worker compensation costs in Canada. Considering at least 50% of the world’s population works in some form of office and technology is advancing with lighting speed, computer related injury is set for pandemic proportions.

Ergonomics is not easy to figure out. Furniture makers and equipment makers have ergonomics already built into the equipment but the majority of workers never adjust the equipment they are given to fit their individual body and work habits. Most workers feel too busy to do the research on ergonomics. Those who do try to implement ergonomic changes find there is tons of ergonomic information scattered throughout the internet world and don’t know where to start. Ergonomics is not easy to implement on your own.

That’s why I developed the 7 Commandments of Ergonomics©. As an occupational therapist specializing in helping injured workers return to work over the past 25+ years, I have identified the dangers inherent with computer use. Having identified the dangers and recognizing a pattern, I have developed a system which involves 7 steps to make computer use less dangerous. These are 7 things that no one tells you when you start to use a computer. These 7 things are not intuitive. These 7 things will help you to avoid injury or ESC Computer Pain. These 7 things are much more important than rules, that’s why I called them Commandments.