On the fifth day of industrial ergonomics, my favorite safety team gave to me… tips to improve my posture, keep my back pain-free, and a $15 Amazon gift card!
Welcome back to DORN’s 12 Days of Industrial Ergonomics blog series, where we’re celebrating the season by giving away daily prizes while offering simple, yet important safety tips on a range of today’s most critical injury topics. To enter for your chance to win the daily gift, share this blog post on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or X (Twitter) and tag the DORN account. Share on multiple platforms for additional entries and tag your colleagues in the safety world! Randy Milliron, the winner from Day 4 of the 12 Days of Ergonomics, did a great job —check out his post!
For day five, we’re diving into the issue of lower back pain, specifically for workers who stand in front of computers or stationary workstations for long periods. Often, these workers are looking back and forth between computer screens, their tools, and other equipment, which can strain the lower back, hips, and shoulders. It can be easy to fall into a pattern of twisting the torso instead of moving on your feet, which can lead to chronic pain in the hips and back. It is also common for workers to place most or all of their weight on one foot while moving between tasks, which adds to the strain on the hips and lower back.
Instead, our ergonomists recommend focusing on distributing your weight equally on both feet, keeping a strong base of support under your center of gravity at all times. That means being deliberate about taking small steps across your workstation to ensure you can keep both feet underneath you. This will also help prevent repeated twisting at the torso and hips, which will help mitigate chronic pain and injury risk.
Here’s DORN’s Cheryl Roy providing a visual rundown of these tips in a Safety Minute video.
Thank you for joining us for the 12 Days of Industrial Ergonomics with DORN! Remember to share this post on social media to be entered to win today’s prize: a $15 Amazon gift card!
