Week 2: Clear

This photo is courtesy of  onekell and has some rights reserved.  

This week the concept  I found that the most clear and useful concept was rom the lecture on ergonomics. Ergonomics is the study of how our body reacts to the strains brought on by our work environments. The study of Ergonomics has pointed out several ways that people can improve their health in front of the computer screen. The most helpful rule I learned was the 20/20 rule, which maintains that you should remove your eyes from the screen every twenty minutes and focus on something at least 20 feet away to avoid excessive eye strain. Another helpful tip is to keep your back straight while working at your computer this will reduce strain on your back and neck. Also be careful that when using your mouse that you move your whole are and not just your wrist to avoid pain and ailments such as carpal tunnel.

Ergonomics is very important in the  business environment because it will allow you to be productive for longer period of time. The bad habits that we develop sitting in front of our computers is preventable. Not taking the time to correct habits like slouching, excessive eye strain, and making sure your feet are on the floor is selfish. Not only are you physically hurting yourself, but the company you work for as well. Over time the ailments you suffer from these bad habits will force you to take extended absences from work for a remedy. Taking the proper precautions will allow you to perform better at your job and it will keep you physically in much better condition.

One webpage that I found helpful for improving my poor computer habits was on the OSHA (Occupational and Health Administration) website. It provides a checklist that you can use to gauge whether your work setup is ergonomically correct. The checklist ranges from your sitting posture to your computer setup. Probably the best part about this checklist is that it is from OSHA who have done research on the proper work environment. http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/checklist.html.

This week I found a photo that properly illustrated ergonomics I used creative commons content from flickr. The photograph was taken by onekell. Here is the url: http://www.flickr.com/photos/onekell/2570057391/lightbox/