How to Prevent Lower Back Pain at Work Through Ergonomics

Lower back pain is becoming an ever increasing work-related health problem and not only stems from heavy lifting but general bad posture caused by sitting in office chairs. The principles of ergonomics help to improve the workplace, bettering the standards for employees. Looking in more detail at lower back pain, we can discuss some of the ways to prevent it through work ergonomics and make the working environment more comfortable and in turn, more efficient in terms of output.

Here are some guidelines and advice to prevent employees from suffering with lower back pain in the office:

First and foremost, one must identify the causes of lower back pain in any given work environment and then take steps to eliminate each of the causes. Prolonged periods of static posture are one of the major causes we are seeing today as many office workers spend hours upon hours sat at their computer desks. In truth, the body should change position every twenty minutes so there is some benefit in frequent breaks or an office set up where employees are required to move between stations. Even stretching from time to time can help prevent the stress a static posture can create on muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Although a little expensive at the moment, ergonomic balance ball chairs are proving incredibly beneficial to the office worker who would usually be required to stay static for hours in their standard office chair. These revolutionary chairs help to align your spine and give the user an opportunity to change positions regularly - you have to or you might lose your balance and fall off!

Yoga is another revolutionary exercise for the office worker; despite being around for centuries, yoga is only recently being recognized as a key preventer to lower back pain. If you want, you can even tie in your yoga practice with the balance ball! As an employer who needs to look after their workforce, the thought of providing a yoga class and/or yoga breaks during the working day is not so much of a crazy idea any more - there is no denying that even two sessions of ten minute yoga can enhance the physical and mental state of employees who will be able to work more efficiently in the long run.

Workstations must be set up with individuals in mind; this might mean buying office furniture that can be altered accordingly and helping each employee to set up their workstation. Positioning of the chair, desk, keyboard and computer are basic but vital principles of work ergonomics. It also depends on the task being carried out as an architect may need a slightly higher desk than a clerical officer.

The guidelines above touch on many areas within good work ergonomics and the prevention of lower back pain; all in all, the importance lies in practicing good posture throughout the working day and by exercising the muscles so that they can provide you with all the support you need.